12 Of Our Favorite Events This Weekend

By: Mimi Montgomery

Photo by Nathan Castellanos

FRIDAY, FEB. 9

BUBBLY, PLEASE: If your New Year’s resolution was to entertain more often, go to this: The St. Regis will host a cocktail class covering how to make the best champagne cocktail. You’ll learn to recreate plenty of recipes at home, and try some, too. Everyone gets to sample the cocktails they make, and there will be appetizers and a parting gift. (The St. Regis Hotel, $85, 4 – 6 p.m.)

PARTY LIKE AN OLYMPIAN: Let the games begin! Kick off the Olympics by watching the Opening Ceremony at Wunder Garten’s dance party. There will be themed cocktails like the Triple Lutz and the Downhill Chaser, a DJ, and prizes for the best costume (so break out those ski jackets). If you can’t make it, come by throughout the games to watch events on the spot’s TVs. (Wunder Garten at NoMa, 6:30 – 11 p.m., FREE)

WRITE ON: The Muslim Writers Collective is hosting its monthly open mic tonight. The theme is Love & Heartbreaks, so if you have something to say in the midst of Valentine’s Day season, sign up to share your songs, poems, or essays. Don’t want to get on stage? Come hang out and listen to the stories in-person. (Thurgood Marshall Center, 7 – 8 p.m., $7)

HAWT DAWG!: Free. Hot. Dogs. Yes, you read that correctly. Go by The Pig at lunch today, where they’ll be giving away 100 of their Boss Hogg Dogs free of charge. These bad boys come with smoked gouda, Cognac mustard, and foie gras aioli, so it’s worth it to elbow people out of your way en route. (The Pig, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., FREE)

MORE: CinEinsomnia: Ghost (Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 12 midnight, $9.50 – $10), Tedeschi Trucks Band (Warner Theatre, 8 p.m., $67.50), Cabaret Rising (Dupont Underground, 3 – 5 p.m., $35 – $75)

Photo by Erin Kelly

SATURDAY, FEB. 10

YOU’VE GOT MAIL: This is way better than Hallmark – come to the National Postal Museum to make a Valentine for your boo or BFF. They’ll provide the supplies, and afterwards, you can head to the museum’s stamp store, pick out your favorite, and send the card right then and there. Who said snail mail is dead? (Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., FREE)

MOUNTAIN WINE: Cork’s wine tasting series continues this month with a new focus: mountain wines. Come by to taste and learn all about vinos from the mountains of France, Italy, and Spain. On top of the wine flights, there will be small plates, too, and you’ll leave with enough knowledge to host a wine tasting of your own. (Cork Wine Bar & Market, 2 – 3:30 p.m., $40)

BRRRR: Support D.C.’s Special Olympics athletes in a very cool way – literally. Plunge yourself into freezing water a polar plunge: Two above-ground pools will be open at Nats Park, and if you raise at least $100 for the cause, you could be one of the people in that chilly water. Even if you aren’t a cold-water person, you can still attend and make a donation to the cause. (Nationals Park, 12 noon – 3:30 p.m., $100 to plunge, FREE to attend)

AND DIM SUM: Starting today, Shop Made in DC will host a Dim Sum Brunch every Saturday and Sunday of the month. Featuring dumplings from the new pop-up Laoban Dumplings, brunch-goers can munch, sip on local beers or a Gordy’s Pickle Jar Bloody Mary, and shop the locally-made goods in the store. (Shop Made in DC, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., $17)

MORE: Winter Ice Soiree (L2 Lounge & Events, 7 – 11 p.m., $20), DC Mardi Party (10 Tavern, 1 – 8 p.m., FREE), Victorian Valentine (DAR Museum, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., FREE), Palehound (Union Stage, 8 p.m., $15 – $25), 2018 Black Composers Concert (Dunbar High School, 3 – 5 p.m., FREE), Carnaval de Barraquilla (Cuba Libre Nights, 10 p.m. – 3 a.m.), Dope Comedy DC Presents: Womansplaining (Johnny Pistola’s, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., $5 – $10), Winter Open House (DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios, 1 – 5 p.m., FREE)

Photo by John Sonderman

SUNDAY, FEB. 11

NEW YEAR: Happy Year of the Dog! Ring it in at a Lunar New Year celebration with live acrobatics, puppet shows, food, art, and even operatic performances. Hosted at the Freer | Sackler Galleries, you can go check out the Chinese art exhibitions on-display, too. (Freer | Sackler Galleries, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., FREE)

COLOR ME ARTSY: Be your own Picasso – The Lemon Collective is hosting an abstract painting class. Get your canvas and see where your brush takes you – it is abstract, after all. Paints, canvases, and all supplies included. (The Lemon Collective, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., $45)

BIKERS WANTED: Although you’ll have to make the trek up to Westminster, MD, it’s worth it for the East Coast’s largest indoor bicycle swap. Racing bikes, BMX bikes, mountain bikes, biking clothes, biking accessories – you name it, it’ll be there. And at discounted prices, too. (Carroll County Ag Center, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., $5)

CHOCOHOLIC: Ever heard of baci? It’s an Italian chocolate, filled with hazelnut ganache and topped with even more hazelnut. Learn how to make it at Via Umbria’s workshop today. It’s the perfect pre-Valentine’s Day event – or just a little sweet treat to yourself. (Via Umbria, 3 – 5 p.m., $55)

MORE: How to Throw a Tico Fiesta (Tico, 3 – 6 p.m., $50), Free Hugs (Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, 2 – 4 p.m., FREE), Raul Midon (Union Stage, 7 p.m., $25 – $30), DSLR Photography Basics (Capital Photography Center, 9:30 – 1:30 p.m., $99), Storytime: Martin’s Big Words (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 11 a.m. – 12 noon, FREE)