DC Nightlife Highlights: Harder DC, Oktobearfest, Bachelors Mill Reunion, Rewind!
Our picks of the hottest LGBTQ parties in the D.C. area this weekend.
HARDER DC
This Friday, Oct. 4, U Street Music Hall hosts the third D.C. edition of this Brooklyn-born “sexy, underground-branded queer party,” one that is welcoming to all, regardless of age (as long as it’s above 18) gender, orientation, or fetish. That said, this one is especially for those looking for a club outing that goes, well, a tad bit harder than the average. Musically, think “throbbing house, techno, and dark disco beats,” a mix that is a specialty of DJ Tommy Cornelis, who will kick off the party starting at 10:30 p.m. After midnight, the music might get harder still, should headliner DJ TEETH toss in some acid or “a Belgian new beat twist.” It could turn sleazier, or at least quirkier, as a result of the Berlin-based DJ’s style, which he imaginatively describes as akin to the soundtrack of “a movie featuring the Care Bears filmed in a sweaty sauna and directed by Jeff Stryker.” New York’s David x Daisy will join the festivities as a guest host serving “butch queen” looks alongside the party’s local hosts Jane Saw and Matt Schwarz. However hard things may get, everyone’s asked to keep it in their pants — their phones, that is. Organizers request clubgoers refrain from picture-taking and phone-usage while inside the club, or at least while on the dance floor, “so everyone can have a full and true underground experience.” U Street Music Hall is at 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-588-1880 or visit www.ustreetmusichall.com.
OKTOBEARFEST!
The newest and gayest brewery in town offers its first toast to all things bier and brat, a la Red Bear Brewing’s first Oktoberfest offerings. All weekend long — from 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, to 11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 — the NoMa nanobrewery will be pouring several of its own German-style beers, including a Märzen lager named for the weekend itself, OktoBEARfest, a dry-hopped Pilsner dubbed Schadenfruede, and a Hefeweizen cleverly labeled Hefe Don’t Preach. The weekend’s other events include a “Horror-ween” edition of the Slay Them Drag Competition hosted by Desiree Dik, in which one drag amateur will win $50 plus the chance to co-host and perform at Red Bear (Friday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.) and a free concert from Three Strands Live, the Americana/folk project from bearded Pennsylvania-based singer/songwriter Sean Cox (Sunday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m.) Red Bear Brewing is at 209 M St. NE. Call 202-849-6130 or visit www.redbear.beer.
THE BACHELOR’S MILL REUNION
For 40 years, Bachelor’s Mill was a legendary D.C. nightspot, one catering mainly to the LGBTQ African American community. A year later after its closing, on Saturday, Oct. 5, comes a reunion party. Promoters Ebony Pyramid Entertainment managed to secure both floors of the club’s original location, currently home to District Soul Food Restaurant & Lounge (formerly Banana Cafe). Things get underway at 6 p.m. with the Sparkle MaHarris Memorial Talent Showcase featuring hosts Tink Cole Adams and Victoria Snow. (It will include a Walk of Fame for past club entertainers who wish to participate.) A dance party follows, featuring a trio of the Mill’s veteran mixmasters: house DJ Rodney, BeJay The DJ spinning house classics and “old school” R&B, and DJ Freaky scratching hip-hop and R&B. District Soul Food is at 500 8th St. SE. Tickets are $10 before 7 p.m., $15 after. Call 202-544-8882 or visit www.facebook.com/EbonyPyramidEnt.
REWIND: REQUEST LINE
Darryl Strickland was one of the most prolific DJs in gay D.C. in the ’90s, which makes him eminently qualified to serve as VJ for this first-Saturdays party focused on playing the best video hits of the ’80s and ’90s. There are drink specials on offer and the ability to make requests all night long. Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at 9 p.m. Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW. No cover. Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.greenlanterndc.com.
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