We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
The complaint that corporations have hijacked “alternative” culture (e.g., coffeehouses, punk music) to make it more accessible to suburbanites (e.g., Starbucks, Stone Temple Pilots) is now as tiresome as the trend itself. So what? Most of us now dwell in the suburbs, and before Starbucks, we drank caffeinated rot from Burger King. Still, the arbiters of taste will no doubt frown on this weekend’s Bohemian Beer & Food Fest, an extravaganza of pricey beers and smart eats. Organized by the people who own Bent, Carmella Kitty’s, Planet Fred, and other spots of the moment, the festival will also offer carnival-style games like a dunking booth and hipper events such as drag bingo. (Planet Fred’s drag bingo ended Aug. 23 with a near sellout crowd.) The “Bohemian” claim doesn’t even hold for the beers, which are all American. But Bohemian or not, alternative or not, corporate-run or not, it sounds like a blast. Today and tomorrow from noon-7 p.m. at Washington Harbour Park, Wisconsin & K Sts. NW. $10 (proceeds benefit the National Organization Against Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). (202) 237-5634. (John Cloud)