Friday, Nov. 2
‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ at Freer Gallery of Art: The District is already home to great art house cinemas, but one of the best-kept secrets is that some of the most interesting film programming comes courtesy of the Smithsonian museums. The Freer is showing “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” the second film from director Bi Gan, who is already being lauded as one of China’s most prodigious filmmakers. Critics praised the film’s innovative visual style when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. The signature moment comes halfway through the movie, when the protagonist enters a theater and puts on 3-D specs — at the same time, the viewer is asked to do the same — and goes on a surreal journey that is captured in a 59-minute uninterrupted take. 7 p.m. Free.
Founders’ CBS 2018 Release Party at ChurchKey: One of the District’s best beer bars is the natural site to host the release of one of the country’s most beloved beers. Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company — you’ve probably had one of their All Day session IPAs — may be best known for its string of annual special release (and limited quantity) breakfast stouts. This year’s Canadian Breakfast Stout combines coffee and chocolate and is aged in bourbon barrels that once held Michigan maple syrup. Try it alongside the 2017 version, as well as Founders’ popular Kentucky Breakfast Stout. 4 p.m. Free admission; drafts priced individually by the glass and in four-ounce tasting pours.
‘Hocus Pocus’ at Union Market: If you aren’t yet sick of Halloween, check out a beloved movie of the season in which three evil witches return to Salem, Mass., after three centuries, and it’s up to a group of kids to stop them. This is the last drive-in movie event of the year at Union Market; the parking lot opens up at 5:30 p.m. so you can park and take a trip around the market to stock up on snacks for the film. Lot opens 5:30 p.m., lot closes promptly at 7:45, film begins 8. $10 parking fee per car, walk-ups are free.
Give at St. Stephen’s and the Incarnation Episcopal Church: Whether you’re a botanist or a punk, if you commute on Metro’s Red Line, you’ve probably noticed the flowery graffiti adorning a concrete partition between Takoma Park and Silver Spring — a jumbo daisy with splotchy petals circumscribing the letter “G.” The “G” stands for Give, a hardcore punk outfit from the District that has been cultivating its own mutant strain of flower power for more than a decade. When the band assembled in 2008, that daisy logo felt like a rejoinder to the dour mood that permeated the greater American hardcore scene, and Give’s album covers have been petal-sprinkled ever since. Fittingly, John Scharbach’s optimistic roar has always resided at the center of Give’s sound, while his bandmates — bassist Doug “Free” Cho, guitarist Ian Marshall, drummer Gene Melkisethian and guitarist Ben Schultz — continue to channel a spectrum of feelings at high volumes. 8 p.m. Sold out.
Saturday, Nov. 3
‘Death Becomes Us’ True Crime Festival at Lisner Auditorium: Mysteries, murders and all things macabre are at the center of Brightest Young Things’ first true-crime festival. Notable podcasts, television personalities and experts will gather at Lisner Auditorium to discuss some of history’s most infamous crimes and offer their insight and theories into these cases. Featured events include the “The Last Podcast on the Left”; a conversation with Lt. Joe Kenda from the Investigation Discovery show “Homicide Hunter”; and a talk with “Mindhunter” author John Douglas. Times and ticket prices vary.
Rare Essence, Backyard Band, the Junkyard Band, New Impressionz at Echostage: While go-go remains the District’s preeminent homegrown genre, it’s often difficult to find a concert within the city limits. Recent years have seen go-go acts pop up at U Street Music Hall and the Howard Theatre, but rarely at one of the biggest venues, such as the 3,000-head Echostage. And even rarer than a go-go show in D.C. is one featuring four of the sound’s most reliable acts: Rare Essence, Backyard Band, the Junkyard Band and New Impressionz. The Blend Show promises that all four will be “on one stage, side by side,” for a legendary — and local — evening. 9 p.m. $50-$70.
Adams Morgan Apple Festival: The District is finally settling into fall weather, and what better way to celebrate than enjoying seasonal apples? Adams Morgan’s farmers market (at 18th Street NW and Columbia Road) will turn into a showcase for all things apples, and will feature its fifth annual pie contest, where local amateur bakers will show off their best versions of the classic dessert. 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.
D.C. Beer Festival at Nationals Park: The D.C. Beer Festival returns to Nationals Park for its sixth year, with 80 craft breweries from around the area (and beyond) on hand to pour seasonal selections. There will be games, DJs and more events around the stadium’s concourse over the course of the festival’s two sessions — one beginning at noon and the other at 5 p.m. Session one: Noon to 3 p.m.; Session two: 5 to 8 p.m. $45-$75.
Sunday, Nov. 4
DMV Black Restaurant Week at various locations: Washington’s restaurant scene has exploded in the past few years, with a growing number of black-owned businesses opening. The inaugural DMV Black Restaurant Week will highlight the magnitude of how many establishments exist in the region, featuring all-inclusive three-course menu options ($25-$35) or discounted prices at more than two dozen black-owned and allied partner restaurants, such as Smith Commons, Matchbox, Ben’s Chili Bowl and DCity Smokehouse. Aside from food deals, DMV Black Restaurant Week will host several events during its run, including a bartending competition at Service Bar on Monday and a conference centered on small-business ownership at the University of the District of Columbia on Nov. 10. Through Nov. 11.
The Blaze at the Fillmore: Every generation gets the French electro duo it deserves. Picking up the synthesizer-and-turntable baton from Daft Punk and Justice these days is the Blaze, the French cousins Guillaume and Jonathan Alric. Instead of the stadium-size grooves of its forebears, the Blaze is permanently chilled out and low key, its beats and melodies subtle and seductive. Despite the title of the Alrics’ debut album, this isn’t music for the “Dancehall”: These are vibe-first tunes generated for festivals and music videos, and imported into the club: softer, smaller, slower, slighter. For the Netflix-and-chill generation, it’s probably for the best. 8 p.m. $25.
Kweku Collins at Union Stage: Kweku Collins is from Evanston, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and his physical distance from the Second City replicates itself in his music. His meditative, introspective take on hip-hop is a little removed from both the city’s street-rap scene and its soul- and gospel-inflected one. Instead, Collins mixes in electronic ambiance and psychedelic rock influences as he weaves dreamlike, experimental compositions. And although he’s linked with Closed Sessions, the Chicago-based purveyors of left-field rap and R&B in the city and beyond, Collins is still in his own sphere. “You can’t see my thoughts,” he sings, “but I can take you there.” 8 p.m. $15.
— Hau Chu, Chris Kelly, Chris Richards and Stephanie Williams
