There's Only One DC: This Summer, Catch Some Capital City Culture

Washington, DC has long been a favorite destination of LGBTQ+ travelers. During the summer season, gay nightspots keep things hopping all week long, and queer-friendly neighborhoods, including Dupont Circle and the U Street corridor, are abloom with al fresco dining and sidewalk cafés.

This summer, the local concert scene is studded with gay favorites, while museum exhibits feature unique queer allure. New theater productions run the gamut from experimental plays to a Tony-winning musical. Come August, the DC culinary scene shows off its finest during Summer Restaurant Week.

Here are just a few of the District's cultural highlights this season:

It's a Hit!

The Washington Nationals' official "Night Out " Pride celebration took place in June, but expect another night of rainbow-striped fabulosity as LGBTQ+ fan favorite Carly Rae Jepsen performs in this year's Nats Summer Concert Series on July 19.

Canada's catchiest songstress will take the field with breezy synth bops like "Call Me Maybe," "Run Away with Me," and "Cut to the Feeling" right after the evening's 6:45 p.m. match-up between the Nats and the Cincinnati Reds. Free to all game ticket holders, this concert is a pop fly you'll definitely want to catch.

More Queer Earfuls

Other queer-adored pop musicians whose tours will bring them to DC-area venues later this summer include Galantis, the EDM producer/DJ famous for collaborating with Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and Britney Spears, who plays at Echostage on August 24.

That same night (and also on August 25), a double bill that could well be nicknamed Lil' Lilith pairs lesbian legends the Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge at Wolf Trap, just outside the District in Vienna, Virginia.

And Gen Z favorite Mitski swings through for two performances, on August 30 and 31, at Merriwether Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Maryland.

Homegrown and Nationally Renowned

Over Labor Day weekend, the nationally renowned DC Jazzfest celebrates its 20th anniversary with multiple national headliners joining forces in star-studded shows.

Friday night features a triple bill of Jacob Collier, Samara Joy, and D-Nice at The Anthem, while Saturday's and Sunday's shows at The Wharf are loaded with the likes of Stanley Clarke, Kenny Barron, Diane Reeves, and Galactic.

DC's own grassroots music scene takes the spotlight at the free Home Rule Music Festival at Alethia Tanner Park on the afternoon of October 26.

The daytime event will feature the acclaimed jazz, funk, and R&B fusion of The Experience Band & Show, led by former downtown street busker TromboneKing. Co-headlining is homegrown, all-female go-go band Be'la Dona.

Curtain Up on Summer Stages

Theater fans will find quirky new work and a highly anticipated Broadway revival on DC stages this season.

The dependably edgy and experimental Capital Fringe Festival, running through July 21, has two particularly intriguing queer-centric productions on offer.

In writer/director Forrest Callaway's "Existential People," three gay criminals find themselves doomed to a version of Hell inspired by Sartre's "No Exit" – and features full frontal nudity.

And playwright Caitlin Frazier's drama "Re:Writing" finds a queer couple in ethical conflict as one partner considers using the other's childhood secret as material to jumpstart their writing career.

At the Kennedy Center, a new production of "Nine," the 1982 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical, debuts from August 2-11. Andy Blankenbuehler, who choreographed "Hamilton," directs this musical interpretation of Federico Fellini's celebrated film "8½," featuring a cast of notable Broadway vets, including Steven Pasquale and Carolee Carmello.

Empowering Portraits

For an elevating escape from the summer heat, slip into one of the Smithsonian museums and galleries around the National Mall, all of which offer free admission.

This summer, the National Portrait Gallery is featuring two exhibitions of note for LGBTQ+ visitors:

Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939 spotlights culture-shaking icons including Josephine Baker, Anaïs Nin, Gertrude Stein, and Anna May Wong.

And This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance is curated by esteemed cultural critic Hilton Als, of The New Yorker. In addition to Baldwin, the show features images of Lorraine Hansberry, Bayard Rustin, and Barbara Jordan, among others.

Glorious Food

After nourishing your soul with the arts, dig into DC's delectable culinary scene. Hot spots range from the flashily-designed Pink Taco, serving casual, modern Mexican cuisine, to Yardbird, which celebrates southern foodways with the likes of Kentucky ham, sweet tea braised short ribs, and chicken and waffles.

There's no better time to dine out in the District than Summer Restaurant Week, August 12-18, when dozens of eateries offer prix fixe lunch, brunch, and dinner menus featuring specialty dishes at bargain prices.

Get all the info you need on hotels, events, and attractions for your gay summer getaway in DC. Start planning today at www.washington.org