The DC Lineup: The first weekend of 2019

How will you spend your first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the new year? Your myriad options include a men’s basketball game, ‘90s dance party, LGBTQ book reading and running scavenger hunt.

The weather report calls for temperatures ranging from 32 to 52 degrees. Expect showers on Friday and Saturday and sun on Sunday.

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   Sports: The Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team had an exciting end to 2018: They were featured on the CBS Sports Network’s College Hoops Confidential: Hoyas in Jamaica, which documented their time at the 2018 Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic in Montego Bay. Root for their continued success in the new year this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. They take on St. John’s Red Storm in an NCAA men’s basketball game. Tickets start at $20.

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   Dance: We may have just moved into 2019, but you can still party like it’s 1999 at America’s largest and longest-running ’90s festivity No Scrubs on Friday night at Shaw’s 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. The dance party was created in 2003 to indulge the guilty pleasure of listening to ’90s music groups like Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, Oasis, 2Pac, Nirvana and Ace of Base long after the decade ended. By 2006, the party sold out the Black Cat’s Backstage; in later years, even the main stage proved insufficient, moving to the 9:30 Club in 2009 for more space. Tickets cost $16, with parking passes available for $20. Doors open at 9 p.m. (though you may choose to stay in sync with the club’s name and arrive fashionably late).

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3. Youth: Teenagers who are curious about botany — or those who are looking for a unique way to spend the weekend — are invited to Teen Night at the U.S. Botanic Garden this Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 100 Maryland Ave. SW. The garden’s education team will keep the conservatory open after hours and teach teens about plants at hands-on science stations. There is no cost to attend, but attendees must register beforehand. The event is only for those ages 13 to 17; adults may attend only if they are accompanied by a registered teen. (Yes, the U.S. Botanic Garden is open during the partial government shutdown, having already been funded through an appropriations bill that passed last year.)

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   Film: Watch a screening of the DC-based film Becoming Free at Busboys and Poets at 2021 14th St. NW this Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Documentary filmmaker and multimedia artist Kristin Adair, who works in Washington, created this project to highlight what it’s like to come home after spending time in prison. The film follows the lives of three youth in the District trying to use entrepreneurship as a way to transcend poverty, violence and incarceration. The screening is a part of the discussion series A Continuing Talk on Race (ACTOR) that’s hosted by Busboys and Poets at 14th & V on the first Sunday of every month as a service to the community. It is free and open to all.

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5. Art: This is the last weekend to experience two free public light art installations: Georgetown Glow and Light Yards. Glow is completing its fifth year in the District. It has lit up Georgetown since Dec. 1 from 5 to 10 p.m. daily; Sunday is the last night to see it shine. Glow includes work from a variety of artists and is presented by the Georgetown Business Improvement District. There’s a closing event Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Meigs Park, 28th and M streets; attendees will have a chance to take home one of 400 hand-assembled lanterns from Twilight Antiques & Thrift. … Light Yards features two elements that have traveled the world: “The Pool” (by New York’s Jen Lewin Studio), which welcomes viewers to jump across circles of light; and “Angels of Freedom” (by Israel-based OGE Group), which transforms visitors into angels with neon wings and white halos. The exhibition has been at The Yards Park, 355 Water St. SE, since Dec. 7. Its last hours are on Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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   Outdoors: Add “Spend more time in nature” to your list of new year’s resolutions after attending the Intro to Wilderness Backpacking for the Ladies on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the picnic area outside the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. The $69 class will go over the basics of trekking with a focus on how to stay safe as a female backpacker. It is hosted by Peak Explorations, a DC-based adventure tour company that designs trips around the world.

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7. Recreation: Take a fun approach to fitness in the new year with a free Running Scavenger Hunt presented by the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series and Summit to Soul, a DC-based fitness boutique. The event runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, with participants following a 3- to- 5-mile course that starts at Summit to Soul, 727 8th St. SE, and winds around Capitol Hill. Runners collect raffle tickets along the way. Afterward, participants can stay to enjoy refreshments, a raffle drawing and a chance to register at a discounted price for the United Airlines Rock ’n’ Roll Washington DC Marathon and Half Marathon on March 9.

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   Music: Two DC music groups are performing this weekend: Soul Crackers and Scythian. Soul Crackers are veterans in the DC music scene, having been performing Motown and Memphis soul for over 30 years. Their show this Friday is at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Guests are encouraged to RSVP for this free performance. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music starts at 8. It is open only to those 21 and over. … The members of Scythian became a full-blown band only by accident; they originally were street performers. Their sound is a mix of Americana, bluegrass, country, folk and world music. Founded by two brothers who are first-generation sons of Ukrainian immigrants, the group is named after Ukrainian nomads. Join them on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets for this all-ages show cost $22 for standing admission and $27 for seats.

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9. Literature: Listen to readings from mystery writers Brenda Buchanan, John Copenhaver and Cheryl Head at the event Unspeakable Crimes. OutWrite, DC’s LGBTQ literary festival, presents this program at East City Bookshop, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. In addition to its annual festival (scheduled this year for Aug. 2, 3 and 4), OutWrite organizes writer awards, play competitions and other literary affairs. … On Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m., Washington City Paper hosts readings from its fiction issue, which was published on Jan. 3. About 50 writers from the DC area submitted work, covering topics such as gentrification, climate change and Metro complaints. Authors of some of the winning entries will join guest editor Tayla Burney to read from their work and discuss their inspiration. The event takes place at Solid State Books, 600 H St. NE.

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    Museums: The National Museum of Women in the Arts invites the public to visit for free the first Sunday of every month for its Community Day. This weekend, visitors can view newly opened exhibits featuring Pakistani-American artist Ambreen Butt and the fashion house Rodarte, as well as the newly reinstalled collection. The museum is also highlighting Betsabeé Romero’s “Signals of a Long Road Together” as part of the New York Avenue Sculpture Project, a public art installation with rotating artwork from women artists in DC. Hours are from noon to 5 p.m. at 1250 New York Ave. NW; no reservations are needed.