The DC Lineup for this weekend: music, meaningful meetups and a midnight bike ride

The final few days of Pride Month are loaded with music, dance, comedy and community gatherings.  

The weather will be partly cloudy on Friday with afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday and scattered thunderstorms on Sunday, according to the forecast. Temperatures throughout the weekend, June 26 to 28, will range from 72 to 93 degrees.

1. Community: All Souls Church Unitarian has held weekly DC Vigils Against Racism throughout June, with 40 organizations having signed on for various portions of the monthlong program. This Friday is the last chance to attend, with events taking place from 5 to 6 p.m. at these confirmed locations: All Souls Church Unitarian, 1500 Harvard St. NW; Adas Israel Congregation at Connecticut Avenue and Quebec Street NW; and near St. Joseph’s Seminary, 12th and Varnum streets NE. Attendees are advised to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart. The demonstrations are meant to show solidarity with those protesting against racism and police violence. The program starts with a public vigil, followed by a moment of silence at 5:45 p.m., during which time host institutions will ring their bells for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The public is invited to participate from a distance by listening to a pre-recorded vigil and bells on All Souls Church’s website. All are welcome.

2. Community: The premiere of a new web series Pride in the City is this Sunday. The show highlights the District’s LGBTQ+ community, including people, bars, restaurants and small businesses. The first installment “#StillWe Entertain” will focus on DC theater, with pre-recorded performances by local singers, dancers and drag performers. The episode airs on Capital Pride Alliance’s Facebook page and YouTube from 7 to 8 p.m.

3. History: Local historians are gathering for the Frederick Douglass in Lincoln Park Community History Rally, an emergency teach-in hosted by Frederick Douglass in Washington, DC: The Lion of Anacostia and the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. The gathering will take place on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lincoln Park on East Capitol Street at 11th Street. Speakers will share the history of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln — including a reading by local students of excerpts from Douglass’ 1876 speech given to commemorate the park’s Emancipation Memorial. Guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and DC Department of Health will be followed.

4. Music: The DC Listening Lounge is a group of local sound artists and enthusiasts. For 13 years, organizers have hosted in-person events to share sound artistry. A two-day event this weekend, “SoundScene 2020: Unseen,” will be held on Zoom from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Local artists will connect with national and international artists on sonic workshops, live performances and interactive programs. Register to receive the link. ASL interpretation will be provided. The event is free to attend, but donations are welcome.

5. Dance: Dance Place is hosting “Dancing with Pride,” a conversation with DC-area choreographers and dancemakers about the local LGBTQ+ dance community. The connections between dance and LGBTQ+ identity will also be discussed, along with ways to get involved in activism. The talk will be livestreamed on Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m., then rebroadcast on Sunday at the same time on Facebook. ASL interpretation will be provided. The program is a part of Dance Place’s Free Form series, which offers free virtual events throughout the summer. Donations are accepted to support Dance Place.

6. Music: “Music of Friends” is a virtual chamber music concert dedicated to Friendship Place and their work supporting people in the District who are experiencing homelessness and facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. Attendees are invited to make their own cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at home to enjoy while listening to musicians from organizations like the National Symphony Orchestra, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart are some of the composers whose music will be featured, along with some jazz. The concert is on Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m. It is free to attend, and donations are encouraged. 

7. Comedy: Sufian N. Zhemukhov, an associate research professor of international affairs at the George Washington University, moonlights as an award-winning storyteller. This Saturday at 8 p.m., he will perform his acclaimed show Flirting Like an American — portions of which have been featured on PBS and have won The Moth and The National Storytelling Festival. The humorous stories share Zhemukhov’s experience dating in the United States as a Russian immigrant whose “fluency in numbers and statistics is only matched by his cluelessness in the not-so-international language of women and romance,” according to the description. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, from $10 to $50.

8. Community: Discuss expressions of care during the online event “Is Love Something You DO?” on Friday from 8 to 9 p.m. The talk explores acts of love not only in our personal relationships, but also in our relationship with all of humankind. The virtual gathering is hosted by the Meetup group Meaningful Conversations Washington, DC, which brings together people from different faiths and backgrounds. The event is free to attend; register on Eventbrite.

9. Music: The local music group Bad Moves is throwing a livestream release party to debut their new record Untenable on Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The online music discussion platform The Alternative is hosting the event on twitch.tv/getalternative. Local songwriter and producer Bartees Strange and other musicians from around the nation are scheduled to participate as well.

10. Recreation: The social biking group We Ride DC is organizing a Midnight Bike Ride this Saturday. The 15-mile journey will be held with appropriate physical distance. Wearing masks is encouraged, along with helmets and bike lights to maintain safety throughout the evening. Participants will meet at Jefferson Drive and 14th Street SW at 11:30 p.m.; the ride will begin at midnight.