Pride in the Plaza at Veterans Plaza
Montgomery Pride wraps up a month of celebrations with Pride in the Plaza in Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza. The main event is the finals of Drag Duels, an ongoing competition that features drag performers going head-to-head and stacked-heel-to-stacked-heel. There’s also live music, DJs and a Pride Ball that allows talented dancers to strut their stuff. New this year: the Community Stage, which organizers say features diverse, family-friendly entertainment. Noon to 8 p.m. Free.
Books & Booze Fair at Red Derby
When the book fair came to your elementary school, it brought scented pencils, glow-in-the-dark erasers and the new Percy Jackson novel. When the book fair comes to Red Derby this weekend, it’ll bring spicy-smooth drinks from Chacho Distillery, conversation with book sellers, and rows of bestsellers and underrated must-reads from Lost City Books and Loyalty Bookstores. A ticket will get you a Chacho drink, but the full bar at Red Derby (which was recently voted by Post readers as one of the city’s best dives) is also available. 6 to 9 p.m. $10.
Republic Cantina anniversary party
Tex-Mex joint Republic Cantina marks five years in Truxton Circle this weekend with a day-long party. Get an early start with breakfast tacos at 9 a.m. before the block party in the alley, which features Joe Neuman of Sloppy Mama’s BBQ and Rob Cain of the Red Hen serving as guest pitmasters. Human Country Jukebox and the swaggering Heaven Forbid provide classic country covers throughout the day. Look out for a piñata, birthday cake, a kolache happy hour — Republic Cantina’s owners got their start as Republic Kolache — and DJs spinning country vinyl. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free.
Land Conservation Day at Hellbender Brewing Company
Casey Trees, a nonprofit that seeks to restore and protect Washington’s tree canopy, is teaming up for the second year with Hellbender Brewing Company for an afternoon dedicated to urban forests in the nation’s capital. Casey Trees holds a conservation easement on a patch of forest located near the brewery, and you’ll be able to tour this green space nicknamed “Hellbender Hill” during the event. Join a tour of Hellbender Hill at 2:30 or 4:30 p.m. to see the work — like invasive-vine pulling or cleanups — that’s being done as part of the land conservation program. Besides tree tours, the day will include food trucks, live music, raffles and a chance to hear from like-minded organizations. Hellbender’s taproom and the outside patio are open during the event, and a seasonal beer will be promoted in honor of Casey Trees. 2 to 7 p.m. Free; registration requested online.
‘Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity’ at Rock Creek Park Planetarium
Rock Creek Park Nature Center has so much to offer in the summer, including its own planetarium, where you can escape the heat with some virtual stargazing. The last Sunday in June is the last chance to take a simulated space flight to a supermassive black hole, courtesy of the film “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity.” Narrated by actor Liam Neeson, the 30-minute presentation, aimed at audiences age 14 and up, is all about the science behind black holes. The planetarium’s domed screen will feature immersive animations of phenomena like star birth and death and the collision of giant galaxies. 4 p.m. Free.
‘Salute to Divas’ Drag Brunch at Surreal
Arlington Pride wraps up Sunday with the Salute to Divas Drag Brunch at Surreal in National Landing, hosted by Shi-Queeta Lee and featuring the 2024 Miss Arlington Pride Queenie Iman Glamazon. 11 a.m. $25.
Country Night at Pitchers
The D.C. Rawhides support country dancing in the LGBTQ+ community by hosting parties with line dancing, partner dancing and dance lessons most Saturdays in Eastern Market’s North Hall. They’re spreading out this weekend and heading to Pitchers, too, where you can learn the Canadian Stomp line dance before open dancing. 4:30 to 7 p.m. Free.
Pride Art Market at Atlas Brew Works
The brewery’s Ivy City location is celebrating the last day of Pride Month with a makers market featuring works from LGBTQ+ artists. Masks are encouraged and will be provided. 1 to 7 p.m. Free.
Crate Convention at Anacostia Arts Center
The Crate Convention is a celebration of culture, combining vendors selling records, magazines, comics and clothing; music from DJs and producers; and works by local artists and makers in one room at the Anacostia Arts Center. Food and drinks are available. Noon to 5 p.m. Free.
Orville Peck at the Anthem
For the last few years, the yeehaw agenda has been in full effect. From Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and Kacey Musgraves’s pop crossover to Beyoncé’s latest album and Post Malone’s latest transformation, musicians outside the mainstream of country music have taken cowboy culture for a ride and found comfort in the saddle. The rise of Orville Peck has come alongside this cultural shift, and the 36-year-old singer-songwriter — who performs under a pseudonym and wears a mask — is making country music that recalls outlaw traditions and has found fans in collaborators Willie Nelson, Elton John and Kylie Minogue. The artist, who is gay, also serves as a reminder that neither America nor Americana is as homogenized and heteronormative as it may seem. 7 p.m. $59.50.
