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Film Festivals, Leather-Themed Dance Parties, and a Vaccination-Themed Brunch: The Best Things to Do in the DC Area, 1/10-1/16 - Washingtonian
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Things to Do

Film Festivals, Leather-Themed Dance Parties, and a Vaccination-Themed Brunch: The Best Things to Do in the DC Area, 1/10-1/16

Plus a polar plunge, s'mores and skating, and maple sugaring

Photograph by FilippoBacci/E+ via Getty Images.

Happy January

??Hello Neighbor, 

Stay warm out there! 

 

So, What Should You Do Jan 10 – 16?

For your convenience, this newsletter includes emojis to help you during these unprecedented times: 

  • The ? indicates an event is happening in-person inside.
  • The ? indicates an event is happening in-person outside
  • The ? indicates an event is happening virtually. 
  • The ? indicates an event requires proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test
  • And lastly, the ? indicates an event is  free. 

 

Top Picks of the Week

1. Two Black women who choose to live on opposite sides of the color line. ?? Join director and writer Rebecca Hall and actresses Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga to discuss their new movie Passing. The film is available to stream on Netflix (Thurs, free, ??).

2. Jewish and Black solidarity. ?? ? Before MLK weekend, Rabbi Aaron of Sixth & I and Reverend Doctor D.K. Kearney of Turner Memorial AME Church lead a text study and conversation about faith and justice (Wed, free, ???). 

3. Twenty-Sixth annual Festival of Films from Iran. ??? The popular annual festival will be in a hybrid format, with films available on the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art’s video-on-demand platform (starts Fri, free, ???), and some titles being shown in-person at AFI Silver Theatre. The festival is in two parts, with the first including feature films from January 14 to January 30. 

4. A Vaccination-themed brunch. ? Celebrate the contribution of immigrants to the science of vaccines. The Immigrant Food brunch will feature injected croquettes, syringe-filled cocktails, and filling churros with chocolate (Sat/Sun, $, ?/?, downtown). 

5. The great outdoors at home ???? Did you know there are more than 80,000 wild horses on our federal lands and more than 50,000 in holding facilities? If you didn’t, consider watching this documentary (anytime, $12, ???), hosted by Miracle Theatre. Or join REI and discover the 211-mile John Muir trail, also known as Nuumu Poyo (Wed, free, ????); or brush up on some Winter Camping Basics (Thurs, free, ????). Learn about maple sugaring with the U.S. Botanical Gardens (Fri, free, ????).

 

Everything Else This Week

  • Chilly time to go swimming. ? Watch a polar plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics of Virginia (Sat, free entry, ?, Mosaic District). 
  • The DC South Asian Film Festival. ? Starting Sunday, enjoy a virtual film festival for the remainder of the month highlighting 37 films by emerging and contemporary filmmakers from South Asia (starts Sun, $5+, ?, ????). 
  • The world of Dune. ? Explore the religion and race in Dune (Mon, $13, ?/?, Dupont Circle).
  • China, Olympics, Uyghur. ?? Considering the upcoming winter Olympics, learn about China, Sports and Power (Tues, $13, ?/?, Georgetown). Or learn more about the Uyghur minority group and the forced labor camps providing American goods in a virtual book talk for Made in China (Tues, free, ????). 
  • The business of journalism. ? Join Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in a conversation about Bernstein’s new memoir, Chasing History (Tues, $5, ?/?, Chevy Chase). Or uncover the erosion of trust (Fri, free, ????) between the press and the government.
  • Black female artists. ? Discover Washington Color School’s Alma Thomas’s (Thurs, free, ????) techniques and art materials. Celebrate the birthday of Edmonia Lewis (Wed, free, ????), including with a specialty cocktail demonstration. 
  • Welcome to the Black parade. ? I’ll be dusting off my Hot Topic gear and heading to Emo Night Brooklyn (Fri, $15, ?/?, Shaw). 
  • Get your leather. ?? The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend is coming up. There’s a few dance parties including Furball DC (Fri, $20, ?/?, 14th St.), DistrktC (Sat, $50, ?/?, 14th St.), and BENT: Leatherette (Sat, $25, ?/?, Shaw), which features performances by Pussy Noir. 
  • The LGBTQ community in Roanoke. ? There’s a new book release about Living Queer History (Mon, free, ?/? , Adams Morgan).
  • For those with little ones. ? Enjoy an outdoor family movie night (Sat, ?/?, Edgewood). Join the Arts & Industries Building’s Future Exhibit for a We Dream Family Day (Sun, free, ?/?, National Mall). Maybe learn how to draw cute animals like hedgehogs, bunnies, or cats (Wed, free, ????), or learn how they keep warm in winter ($7 for age 7 and up, ?, Arlington)
  • War, pride, and tourist dollars. ?? Uncover the modern history of Cambodia’s Angkor temples, starting in the mid-19th century (Mon, free, ????).
  • Make Caps s’mores at the Capitals campfire at the Wharf. ? While watching the Capitals take on the NY Islanders, skate at the Capitals-inspired Wharf Ice Rink. There will be gear giveaways and a visit from Slapshot (Sat, $5 off skate rental with Capitols gear, ?, The Wharf).
  • Harp yoga. ????? Hosted at Lost Boy Cider, this yoga flow inspired by live harp music is sure to be soothing (Tues, $35, Alexandria).

 

Your Neighbor, 

Jade Womack (@clockoutdc

Jade Womack is an energy economist by day, and an events blogger by night. She started her blog, Clockout DC, when she was moonlighting as a bartender in 2019. She grew up in Arlington, and currently lives in Adams Morgan with her dog.