In This Issue

🎉 Howard Homecoming & Marine Corps Marathon take over DC
🎭 Halloween movie nights, cabarets & comedy shows all week
🎨 Dupont Underground’s glowing lion‑dance exhibit opens
🎈 Fall fests, goat yoga & pumpkin carving across the city
🍷 Cupcake decorating, tapas classes & sweet treat pop‑ups

Things I'm Talking About

🏃 It's the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, meaning road closures in DC and Arlington, mainly Sunday from 5:30 AM to 2:00 PM for DC and 3:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Arlington.

🏈 It's also Howard Homecoming this weekend, so expect heavy traffic, especially around Shaw, U Street, and Pleasant Plains. I couldn't find the road closures alert from MPD, and Howard's list of road closures is a little vague on exact stretches closed and when, but WMATA says Georgia/7th will be closed from Columbia Road to S Street NW and Florida will be closed from 4th NW to Georgia/7th. Expect more streets closed at night as people fill the streets.

🚆 In summary, take the metro this weekend and stay off the roads.

🍽️ Capital Area Food Bank has added free food distributions specifically for federal employees & contractors.

🚄 The MARC train and commuter buses from MTA are free for federal workers during the shutdown.

🎟️ Today is the first public hearing for the RESALE Act to try to ban ticket scalping in DC. It is supported by local venues and the National Independent Venue Association.

🥩 I've been dreaming of tasting different tartare since I went to a tartare-focused restaurant in Italy and got to try so many different varieties. Ugly Duckling (home of one of my favorite cocktails in the city) got excited at the idea and we're hosting a tasting that will leave you full.

🐲 I went to the Hung Tao Choy Mei exhibit preview last week at Dupont Underground and thought it was interesting for a few reasons:

1. I was always curious about the Kung Fu school on U Street and wanted to learn more
2. While it's an exhibit about the school, it's heavy on the history of the neighborhood and its place in that history. Lots of video projections, and one that goes through the area history taught me some new things (did you know the 9:30 Club was briefly a jazz club owned by Duke Ellington?)
3. To me, the design of the exhibit is built for the social media age. There are places that make great photo backdrops and a visually impressive glow-in-the-dark section of lion and dragon costumes that makes great content. You can see the thought they put into it to make it both something that people will want to share on social media while also getting into more substance through other areas. It's built for both short and long attention spans.

⚠️ Check all events to make sure they're still happening with the shutdown! I compile these ahead of time, and some may no longer be happening.

Valerie

Give your opinion, and check back next week for the results.

Last week, I asked: How do you want to celebrate Halloween weekend this year? You responded:

• Watching movies (46.2%)
• Going to a house party (26.9%)
• Being crafty with decorations and costume (11.5%)
• Trick or treating (7.7%)
• Going out to bars (7.7%)

Tried & True features your favorite go-to restaurants that have been around for a while and serve you consistently good food.

This Week's Feature: Supra

"Supra (Georgian cuisine)- I have had some of the best food there!! The kachapuri are obviously great but the pork mtsvadi really surprised us, it was so good!" Lisa

Locations: 1205 11th Street NW
​Website

😋 What is your favorite tried and true restaurant?

Where do you find yourself going back time and time again? Reply and let me know to be featured and share the love for a local DC restaurant.

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Looking for something specific? Check out these options:

• Museum parties & happy hours
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• Volunteer opportunities
• Best Christmas markets

• 🧑‍🍳 Learn to make Spanish tapas with Chef Troy including crispy patatas bravas and stuffed piquillo peppers, plus a modern salmon with bourbon glaze twist. Perfect for date night or hanging with friends, and you get to eat everything you make! Wednesday 10/22. $69.
• 🖼️ Artist Elise Ansel is reimagining "Old Master" paintings through a feminist lens using bold abstractions and color to create new ways of seeing classic works. Her take on a 1793 Macbeth painting from the Folger's collection is pretty fascinating. Now through Sunday 11/9. Free.
• 🎈 Head to this pumpkin festival where you can pick your own pumpkins and apples, get lost in a corn maze, pet farm animals, and bounce around on jump pads. It's got all the classic fall fun in one spot. Wednesday 10/1 - 11/2. $4+.

• 🤓 Calling all Gilmore Girls fans! Join the Gilmore Girls Fall Fest 2025 for trivia, themed drinks, and cozy episode viewings - it's like stepping into Stars Hollow with your fellow fans. Thursday 10/23. $35-$45.
• 🕺 Get ready to laugh and cringe at this interactive comedy show where you help comedians reply to risky texts in real time while sipping craft cocktails at a U Street speakeasy. Thursday 10/23. $15.
• 🎭 Cozy up with your favorite craft and watch Practical Magic at Craft and Cinema Night where the lights stay low so you can work on your project while enjoying the movie. Thursday 10/23. $15+.
• 🎭 Watch two Halloween classics back-to-back with Spooky Movie Night: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow + Nightmare on Elm Street at DC9. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the movies start at 7 PM. Thursday 10/23. Free.
• 🍲 Join a book club that's all about food where you'll chat about cookbooks and swap recipe tips with fellow food lovers. This month you're diving into Melissa Clark's one-pan meals that'll make weeknight cooking way easier. Thursday 10/23. Free.
• 🕺 Dress in your most bewitching look and join the Coven Halloween Dance Party at Black Cat DC on Thursday, 10/23. $13 advance, $18 same-day.
• 🍲 Get ready to taste some seriously wild chocolate combinations at this chocolate tasting featuring deer-milk chocolate, black olive bars, and pearl-infused treats collected from Seattle's Northwest Chocolate Festival. You'll sample unique flavors from around the world, plus local Seattle makers and finish with hot chocolate from Trinidad. Thursday 10/23. $25.
• 🕺 Experience a night of unexpected fun with Cupboard’s Cabaret featuring theatrical clowns, drag artists, alt comics, and interactive performances that break the usual comedy mold. Thursday 10/23. $15.
• 🤸 The Man Kind Campaign combines HIIT workouts with real conversations about brotherhood and belonging, plus the first 20 people get free lululemon yoga mats. It's designed to highlight men in wellness but everyone's welcome to join this community-focused experience. Thursday 10/23. Free.
• 🎭 Cupboard's Cabaret brings theatrical clowns, drag artists, and alt comics together for an interactive night of absurd entertainment hosted by a literal cupboard and her emcee. You can even try out your own clown act at the free open mic before the main show! Thursday 10/23. $15.

• 📖 If you've ever wanted to get up close with rare books, the Capital Rare Book Fair is your chance to mingle with experts, collectors, and dealers while exploring special collections at Georgetown and Hillwood Estate. Friday 10/24. $200+
• 📜 Explore DC's U Street Corridor on a Queer Black Broadway Walking Tour that traces the neighborhood’s rich queer and Black history from the Prohibition Era to the Civil Rights Movement. Friday 10/24. $30.
• 🍾 TreeHouse Party is bringing back those classic house party feels with hip hop, funk, and R&B hits that'll have you dancing like it's the good old days. Perfect excuse to dust off your moves and hang with friends who appreciate the classics. Friday 10/24. Free entry.
• 📖 Read & Run on the Road, Running Tour of Reveille is a 2-mile running tour exploring Civil War sites in DC, ending with a special museum tour and SaltStick goodies. Friday 10/24. $29.
• 🍲 Sweet Scoops is serving up an adults-only ice cream experience where you can explore creative flavors and make some sweet memories. Friday 10/24. $85.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Get ready for a spooktacular evening at Halloween BINGOAT: Bingo + Goats in Arlington on Friday, 10/24. $45.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Take a break from adulting at this full-day field day for grown-ups featuring live DJs, food trucks, wellness vendors, photo ops, prizes, and 6 hours of team games! Friday, 10/24. $32.
• 🎭 Catch the fun of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Reston Community Players with special events like a drag pre-show and costume contest on Halloween plus games for new viewers opening weekend. Friday 10/24-10/25. $30.

• 🕺 Jazz Hop Sound Sessions is back in Historic Anacostia with live music, art, and activities popping up all over the place - it's like a treasure hunt with jazz! Saturday 10/25. Free.
• 🤓 Join the District Arcade 2025 with IGDA DC and you play locally-made indie games and chat with the developers who created them. Enjoy spellcasting puzzle games or co-op horror adventures, and see 20-30 local creators showing off everything from prototypes to finished games. Saturday 10/25. Free.
• 🕺 Joel McHale is bringing his comedy chops to GW's Smith Center with SNL's Aristotle Athari opening the show. Whether you know him from Community or The Soup, this is your chance to see him live without traveling to LA. Saturday 10/25. $30+.
• 🎈 Dupont Circle's Fall Festival brings free pumpkin decorating, live bluegrass music, and costume contests for pets, kids, and adults with prizes up to $100. Winners get restaurant gift cards, plus there's cornhole and all the fall fun you can handle right by the metro. Saturday 10/25. Free.
• 🖌️ Get your hands messy at this fall cupcake decorating workshop where you'll learn buttercream piping techniques to make Halloween-themed treats - plus free coffee to keep you caffeinated while you create. Saturday 10/25. $13.
• 🤸 Have some fun with goats in costumes during Halloween Costume Goat Yoga at Faith Lutheran Church, where you can stretch, snuggle goats, and snap silly photos. Wednesday 10/25. $44.
• 🎈 Experience the energy of the Howard Homecoming Community Parade with marching bands, floats, and dance teams taking over Georgia Avenue and Shaw. Saturday 10/25. Free.
• 📖 Ever wondered what happens behind the curtain at the opera? Go backstage with Washington National Opera for a rare peek at how productions come together, plus catch a performance by their young artists. Saturday 10/25. Free.
• 🖌️ Craftoween 2025 at Merry Pin is a full day of Halloween crafting where you can paint pumpkins, make ghost portraits, build witchy charms, and end with candlelit embroidery while watching Hocus Pocus. Drop in anytime from 10am-9pm and just pay for what you make, plus there's a costume contest and witchy happy hour! Saturday 10/25. $0-$25.

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Bring your plant babies to this free swap at MLK Library. Trade cuttings, find new green friends, or just help your houseplants find new homes. Sunday 10/26. Free.
• 🤸 Put on your best chicken costume and roll up to this hilariously fun skate session at Freedom Plaza. Expect music, laughs, and plenty of fowl play as you skate around in your spookiest or silliest bird outfit. Sunday 10/26. Price not stated.
• 🕺 Get your sexiest librarian costume ready for this spooky romance book and cabaret mashup featuring monster romance books, tarot readings, and hilariously unhinged cabaret performances. Think nerdy meets flirty with a drink ticket included. Sunday 10/26. $20.
• 🐾 Bring your pup in costume for this Howl-oween Pawty featuring a dog costume contest, queer vendor market, and raffle prizes at Atlas Brew Works. Your four-legged friend can strut their stuff while you shop from LGBTQIA+ owned businesses on the patio. Sunday 10/26. Free.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Clean out your closet and score some new-to-you pieces at this free clothes exchange at YH Georgia Ave. Bring clean clothes, shoes, and accessories in good condition and browse what others have brought. Saturday 10/26. Free.
• 🕺 See the brightest rising stars and world-renowned jurors from the 2025 World Stage Tour Music Competition perform a gala concert, featuring musicians from around the world on one stage. Sunday 10/26. $65.
• 🤓 Get ready to discuss the creepy space horror game "Mouthwashing" with fellow gamers at this monthly video game book club meetup. You don't need to finish the whole game to join the conversation, but heads up that there will be spoilers! Sunday 10/26. Free.
• Hang out with Nigerian Dwarf goats dressed in their finest Octoberfest outfits at Gustave's Boulangerie in Del Ray. Your first drink is on the house, and there's food available for purchase. Come to goat socialize! Sunday 10/26. $45.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Join Pumpkinfest to receive one pumpkin + carving materials for an afternoon of fall fun, community, and supporting Habitat for Humanity. Sunday 10/26. $25.
• 📖 Explore Planet Word Museum with a neurodivergent group for an interactive language adventure that's perfect for curious minds. It's a chill way to connect with others while checking out one of DC's most hands-on museums. Sunday 10/26. $15.

🤫 Psst! I couldn't fit everything in this issue. See 90 events happening this weekend and next week like:

• Haiku-inspired cocktails
• Mutual aid Halloween party
• Taylor Swift paint night
• Haunted houses
• Gen Z happy hour

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* Items marked with an asterisks contain affiliate links (for which I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you) or sponsored. Events are featured based on if I find them interesting and think others will too, regardless if they are affiliate or sponsored.