12 Of Our Favorite Events Around D.C. This Weekend

By: Mimi Montgomery

Photo by Mr.TinDC

FRIDAY, FEB. 16

COFFEE + CHOC: Attention coffee and chocolate lovers: A Baked Joint will host a post-Valentine’s Day coffee tasting event tonight. You’ll explore a variety of coffee beverages with tasting notes of chocolate, and cap off the night with an espresso and a chocolate treat. (A Baked Joint, 6 – 7 p.m., FREE)

FIFTY SHADES OF ROSE: It’s the most delightfully basic combo of all time: rose and Fifty Shades of Grey come together at the Fifty Shades of Rose event. Tonight, the French Embassy will have rose, chocolates, oysters, live music, and more for a night of culinary romance. A ticket gets you unlimited wine samplings, cheese and charcuterie, plus live cooking demonstrations. (French Embassy, 6 p.m., $69 – $99)

I LOVE THE 90S: If you weren’t alive during the 90s, skip this – the Back to the 90s event is tonight at Union Stage, which showcases cover bands specializing in the decade’s music. A Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band, a No Doubt cover band, and an Alanis Morissette-soundalike will all take the stage tonight. Grab your flannel, Steve Madden sandals, Furby, and prepare to rock out. (Union Stage, 10 p.m., $15 – $25)

MORE: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Tasting (Craft Beer Cellar D.C., 4:30 – 7:30 p.m., FREE), Literary Cocktails: The Alienist (Petworth Citizen, 7 p.m. – 12 midnight, FREE), Rob Cantrell Stand-Up (Drafthouse Comedy, 7 – 9 p.m., $20)

Photo by Victoria Pickering

SATURDAY, FEB. 17

YEAR OF THE DOG: Celebrate Chinese New Year at the Blagden Alley restaurant Tiger Fork. Outside the spot that afternoon, there will be Chinese lion and dragon dancers, Kung Fu demonstrations, and free hot tea. Stick around and grab some food after – the restaurant will have a special prix-fixe menu, and each item represents and element supposed to bring good luck in the Year of the Dog. (Tiger Fork, 2 – 7 p.m., FREE)

HBD FREDERICK DOUGLASS: Head to the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site to celebrate the bicentennial of the abolitionist and writer’s birth. There will be performances by historical Douglass impersonators, tours, music, a puppet show, and crafts. Kenneth B. Morris, Douglass’ great-great-great grandson, will speak, too. (Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., FREE)

WASHINGTON WALKS: The Columbia Heights Historical Drinkabout is exactly as it sounds – an educational tour around the neighborhood with sipping stops along the way. A historian will lead you through CoHeights, discussing the area’s growth, changing demographics, and shifting cultural landscape. Between talks, you’ll stop in at some of the many bars and cafes dotting the neighborhood. (Meet at Columbia Heights Metro station, 2 p.m., $25)

BE AN ENGINEER: It’s National Engineers Week, so come celebrate at the National Building Museum. Its Discover Engineering Family Day will have kids and adults alike getting hands-on with crafts and activities. Design a robot, make paper rockets, meet an astronaut, learn about electricity, and much more at this all-ages event. (National Building Museum, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., FREE)

MORE: Winter White Out Day Party (Front Page D.C., 2 p.m., $15), Conversation: Buddha’s Picnic by Gonkar Gyatso (Freer | Sackler Galleries, 2 – 4 p.m., FREE), Tedeschi Trucks Band (Warner Theatre, 8 p.m., $27.50 – $87.50), Content Camp (The Pitch Tavern, 12 noon – 4 p.m., $30 – $35), Paint and Sip (Culture Coffee, 4 – 6 p.m., $20), Book Talk: Chocolate City (Anacostia Community Museum, 1 – 3 p.m., FREE, registration required)

Photo by justinbc

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

HERE FOR THE ‘CUE: Get your BBQ on an American Ice Co.’s Great American Pig Out. The watering hole will be roasting a whole pig, and a ticket gets you unlimited pork, baked beans, cole slaw, cornbread, and mac ‘n’ cheese. Vanish Brewery will be doing a tap takeover, Jim Beam will provide the cocktails, and there will be live bluegrass, too. (American Ice Company, 12 noon – 4 p.m., $25)

HAPPY NEW YEAR: The Chinese New Year celebrations continue at a parade downtown. Check it out for lion dancers, acrobatics, live music, and firecrackers. Parade-walkers will be handing out hong bao, aka lucky red envelopes, so make sure to grab one and make the most of your year. (6th and I Streets, 2 p.m., FREE)

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE BACKSTAGE? Sure, going to see Hamlet by the Shakespeare Theatre Company is cool, but what about seeing what happens behind-the-scenes? Get a backstage tour of all the work that goes into making a production run, from costumes and makeup to props and sets. The best part? The tours end just in time for you to stick around and catch a performance of the show after. (Sidney Harman Hall, 5 p.m., $10)

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME: Today is the last day to catch the Washington Ballet’s performance of Romeo & Juliet. See the classic Shakespeare tale of star-crossed lovers in dance form, set to the score by Sergei Prokofiev. It’s a timeless ballet, and makes for a great belated Valentine’s Day outing. (The Kennedy Center, 1:30 p.m., $25 – $160)

MORE: Film Screening and Discussion: “Never Give Up!” (National Museum of American History, 2 – 4 p.m., FREE), Urban Gardening Basics (Capoeira Males DC, 9 – 10:30 a.m., $10 suggested donation), Sunday Story Time (Kramerbooks, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., FREE), Guided Tour of Ford’s Theatre (Ford’s Theatre, 2:15 – 4:45 p.m., $8)