Events/Things To Do

The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (AMPBID) is excited to announce the return of Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest on Saturday, October 14th from 2-6pm! With approximately 100 bands, this event will showcase some of DC’s best local musical talent featuring nearly every musical genre, including classic rock, funk, go-go, rap, reggae, blue grass, classical, and pop. Twenty porches, business patios, parks, and the closed 18th Street will become stages for the day, drawing music-lovers from around the region into the tree-lined streets and small businesses of Adams Morgan. And for the first time during PorchFest, 18th Street NW (between Columbia and Kalorama Roads NW) will be closed to vehicular traffic creating additional safe space for people, performances, and fun! This road closure is part of an ongoing initiative, the Adams Morgan Pedestrian Zone funded by the DC Office of Planning’s Streets for People grant program.

Event patrons can pick up a music map and wristband at two different event headquarters locations. The first location is in the plaza in front of Truist Bank at the corner of Columbia and Adams Mill Roads NW. The second location is in front of 2424 18th Street NW inside the road closure. Event wristbands are FREE and provide attendees with dozens of discounts at various Adams Morgan businesses. After picking up a wristband and event map, guests can stroll through the neighborhood for nonstop musical performances from 2-6pm, enjoy lunch, dinner, or drinks at a neighborhood hangout, and shop for unique gifts at local boutiques.

Each PorchFest location will host up to four 45-minute sets, all of which are free and open for all to enjoy. Due to overwhelming success over the last few years, we are excited to announce that we will have TWO main stages this year – the Plaza Main Stage (in front of Truist Bank) and the Aetna Main Stage (in Hoffman Alley next to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream). And, that’s not all! More stages means more extra-special local talent including headliner, Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish with the Screaming Trojans. Lead guitarist of the wildly successful 20 million-album-selling, two-time Grammy®-winning rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish, Mark Bryan, is from nearby Montgomery County, MD and plans to deliver a stellar performance featuring original songs off his solo albums plus classic Hootie and the Blowfish songs that we all know and love.

Additional main stage performers include The Experience Band & Show, Airport 77s, Controlled Chaos, Flex Matthews Band, Ari Voxx, Jordan Curls, and a DJ courtesy of Le Mont Royal. The full lineup of performers can be found at AdMoPorchFest.com. 

The Adams Morgan Partnership BID is currently recruiting volunteers to assist with staffing Fall PorchFest. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, Adams Morgan swag, and complimentary food and beverages the day of the event. Click here to sign up.

“We’re so excited for our Fall edition of PorchFest! This past Spring, we had more than 40,000 people attend the event,” said Kristen Barden, Executive Director of the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District. “We anticipate another big turnout in October which will ultimately support our neighborhood businesses. We hope the community will join us for this incredible event. We also appreciate our incredible porch hosts, bands, sponsors, volunteers, and small businesses for their contributions – we couldn’t do it without them.”

Adams Morgan PorchFest is brought to you by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID. This event is generously sponsored by Aetna, a health care company that is working to build a healthier world and is contributing to all of the fun, healthy ways to move throughout the pedestrian zone. Aetna is committed to providing individuals, employers, health care professionals and producers with innovative benefits, products and services. Additional supporting Fall PorchFest sponsors include Events DC, Tattoo Paradise, Colonial Parking, Gifted Curators, Lars Etzkorn Law PLLC, and Catoctin Creek.

Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Gershwin, Price & Beethoven
Piotr Gajewski, conductor

Michelle Cann, piano

NatPhil’s 2023-2024 Season begins with a trio of enchanting works conducted by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, transporting listeners from the height of the Jazz Age to a pastoral countryside. Sensational pianist Michelle Cann opens the concert with Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s iconic fusion of classical and jazz styles, followed by the rich melodies and rhythms of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, which beautifully blends classical and African American musical traditions.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6—the “Pastoral Symphony”—celebrates the beauty of the natural world in five movements that usher audiences through the countryside, painting vivid imagery of a babbling brook, a crashing thunderstorm, and the people that coexist with nature.

Program:

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue

Florence Price, Piano Concerto in One Movement

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation – the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization – and prominent food writer David Hagedorn announce the return of Chefs for Equality on Monday, October 30, 2023, at the National Building Museum. Now in its 10th year, the evening of extraordinary food, drink, and entertainment, in addition to live and silent auctions, supports the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationwide educational work and its fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.

“At Chefs for Equality, over 150 of Washington D.C.’s greatest chefs, bakers and mixologists create spectacular food and drinks in the name of full LGBTQ+ equality. This year’s theme, Plate of Emergency, calls attention to the state of emergency that the Human Rights Campaign has officially declared because of intensified attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender and non-binary people. The chef community stands at the ready to turn up the heat and fight even harder to protect and promote equality,” said David Hagedorn.

“It is so exciting to have DC’s top culinary and mixology talents come together in support of HRC Foundation’s work,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “LGBTQ+ Americans are navigating a national state of emergency, facing an all out assault on our basic rights. From access to necessary health care to feeling safe and supported at work and in our communities, anti-LGBTQ+ extremists are working to limit our freedoms and push us back into the closet. We need to fight back with full force against these injustices and continue to support impactful initiatives that expand equity and equality for all.”

As they have since the event’s inception in 2012, Christopher Vazquez and Rick Davis of Amaryllis Floral + Event Design will transform the Chefs for Equality venue into a wonderland that will feature 40 savory tasting stations and 20 crafted cocktail bars headed by renowned chefs and mixologists from the Greater D.C. area. The jewels of the Chefs for Equality crown are the 13 personal chef tables — each decorated to the hilt with a unique theme and providing an opportunity to dine with celebrity chefs for a lavish five-course meal in the middle of the action. The DMV area’s top pastry chefs prepare stunning show-piece cakes that will adorn the museum, and guests can sample these delectable pastries towards the end of the evening before heading out with a curated limited-edition goody bag chock-full of culinary goodies. In addition to impressive fare, live and silent auctions are also held.

New additions this year:

• Speed Diner meets Drag Brunch – An interactive entertainment experience where guests can purchase a time slot for a seat at the diner where they’ll enjoy brunch-inspired bites, a specialty cocktail, and an exclusive drag performance curated by Crazy Aunt Helen’s.

• Queerlada Shop – A cafe in the middle of the action featuring Latin-inspired savory dishes, pastries and libations curated by the popular D.C.-based Colada Shop Cuban Cafe & Bar.

• Private Upper Tier Champagne & Caviar Lounge – This exclusive Chefs for Equality activation, on the second floor of the Building Museum, features select restaurant partners, Champagne, caviar, lounge seating and more.

All proceeds will benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationwide educational work for LGBTQ+ equality. The HRC Foundation works to educate the public and provides training and model policies that alter the fundamental nature of the institutions governing the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.

Tickets for Chefs for Equality can be purchased at hrc.im/ChefsTickets. The full list of participating chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, and mixologists can be found at ChefsForEquality.org.

National Children’s Museum, the preeminent combined children’s museum and science center, will hold its Dreamers Soirée, an evening that celebrates and reflects the joys of childhood: imagination, play, and, of course, dreams!

Taking place on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, the evening will bring together individuals and corporate supporters, public officials, and prominent figures in Washington’s business and cultural communities in support of the Museum’s mission of inspiring children to care about and change the world.

The evening will begin with an elegant seated dinner, held in honor of one of the Museum’s founding Trustees and former Board Chair, Dick Snowdon, a champion of the National Children’s Museum for nearly 50 years. Snowdon has been an integral part of the National Children’s Museum’s journey to provide children with the opportunity to experience the joy of play-based, STEAM learning in our nation’s capital, serving as a past Board Chair of the Capital Children’s Museum on H Street in northeast D.C. and an instrumental force behind the Museum establishing its current home in downtown D.C.

Following the dinner, the evening will progress into a celebratory soirée, featuring signature cocktails, culinary delights, dancing, music, and more.

“The Dreamers Soirée is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to celebrate the joy and impact being made at the National Children’s Museum,” said Crystal Bowyer, Museum CEO and President. “Without the generosity of our supporters, the work we are honored to do would not be possible, and we’re so thankful to be inspiring the next generation of leaders and changemakers inside the Museum every day.”

Hosted by Abby Phillip, Anchor of “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” the Dreamers Soirée will include Honorary Chairs Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Senator Chris Van Hollen, who have provided tremendous support to the institution for years. Additional event chairs include Museum Board of Trustees member Heather Zimmerman and her husband, former Washington Nationals player Ryan Zimmerman, and John Legittino and Lauren Pratapas.

The event’s host committee includes Elizabeth and Paul Bonner, Brooke and Fritz Brogan, Ashley and Matt Bronczek, Kristin and John Cecchi, Andrea Dykes and Jeremy Fishelberg, Michelle Fields and Jamie Weinstein, Rae Ann and Jermaine Johnson, Traci and Robb Micek, Beth Newburger Schwartz, and S. Scott Stewart.

Event sponsors include the Embassy of the State of Qatar, Mrs. Jacquline Mars, Geico, PNC, American Airlines, American Beverage Association, Capitol Seniors Housing, VPC Inc., as well as Andrea Dykes and Jeremy Fishelberg, Elizabeth and Paul Bonner, Brooke and Fritz Brogan, Ashley and Matt Bronczek, S. Ross Hechinger, Stephanie Beyer Kirby and Trey Kirby, Traci and Robb Micek, Beth Newburger Schwartz, and Joseph Wright.

Limited tickets are still available for $500 for both the dinner and soirée, or just the soirée for $200 ($150 for Museum members). Additional event details, tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.nationalchildrensmuseum.org/dreamers-soiree-2023/.

Dinner
6 pm reception
7 pm dinner
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Soirée
8 to 11 pm
National Children’s Museum

Creative cocktail attire

Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Universal Longings | Anhelos Universales
Eugene Rogers, conductor

In partnership with The Washington Chorus

Scott Piper, tenor

Juantomás Martínez Yépez, baritone

National Philharmonic and The Washington Chorus join forces for a concert of universal proportions conducted by TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers, including the Washington-area premiere of composer James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings. “He’s a composer who has what it takes,” says the Baltimore Sun, and his works have been commissioned, premiered, and performed by prominent symphonies throughout the country.

Venezuelan composer Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla retells the legend of Faust’s deal with the Devil, set to text from the mythic poem Florentino y El Diablo by Alberto Avelo Torrealbas. As Florentino battles for his soul in a singing contest against El Diablo, his story evolves through the rich textures of Estévez’s music. Spoiler alert: our hero prevails.

Program:

James Lee III, Breaths of Universal Longings

Antonio Estévez, Cantata Criolla

Capital Food Fight returns to The Anthem on Thursday, November 9th for the 19th installment of DC Central Kitchen’s raucous night of fighting hunger. Tickets to this year’s event, presented by Instacart, at capitalfoodfight.org.

First hosted in 2004 by DC Central Kitchen’s long-time volunteer and Board Chair Emeritus José Andrés, Capital Food Fight has long been the must-attend event of food lovers, TV stars, and philanthropists alike. Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Money Muscle BBQ/All Set/Fryer’s Roadside Ed Reavis, Chef Rachel Bindel of 101 Hospitality Group (Michele’s, Gravitas, Bakers Daughter), Executive Chef of dLeña Carlos Camacho, and Estuary’s Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes join a storied list of notable chefs who have faced off in head-to-head culinary challenge on the main stage featuring a spotlighted ingredient. Each dish will be judged by a panel of culinary icons, including Top Chef’s lead judge, restaurateur, and James Beard award-winning chef Tom Colicchio; restaurateur, Iron Chef America champion, and star of truTV’s Fast Foodies Justin Sutherland, retired Washington Nationals All-Star Ryan Zimmerman, and more!

Celebrity chef and DC-based restaurateur, Spike Mendelsohn, Chef Andrés, and local media personality Tommy McFly return as the evening’s hosts and emcee, respectively, to keep things rocking from the main stage with one of DC’s most in-demand performers, DJ Neekola, on the decks all night long as attendees feast on delicious bites from more than 80 of the DMV’s best restaurants.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.capitalfoodfight.org  General admission tickets are $325, with VIP access going for $550. VIP ticket holders will have exclusive access to the second floor with balcony seating and full open bar. All proceeds from the event, including donations and silent auction, go to support DC Central Kitchen’s award-winning solutions to hunger and poverty in Washington, DC, from providing culinary job training to serving scratch-cooked school meals to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables at deep discounts to small corner stores across city.

Special thanks to the 2023 Capital Food Fight Presenting Sponsor, Instacart, along with Showcase Sponsors CoBank, Lineage Logistics, and Wegmans, which will also be stocking this year’s on-stage pantry. The battling chefs will be highlighting special ingredients provided by Wegmans, Keany Produce, and AUI Fine Foods. Further appreciation goes to our Executive Chef Sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clark Construction, RTX, Wells Fargo, Vox Media, and Appliances A Better Way (ABW), and Sous Chef Sponsors Bank of America, DoorDash and Geico. For a full list of 2023 sponsors and information on remaining availability, please visit capitalfoodfight.org/sponsors.

Capital Food Fight is a 21 and older event. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.capitalfoodfight.org

Whitman-Walker 50th Anniversary Gala

Thursday, November 9

6:00-10:00 pm
Salamander Washington DC

1330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024

Whitman-Walker, a leader in LGBTQ health, research, education and policy with special expertise in HIV care, will host its 50 th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, November 9 th at the Salamander Washington, DC. The “Fabulous Cocktail” Event will run from 6:00-10:00 pm, and feature special guests: Tim Gunn (Author, Critic and TV Personality) and DJ Tryfe (Celebrity DJ).

As of 2023, Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of Washington DC and nationally for 50 years – as a first responder and care-provider for those living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQ care and advocacy; a research center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment; and one of DC’s most trusted partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and
wellbeing.

Within the nation’s capital area, Whitman-Walker provides stigma-free care to anyone who walks through their doors. Just last month, they opened the Max Robinson Center in Southeast Washington DC, a brand-new state-of-the-art building on the campus of Saint Elizabeths East in the Congress Heights neighborhood, transforming healthcare and community research in the District of Columbia. This year’s event fundraising goal is to raise $550,000 in which funds will support Whitman-Walker’s care and research programming. Gala Details: Special guests Tim Gunn (Author, Critic and TV Personality) and DJ Tryfe (Celebrity DJ), along with cocktails, great food, surprises, storytelling, live auction and music. Gilead Science, Inc. will also be recognized for their $2 million commitment to the new Max Robinson Center with a special Community Philanthropy Award. LINK