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Nick Hakim Comes Home and More Best Bets for Jan. 19–25
Nick Hakim at Union Stage, Atlanta MCs Ocean x KungFu wow, local rockabillies reunite, poet Franny Choi shares, and Verdi’s Requiem delights.
Ninth Realm Metal, La La Land Brunch, and More Best Bets for Jan. 12–18
On your D.C. calendar this week: Everything from a Ninth Realm metal show to an American Girl Doll museum, A Clockwork Orange, and bilingual musicians Larry & Joe.
Vibraphonist Joel Ross, Mulholland Drive, and More Best Bets for Jan. 5–11
See Joel Ross, celebrate Zora Neale Hurston, learn about James Bond, see Dancing With the Stars live, and visit Nollywood portraits.
TOB’s 18th Anniversary, NYE, and More Best Bets for Dec. 22-31
It’s the last City Lights of 2022, and what a year it’s been. Without getting into the nitty gritty of it all, we invite you to close out the year in style—whether it’s celebrating TOB’s 18th anniversary on Dec. 23, Netflix and chillin’ with Regina Hall in The Best Man: Final Chapters, or enjoying one…
Half A Roast Chicken’s Self-Help, Improv, and More Best Bets for Dec. 15–21
Highlights include neon Self-Help at 11:Eleven, the Improvised Shakespeare Company returns to the Kennedy Center, and Latinx art at Hillyer.
Pierre Kwenders, Batman Returns, and More Best Bets for Dec. 8–14
Saturday: Friends of the National Arboretum’s Winter Festival at the Arboretum Jump into the holiday season with the Friends of the National Arboretum’s Winter Festival. For an afternoon, you and your family can cozy up with hot drinks from Zeke’s Coffee and delicious bites from PhoWheels, purchase a Christmas tree and greenery, and stock up…
Beau Young Prince at Songbyrd and More Best Bets for Dec. 1–7
Beau Young Prince headlines, Dolly Disco returns along with an arts festival, Bohemian holidaya, and alt-power-poppers Big Star get a new life.
Laura Tsaggaris Kicks Off the Holiday Season and More Best Bets for Nov. 23–30
Friday: El Gran Combo at MGM National Harbor Sixty years after first forming, Puerto Rico’s El Gran Combo are still drawing large crowds eager to dance to the band’s powerful Afro-Caribbean sound. Nicknamed the University of Salsa due to the number of great musicians who’ve spent time in the ensemble, El Gran Combo can give…
Maggie Miles, Dina Amer’s New Film, and More Best Bets for Nov. 17–23
This week you can catch musical icons (London Suede, Ani Difranco), industry up-and-comers (Maggie Miles), and You Resemble Me at venues across D.C.
The War and Treaty, Melissa Villaseñor, and More Best Bets for Nov. 10–16
The War and Treaty, an SNL alum in D.C., Alex G., and Studio Gallery’s annual group photography show are highlights this week.
Día de los Muertos, Plains, and More Best Bets for Nov. 3-9
Friday: Día de los Muertos at the Kennedy Center The results of a 2014 study on diversity in the country’s top orchestras should surprise nobody: There’s not much of it. In 2014, the League of American Orchestras found that in top ensembles, only 1.8 percent of players were Black and 2.5 percent Latinx. A 2021…
Howl-O-Ween Happenings and More Best Bets for Oct. 27–Nov. 2
This week, check out Ari Voxx doing Siouxsie and the Banshees, Howl-O-Ween at the Hirshhorn, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Julie Wolfe’s Opposing Forces.
Diary of a Lost Girl, Watkins Family Hour, and More Best Bets for Oct. 20–26
Thursday: My Body, No Choice at Arena Stage “In the early 1970s, my sister Bridget and I went to a women’s consciousness-raising session weekly in a friend’s living room near Catholic U. We talked about our bodies and read eye-opening books like Our Bodies, Ourselves as most of us already subscribed to Ms. Magazine and…
Regina Spektor, DC Record Fair, and More Best Bets for Oct. 13–20
Editor’s Note: Regina Spektor’s show at the Warner Theatre has been postponed after the singer contracted COVID-19. We’ll share information about the rescheduled show when it’s available. Thursday through Sunday: Double Exposure Film Festival 2022 On Aug. 20, 2020, Russian anti-corruption activist and former presidential candidate Alexei Navalny was poisoned on his way to Siberia. The attempt on…
A World Premiere From Dance Theatre of Harlem and More Best Bets for Oct. 6–12
Thursday: The Garden at Howard Theatre Looking for a high-energy, intense live show where you can live out your crowd-surfing, stage-diving dreams? Look no further. Twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears make up the Garden, known for their vaudeville-esque jesters-in-leather-jackets aesthetic that revived originality in Orange County. While their music is classified as punk in…
Divino Niño, Celebrating Dance and Tech, and More Best Bets for Sept. 29–Oct. 6
Thursday: AMARU at Pie Shop Uber talented vocalist and songwriter AMARU will perform at Pie Shop tonight. The event, titled The Warm Up, is a pop-up concert and open mic series featuring the local songwriter and friends. Born and raised in D.C., AMARU attended the SEED Public Charter High School, where he performed in musical theater…
Phoenix, Photos, and Where Diversity and Design Meet: Best Bets for Sept. 15–21
This week, French band Phoenix plays the Anthem and Anacostia Arts Center celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.
Arlo Parks, Lombardi Live, and Other Best Bets for Sept. 8–14
Things to do in D.C. this week: Dance with Jive Talk at DC9, celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ulysses with a contemporary movement piece, and spend a night with Arlo Parks.
DC JazzFest, the National Book Festival, Rema, and More Best Bets for Sept. 1–8
Two of the city’s most beloved festivals return this weekend, Georgetown Sunset Cinema ends with Knives Out, and Lupe Fiasco headlines two shows next week.
American Prophet Closes, Documenting the U.S., and More Best Bets Aug. 25–31
Don’t miss District Cinema’s screening, Dean “Ramblin’ Deano” Schlabowske performing a sneak peak of a new play, or Clint Coley at Miracle Theatre; plus The 50 States Project captures America through art.
Logic Comes Home, World Reggae Fest, and More Music for Aug. 18–25
Stenchcore from Hellshock, noise pop from Sleigh Bells, and gorgeous sounds from Florist keep the week ahead filled with not-to-miss shows.
Unexpected Occurrences, Jackie Chan, and More Best Bets for Aug. 11–17
This week in City Lights, The Kreeger’s filled with hidden gems, Listeso String Quartet performs Joe Hisaishi’s music, a rare Chan film screens, and the Sackler offers artistic sanctuary.
Horror Movies, OutWrite 2022, and More Best Bets for Aug. 4–10
This week in City Lights, D.C.’s queer lit fest returns, AFI screens Lost Highway, Australia’s jangly rock band come to Black Cat, and Joe Feddersen’s art is on display.
Ian Sweet at Songbyrd, Jenny Wu’s Art at Touchstone, and More Best Bets for July 28-Aug. 3
Don’t miss “I Will Not Get Bit By Capitol Fox,” Fort Dupont’s 50th anniversary of summer concerts, and timeless photos at Photoworks. If you’re bored, well, that’s on you.
A Lou Stovall Exhibit, Thelma and the Sleaze, and More Best Bets for July 21–27
Find women indie rockers at Wolf Trap tonight, a new exhibit at the Phillips, and Beach House back in D.C. in this week’s edition of City Lights.
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