Ice Cream Jubilee, with DC locations on the U Street Corridor and in the Navy Yard area, will kick off its Lunar New Year Ice Cream Tasting Party series this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Ice Cream Jubilee)

The DC Lineup for this weekend: clear your calendars for Saturday

By Jennifer Anne Mitchell On Jan 25, 2019 Last updated Jan 25, 2019

Almost all of the events on this list are happening on the same day — Saturday — with the exception of a public art event on Friday (though the monster trucks will race again on Sunday and you can sample the Asian-inspired ice cream flavors into February). That said, the events taking place in DC this weekend, Jan. 25 to 27, are far from homogeneous. In addition to the aforementioned monster trucks, public art and ice cream tasting, a Grammy-nominated DC artist, a multilingual education fair, a coding course and multiple dance parties made the cut for our top picks.

Don’t forget that there are still a few more tastes to be served up as part of Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s extended Winter Restaurant Week, which runs through Sunday.

The rain will luckily let up, with the weather report predicting partly or mostly cloudy conditions throughout the weekend and temperatures ranging from 23 to 49 degrees.

1. Politics: The monthly magazine Current Affairs is taking its culture and politics podcast onstage live for the first time ever on Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Doors open at 7. The show is open to all ages. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $18 at the door (a free stream will be available online). A seven-member editorial board rotates for regular appearances on the podcast with host Pete Davis.

2. Art: Artist Theodore Carter wants to place 1,000 artistic renditions of the iconic Latina artist and communist revolutionary Frida Kahlo around DC, and he’s enlisted locals to help him do it in his large-scale art project “Night of 1,000 Fridas.” Carter’s goal is to bring art to public spaces, create community and celebrate Kahlo’s inspiring life. Though registration to make art is sold out, you can still head to Petworth to watch this art installation unfold and be some of the first to see the 1,000 Fridas. The project goes from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday night at several spots in Petworth, including the Ten Tigers Parlour, 3813 Georgia Ave. NW. Elsewhere in DC, activities will take place Friday evening throughout the Takoma neighborhood and at Unity Park and sPACYcLOUD in Adams Morgan; there will also be a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to launch a five-day exhibit of “Frida-inspired art” at the Den at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.

3. Music: Kokayi is a Grammy-nominated rapper, producer and educator from the District who mixes hip-hop, folk, funk and jazz with sounds from this city’s streets. He was awarded a 2018 Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship, and the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities has honored him with its Artist Fellowship, Sister Cities Grant and Artist Grant over the years. He’s also a music emissary with the U.S. State Department. He will be performing in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Gallery this Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $25.

(Photo courtesy of the DC Language Immersion Project)

4. Education: The only Multilingual Education Fair for the DC area is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Ave. NE. Organized by the DC Language Immersion Project, the event showcases 100 exhibitors covering 17 languages with the goal of deepening language and culture skills, as well as demonstrating how linguistics applies to different careers. Resources such as apps, books, tutors, assessments, language classes and more will be available. Fabrice Jaumont, the author of The Bilingual Revolution: The Future of Education Is in Two Languages will speak during a fireside chat. Kids can enjoy youth programs such as yoga in Arabic by Kalimah Programs and a concert in Mandarin by the Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Choir. Spoken and sign language interpretation will be available for those who indicate the need at registration. The event is free, with multicultural food trucks providing snacks for purchase.

5. Theater: Black Lives Matter DC and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company present BLK Joy Party — a dance party with hip-hop and R&B music — on Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is free, with donations suggested. The event celebrates the fifth anniversary of Black Lives Matter, along with Woolly Mammoth’s upcoming production BLKS about three 20-something black women living in New York City, written by the acclaimed poet and playwright Aziza Barnes. BLKS opens on Feb. 4 and runs until March 3.

6. Food & Drink: DC’s own Ice Cream Jubilee hosts a Lunar New Year Ice Cream Tasting Party on Saturday and Sunday (and again on Feb. 2 to 5) at its three area stores — in Navy Yard at 301 Water St. SE; in the U Street Corridor at 1407 T St. NW; and in Tysons II Galleria at 2001 International Drive in McLean, Virginia. Times for the weekend’s events are 1 and 2 p.m.; the tastings on Feb. 4 and 5 will take place at 7 and 8 p.m. Admission costs $16 and includes tasting flights of six two-ounce scoops plus an ice cream pint to take home. In honor of the Chinese New Year, offerings will include Asian-inspired flavors such as Boricha Roasted Barley Tea, Red Bean Almond Cookie, Matcha Green Tea, Thai Iced Tea, Citrus Sichuan Peppercorn and Coconut Lychee Lime vegan sorbet.

7. Art & Dance: A Masquerade Ball lights up the Hole in the Sky Mansion on Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight. Hole in the Sky is a cooperative artist-run work space at 2110 5th St. NE on the second floor. In addition to dancing, there will be art, a live DJ and a classical performance, plus a chance to win a cash prize for the best mask. Come prepared with a $10 donation, fancy clothes and a mask, which is required for entry. The event is BYOB.

8. Technology: Take advantage of a valuable opportunity to learn coding — for free. The New York-based coding bootcamp the Flatiron School presents Coding for Beginners, a daylong workshop on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1440 G St. NW. The course will cover the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Bring a laptop to practice coding during the class, and register in advance online.

9. Dance: Do-si-do at the Great American Square Dance Revival this Saturday from 8 to 11:30 p.m. at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW. Slow Down Tommy — a live stringband complete with a fiddle, banjo, flute and pipes — will perform at this all-ages event. No partner, elaborate dress or experience is required. Bring $5 in cash or check to enter along with refreshments to share.

10. Recreation: We’re ending this roundup with a bang — from the collision of cars at Monster Jam, a monster truck race on Saturday and Sunday at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. Tickets start at $15. Showtimes are 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Monster Jam trucks weigh a whopping 12,000 pounds and are at least 10 feet tall, 12 feet wide and 17 feet long. The drivers compete in a timed race, a two-wheel skills challenge, doughnuts, a head-to-head race and a freestyle event. Fans vote for the top finishers. Winners will have a chance to compete this May in the 20th Monster Jam World Finals in Orlando, Florida.

The DC Lineup Things to Do