7001008234_081a0c7fc7_z
Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

From a press release:

“The 3rd Annual Running of the Chihuahuas – DC’s Funniest Cinco de Mayo Celebration is Back!

When: Saturday, May 3, 2014 | 12 pm to 3 pm (rain date, May 10)
Where: Southwest Waterfront, DC- Between 6th & 7th Street
Why: A benefit for animal charities
What: Chihuahua races, food trucks, beer stand, dog contests, a family friendly FREE event!

Kick off Cinco de Mayo at the Third Annual Running of the Chihuahuas! 12pm – 3pm on Saturday, May 3rd between 6th and 7th Street on the Southwest Waterfront. $500 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the speediest dogs! 96 dogs raced in 2013!

Don’t have a Chihuahua? You can still take part in the excitement with all breed contests for best dressed dog and best trick! Music, food, water and beverages will be on site, plus fun stuff from DC’s pet friendly businesses.

Deadline to register your dog to race is Friday, May 2nd, walkups on race day accepted until all spots are full. $20 per dog to race. This is a family-friendly, admission-free event, but you must be 21+ to drink beer. All race fees will be donated to animal charities – PAWS of Southwest and Washington Animal Rescue League. To enter and for more information, visit www.ontaponline.com/race!”


funk_parade_route

From an email:

“FunkParade It’s James Brown’s bday and a join-don’t-just-watch funkhappenin’ on Saturday, May 3rd.  The day’s festivities begin at noon with a day fair and go well into the night with free live music at 11 of the neighborhood’s venues.

The parade will begin at 5 p.m. at Vermont and U Streets NW

Funk Parade co-founder Nauom says the day fair will have “activated spaces” along the U Street corridor where different businesses will offer “funk activities” throughout the day, including funk brunches and funk-infused flea markets.

After the parade, venues, such as U Street Music Hall, DC9, Tropicalia and Busboys and Poets, will open their doors for free concerts from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.”

All the details after the jump. (more…)


FlingFlier

Details from Friends of the Soldiers Home:

“Featuring:

The cool jazz sounds of Herb Spice & The Cinnamonstix and The Nicole Saphos Group.

A large outdoor checkerboard and lawn bowling! Courtesy of President Lincoln’s Cottage, kids will get a chance to participate in two of Lincoln’s favorite games on the same campus he called home for a quarter of his presidency.

Back by popular demand! A 60-minute nature walk of the Home’s lower grounds at 2 p.m. with Mary Pat Rowan, a landscape architect who will talk about native plants, and Philip Blair, a geology expert who will talk about the site’s fascinating underground. (more…)


IMG_6429
1100 3rd Street, NE

From an email:

“Spring is making its way in and what better way to celebrate than with a day of fun, food, and music outside . . . on a parking lot! Come join us on The Lot @ Union Kitchen, this Saturday, 4/26. We have Happy Hour specials starting at 3 p.m. and music starting around 7 p.m. Union Kitchen members will be vending food, we’ll have games and chicanery and it should be a blast.

What: Music, food, drink, and games
Where: The Lot, located at 1100 3rd Street NE.
When: This Saturday, 4/26 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Bring your friends. We are open to all.”


kingman_island_music_festival_map

My favorite of the year!

“When: Saturday April 26th
12:00pm – 8:00pm

Where: Kingman Island located on the Anacostia River-
575 Oklahoma Avenue NE Washington, DC (entrance at RFK Stadium Lot 6).

Biking and metro are encouraged. A free shuttle will run from Stadium/Armory Metro Station. Free parking is available in RFK Lot 6.

Who: The Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival presented by Whole Foods Market is a collaboration between Living Classrooms, Councilman Tommy Wells’ Office, REI, Boogie Babes, BicycleSPACE, Listen Local First, Events DC, Kleen Kanteen, programming partners Gypsy Sallys and Acre 121 and media partner WAMU’s Bluegrass Country. All are welcome to attend.

Cost: $10 suggested donations to support Living Classrooms’ environmental education programming for DC youth on Kingman Island.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at http://kingmanislandbluegrass.eventbrite.com or at area Whole Foods Market stores. Last Live Whole Foods Market show is at the P Street Store on Thursday April 24th from 6pm – 8pm. The Stick Mob will be performing.

FESTIVAL MUSIC LINE UP (more…)


tour_de_fat_dc_2014
Photo by PoPville flickr user Joe in DC

From an email:

“Tour de Fat season is back; New Belgium Brewing today announced that the highly anticipated 2014 national tour of traveling bicycle advocacy will go to ten cities from May to October. This year marks the 15th season for Tour de Fat, which will travel across the U.S. These day-long festivities are free in every city, but the proceeds from beer sales go to local non-profits. Since its inception, Tour de Fat has raised more than $3 million, and raised half-a-million dollars last year alone.

The events kick off with a costumed bicycle parade that winds through city streets, ending in a city park. That’s when eclectic entertainment takes over from musical acts to yo-yo performers, bike contests and even vaudeville acts. This year will also include some brewing education and feature a “Bicycle Revival” to inspire festival-goers to believe in the power of two-wheeled transportation.

During each tour stop, New Belgium tries to leave as little of an environmental imprint as possible. Tour de Fat hosts green vendors, has compost and recycle stations and festival trucks that operate on biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils.

In 2013, Tour de Fat traveled to 12 cities nationwide and attracted 97,500 festival attendees and 57,359 bicycle parade participants. The philanthropic events raised a total of $536,000 for local nonprofits and diverted an impressive 85 percent of waste from landfills. Tempe, Ariz., raised the most money (over $90,000) and New Belgium’s hometown of Fort Collins, Colo. attracted the most parade riders and festival-goers, both totaling 25,000 people.

See www.facebook.com/TourDeFat for the Tour de Fat credo, schedules, videos and to submit an entry to swap your gas-guzzler for a fancy new bicycle in 2014.

Tour de Fat 2014 will cycle through each of the following cities:

Washington, D.C. May 31 Yards Park”


steet_closures_cherry_blossom
Street closure above via MPD.

Read more about the Sakura Matsuri festival here.

japanese_festival

And don’t forget the Cherry Blossom parade is Saturday too:

“Saturday, April 12, 10:00am-noon

One of the Festival’s largest spectator events, the energy-filled Parade runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, NW. Vibrant costumes and blossom-inspired décor set the atmosphere. Giant colorful helium balloons, elaborate floats, fourteen marching bands from across the country, and performers burst down Constitution Avenue in a grand spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the Festival.

Friday, April 11 – At this time, the Parade grandstands are SOLD OUT and there are no additional tickets to be released.

To watch the Parade, please plan to find Free standing room along Consitution Avenue between 9th and 15th Streets, NW. Plan to arrive early, as beautiful weather will make this a popular event. “


greatdebate

From an email:

“DC Emancipation Day 2014 is Wednesday, April 16. Emancipation Day activities will kick-off on Sunday, April 13th at the Lincoln Theatre at 6:00 PM with “The Great Debate”. On Wednesday, April 16th, Emancipation Day will begin with an 11:00 AM parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, educational workshops in the John A. Wilson District Building starting at 1:30 PM, a concert on Freedom Plaza featuring Doug E. Fresh, Black Alley band, DJ Kool, Arrested Development, Talib Kweli, and Raheem DeVaugh starting at 4:00 PM, followed by an 8:30 PM fireworks show.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information on DC Emancipation Day 2014, please visit www.emancipationdc.com.”


Frühlingsfest at the Heurich House

Frühlingsfest
Heurich House Museum
Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

This kid-centered event is full of activities for all ages:

– A House Scavenger Hunt
– Relay Races
– Face Painting
– Maypole Dancing and Decorating
– And More!

There will be beer, a roast pig, cookies, and gelato to snack on all afternoon….not to mention live German music to dance and sing along with!

Ticket price includes:
– Two beers per adult 21+
– Afternoon snacks of roast pig and sides
– Cookies and gelato for dessert

History of Frühlingsfest:

Frühlingsfest is translated as ‘Spring Festival’ and is known as ‘Oktoberfest’s little sister’ in Germany. It celebrates the end of a cold winter and beginning of spring, and it typically occurs mid-April to the beginning of May. Stuttgart and Munich have some of the largest Frühlingsfests in Germany, and now the Heurich House is bringing the age-old traditional to Washington, DC!”


View More Stories