Events/Things To Do

As the finale to a rewarding summer partnership, Gourmet Symphony and Capital City Symphony present the Taste Your Music Benefit Concert at The Hamilton Live (600 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005) on Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 7:30 pm. The event celebrates the culmination and success of Taste Your Music, a community outreach project that sponsored a series of culinary chamber concerts and educational programs at local food and service providers during summer 2015. The Benefit Concert joins Taste Your Music’s charity and culinary partners, Gourmet Symphony and Capital City Symphony musicians, and DC’s philanthropic community to create social change through the musical and culinary arts. Tickets start at $99 and are on sale at www.gourmetsymphony.org. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the project’s charity partners—Bread for the City, Miriam’s Kitchen, and So Others Might Eat (SOME).

Following Gourmet Symphony’s celebrated approach to reimagining the symphonic music experience, the Benefit Concert will showcase a menu of curated cocktails, cuisine, and classical music that highlights the cultural and historical connections between food and music. The nontraditional atmosphere encourages guests to explore the venue, meet the musicians, and engage with the orchestra and each other through conversation and social media. The evening’s program features a four-course dinner and paired beverage menu masterfully designed by Taste Your Music culinary partners, Executive Chef Anthony Lombardo of The Hamilton and Andrew Markert of Beuchert’s Saloon, in collaboration with Gourmet Symphony’s artistic and culinary curators. Each pairing draws inspiration from the composers’ cultural heritage, the lyrics sung, and Taste Your Music’s custom-designed meals, which were served to and enjoyed by hundreds of DC residents in need over the summer.

Led by Maestro John Devlin, the Gourmet Symphony orchestra, composed of young professional musicians from across the greater-Washington area, will once again delight attendees with its energy, dynamism, and musicianship. The ensemble will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G Major, Mvts. I & IV and Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, both featuring acclaimed soprano Mandy Brown as guest soloist. In addition, the orchestra will be joined by musicians from project partner Capital City Symphony in special performances of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Mvt. I and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Mvt. I. Musicians from the two ensembles come together to show their commitment to Taste Your Music, raise awareness for the charity partners’ causes, and garner support for future socially-conscious arts programming in the DC area.

For more details about this event, visit www.gourmetsymphony.org/tymbenefitconcert.

Patriot Harley-Davidson®, 9739 Fairfax Boulevard, will host a pre-ride Rattle the Runway party on Saturday, September 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a bike show, live music and food trucks.  The event is FREE and open to the public.

Rattle the Runway will take place on Sunday, September 6 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and is an annual commemorative motorcycle ride from Dulles Airport to the Pentagon.  Motorcycle staging and Opening Ceremonies will take place in the rear of the National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  The event is open to all motorcyclists, any make or model, and is free to participate.  No registration is required.

For more information visit www.patriothd.com or call 703-352-5400.

MIC Ballston Block Party

On September 12, Mike Isabella is hosting a block party to celebrate the 2015 openings of his three MIC restaurants in Arlington. The event will feature live entertainment along with signature food and drinks. There will be sips and bites from Kapnos Taverna, Pepita and Yona, which is opening this fall. 

• When: September 12, 1-4pm
• Where: Patio at The View, 4000 Wilson Blvd, entrance on North Quincy St. 
• Tickets: $65 inclusive of food, beverage and live entertainment by jazz duo The Potash Twins and DJ Toast

WHAT:           DC’s monstrous craft beer festival touches down on The Yards on Saturday, September 12, 2015. Now in its fourth year, Snallygaster, named for the fearsome and toothy mythical beast said to terrorize the region at the turn of the century, has cemented itself as the largest, highly curated beer festival in the area. A benefit for Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Snallygaster is once again setting new heights tapping no fewer than 300 unique craft beers, featuring more than 10 of DC’s finest food trucks & vendors, multiple musical acts, entertainment, games, family fun and more.

Beer Director Greg Engert, the man behind the beer programs at Bluejacket, Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, GBD, Rustico and more, will be curating the beer list. True to form, Greg will once again go above and beyond last year’s list with no fewer than 300 brews all handpicked from the finest brewers around the world. Guests can expect to find a number of DC debuts, beers rarely–if ever–available in the District; an array of autumnal releases; German-styled and German-inspired beers; a collection of cask ales, barrel-aged brews; Franconian gravity-poured/rubber-clad kegs; a slew of craft cans; brand-new Bluejacket small batch releases, and an artisanal cider garden.

On the food side, a collection of DC’s most popular food trucks and vendors will be dishing up delicious eats for festival attendees. Participants includeRed Apron Butcher, GBD, Big Cheese, DC Empanadas, DC Slices, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Lemongrass Truck, Tasty Kabob, Cajunators, Pork BarrelBBQ, Mess Hall​, ​Rappahannock Oyster Co. and more. ​

WHERE:         The Yards at Capital Riverfront Lot H/I

Entrance is located at First St SE & N St SE

across from Nationals Park (1 block from the Navy Yard metro)

 WHEN:           September 12, 2015 from 1 PM to 6 PM (VIP entry at 11:30 AM)

DETAILS:       Two advance ticket packages are available now online. Guests are encouraged to take advantage of the special offers to ensure entry.

• The Kraken (VIP): $60

Includes early entry at 11:30 AM for an extra 1 ½ hours of access to all the beers including many rare, small batch brews only available in limited quantities. Admission ($10 value) + 30 food and drink tickets + a custom Snallygaster beer mug

• The Gargoyle: $35

Includes 1 PM entry + Admission ($10 value) + 30 food & drink tickets + a custom Snallygaster beer mug

The ticket packages are only available online and in advance. Admission at the door is $10 on the day of the event, 100% of which will be donated to Arcadia. Tickets for food and beverages will be sold throughout the venue. $1 = 1 ticket. Full beers will be priced from 5-9 tickets on average, tasting portions from 3-6 on average. This is a family friendly event and children under will be 14 admitted free. You must be at least 21 years of age and have a valid ID to consume alcohol, no exceptions. Cash and credit will be accepted.

The only triathlon held in Washington, DC is gearing up for its 10^th annual event, and 15 triathletes have participated every year. Events DC Nation’s Triathlon To Benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will take place on Sunday, September 13, 2015. Triathletes can register at NationsTri.com, with opportunities to join one of the many races-within-a-race challenges—ranging from military to congressional challenges.

Come take a stroll in Georgetown and pop into one of the neighborhood’s many galleries during the Fall Art Walk.  Participating galleries include Artist’s Proof, Robert Brown Gallery and Cross MacKenzie.

Following the first official game of the season, the player’s wives walk in a fashion show in support of the DC NFL team’s Charitable Foundation.

After Hours, the signature late-night event at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, returns Friday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m.–midnight, with the support of idobi Network. The ticketed event features a performance by post-rock/ambient electronic band Tycho, as well as a last chance to see “Shirin Neshat: Facing History,” a major exhibition that presents the work of the internationally acclaimed artist in the context of the history of modern Iran; it closes Sept. 20.

Since 2007, After Hours has been a favorite of local audiences, attracting up to 2,000 people a night to events that have featured performers such as Zola Jesus, Dan Deacon and the Madison Sounds of Deliverance; DJs such as Nancy Whang, Shea Van Horn and Fatback; and artists such as Semiconductor and Bec Stupak and Honeygun Labs.

Known for expansive instrumental soundscapes, Tycho is led by San Francisco-based musician and designer Scott Hansen. Originally a solo project that highlighted the use of drum machines and analog synthesizers, Tycho has grown into a full-fledged band whose precise and hypnotic live performances are accompanied by visuals designed by Hansen. The performance begins at 10:30 p.m.

Exhibitions on view include “Le Onde: Waves of Italian Influence (1914–1971),” which examines the importance of Italian art and thought to developments in futurism, spatialism, op art and kinetic art, and “Sergio Caballero,” which comprises a video work by the Spanish artist that blends homespun puppet animation and live action to tell the grotesque and darkly comic tale of an exorcism. “At the Hub of Things: New Views of the Collection,” a thematic rehanging of largely contemporary works from the collection, is ongoing. All museum galleries will be open until 10 p.m., with last entry at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 25 at hhafterhours2015.eventbrite.com. General admission tickets are $35, and VIP tickets are $100. VIP ticket holders have early access to the event, at 7 p.m., as well as access to a private lounge area with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. In addition, VIP ticket holders are invited to exclusive curators’ tours at 7:30 p.m.

After Hours is supported by idobi, in partnership with Smithsonian Enterprises. For more information about After Hours, visit hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/after-hours/. For more about idobi, visit idobi.com.

• Unlimited beer samplings
• Unlimited full pour stations
• All day live entertainment
• Backyard-inspired game zone
• Area’s best food trucks and vendors
• Interactive photo booth
• Souvenir tasting glass
• Thousands of your neighbors to drink with!