Events/Things To Do

Join us for an exhilarating dance performance! 

Step Afrika!, the world’s first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, celebrates its 25th anniversary season with the energetic and exciting 7th annual Step Xplosion tour of all eight wards in Washington, D.C. This free tour includes performances and workshops for all ages. NMWA hosts the Ward 2 lunchtime performance. Enjoy this interactive experience and then grab a bite at the museum’s Mezzanine Café. For more information about other tour performances, visit www.stepafrika.org.

PRICE: Free. Registration not required.

City Tap Penn Quarter will offer a ticketed all-you-can-eat Louisiana style crawfish boil including crawfish, clams, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes. The first Abita Beer Strawberry Lager with a complimentary koozie is on the house for ticketed patrons. Stick around for the live music and patio games with $5 Abita brews and $10 adult capris suns until 5pm

City Tap Dupont is excited to throw a day at the beach, luau themed open bar event on Labor Day. Come for brunch and stay to enjoy Hawaiian themed food specials such as pineapple burgers and pulled pork tacos starting at 1pm, and a $45 ticketed open bar from 2pm to 5pm including select draft beers, house wines by the glass and rail mixed drinks.

The Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC) is re-opening on September 5. After an extensive 10-month renovation, the EDCJCC will be holding an evening reception for all ages to come back and explore. Attendees are encouraged to tour the new spaces and places that make up the EDCJCC.

While there are many new details, large and small, to discover, the transformation of the space will allow the building to better serve the mission of the EDCJCC with more space for programs, service projects and performances including the new Cafritz Hall with retractable seating that allows for different configurations.  The historic Sixteenth Street entrance and lobby have also been preserved, providing a connection to the building’s history. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the EDCJCC’s history, and the EDCJCC is excited to welcome back its diverse, vibrant, growing community. 

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2019. Please enter through the Q Street Entrance. 

La Cosecha, EDENS’ upcoming contemporary Latin market (1270 4th Street NE) in the Union Market District, will celebrate its opening preview celebration with a festive block party and special concert, presented by title partner Events DC and headlined by Grammy-winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli on Saturday, September 7 from 11am-7pm.

Local pop singer-dancer Jason Cerda will also perform during the free, open-to-the-public event, which will serve as a Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff event and is being curated in collaboration with local music production group All Things Go. Additional musical acts include Salt Cathedral, Mario + Jose, Jonathan Acosta, DJ Bembona, DJ Renzo, DJ Nicolas Losada and Batalá.

The Calle Latina block party’s family-friendly activities include a special Latin-inspired face painting menu created by Colombia-born local muralist MasPaz, Con Sabor kids’ dance classes, chef demos and a flash mob led by Cerda.

Guests will also get a sneak peek at all of the La Cosecha partners: El Cielo, NOVA BOSSA, Amparo, Ali Pacha, Grand Cata, Serenata, Café Unido, Filos Bakery, Zona E Home, La Casita and Peruvian Brothers.
In partnership with sponsors the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment, Carlos Rosario School, and Bacardi, the block party will feature additional pop ups by New Latin Wave, Se Habla Español, The Future is Latina, Andeana Hats, Adelante Shoes, Arcay Chocolates, Piña & Coco, Wonder for People and Politics & Prose, Arepa Zone, Ilegal Mezcal and Bacardi.

“After considerable time spent planning and curating La Cosecha, we’re excited and proud to invite all to our preview block party, Calle Latina, where we’ll be celebrating the colors, textures and sounds of Latin America. The ongoing insights and assistance from Latin embassy partners and the city’s cultural tastemakers have been invaluable in the creation of this new marketplace,” says EDENS CEO Jodie W. McLean. “Inclusivity and cultural appreciation are the foundation of any strong community and seem more important now than ever. We hope that by showcasing these dynamic cultures, we can spark conversations and relationships across diverse cultures.”

Ozomatli, known as much for their music as their activism, are two-time Grammy winners with a one-of-a-kind sound that encompasses a wide array of musical styles, including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap and more. Since their inception in 1995, Ozomatli has performed all over the world in places like China, Tunisia, Jordan and Burma, serving both as cultural ambassadors and advocates for farm workers’ rights and immigration reform.

D.C.-area native Cerda is a double-threat singer and dancer, boasting Billboard-charting singles Al Lado Mio, Color Favorito and Un Poco Mas, as well as a 3,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art dance studio in northern Virginia.

La Cosecha’s partnerships with Latin embassies, cultural and diplomatic leaders and strategic stakeholders from the Latin community will solidify the new marketplace as a national platform for Latin culture and cuisine. Cultural opportunities for the larger community will include art exhibits, film screenings, live performances, media lab space and outdoor activations throughout the year.

To RSVP for La Cosecha’s Calle Latina block party, please visit www.lacosechadc.com/callelatina.

Gelato Festival America is coming to Washington D.C., September 7^th and 8^th to City Market at O. Join Washington’s Italian community and come out to celebrate authentic Italian gelato. Along our journey to find the best gelato in America, international gelato artisans will gather in the capitol to prepare original flavors fresh in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels. Guests enjoy all-you-can-eat gelato while participating in the Eating Contest, Carpigiani Gelato University, Kids Jury and other activities for the whole family then vote for their favorite flavors to win the Gelato Festival Gold Medal.

Gelato Festival America is coming to Washington D.C., September 7^th and 8^th to City Market at O. Join Washington’s Italian community and come out to celebrate authentic Italian gelato. Along our journey to find the best gelato in America, international gelato artisans will gather in the capitol to prepare original flavors fresh in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels. Guests enjoy all-you-can-eat gelato while participating in the Eating Contest, Carpigiani Gelato University, Kids Jury and other activities for the whole family then vote for their favorite flavors to win the Gelato Festival Gold Medal.

Hispanic Heritage Month Concert: New Inca Son

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2 p.m.

Begin the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month a day early this year with a free concert by New Inca Son at the National Museum of the American Indian. Acclaimed throughout the world for their performances of traditional Andean melodies and dances, the musicians of New Inca Son are committed to cultivating understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures, especially among children and young people.

The award-winning band is joined by scissors dancers Danzante Maldición and Supay Wayra. Traditionally danced in Quechua communities of south-central Peru, the Danza de Tijeras, or Scissors Dance, calls on dancers to outdo each other in acrobatic skill while striking scissors blades together to the changing rhythm and tempo of the music. No two scissors dances are ever the same, and every dance is a jaw-dropping experience.

Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown is adding a Paella Fest to its renowned Paella Night Wednesdays with some of DC’s most renowned and talented chefs to benefit Horton’s Kids.

On Wednesday, September 18^th from 5 pm to 7 pm, Fairmont’s Executive Chef Jordi Gallardo welcomes Chefs Cinthia Bonilla from Mola Restaurant and Carlos Gomez Segovia from Taberna del Alabardero to join him in preparing and serving their own version of Spanish Paella.

            Guests will love tasting delicioso varieties of Paella in the hotel’s courtyard:

Chef Cinthia Bonilla – Paella de Mariscos

Chef Jordi Gallardo – Mediterranean Paella, O Paella Mixta

Chef Carlos Gomez Segovia – Black Paella

While sipping sangria guests will be entertained in Spanish style with a live Flamenco guitarist.

Lush landscaping, cozy fire pits and ample seating creates the perfect venue for Chefs Gallardo, Bonilla and Segovia’s live paella stations.  Using their own recipes they will prepare and serve their own authentic Paella made authentic ingredients including shrimp, chicken, mussels and secret ingredients in their giant pans.

 An array of gazpacho, pan con tomate, anchego cheese, serrano ham, tortilla de patatas, olives, anchovies and flan de caramel will accompany the chefs Paella.

Specially priced glasses of red and white sangria will be available along with the regular happy hour cocktail menu.  Flamenco music will entertain guests in Spanish style. A percentage of the proceeds will go directly to Horton’s Kids   Horton’s Kids empowers children growing up in one of Washington, DC’s most under-resourced communities so that they graduate from high school ready for success in college, career, and life.  https://www.hortonskids.org/

Fairmont’s Paella Fest is $15 per person, reservations are available on Eventbrite at: https://fairmontwashingtonpaellafest.eventbrite.com