Hello Beautiful Ones!

Today is the official first day of summer. Yaaaayyyy!!! 🙂  Or as I like to say “It’s beach time!”  One of my favorite past times is sleeping on the beach. LOL  Like seriously, that is some of the best sleep you can get!  There’s something about the water lulling you to sleep with the warm sun your back.  Going to the beach is so relaxing and it’s a great way to social and bond with loved ones. Now I must admit, I am not a fan of the beach crowd so I try to go either during the week or to a beach folks aren’t hip to yet.  Wherever you go though, the key is to get there EARLY!  You get prime seating and you just have more time to enjoy everything especially if this is a day trip.

So if you aren’t celebrating the first day of summer at the beach this weekend, you can kick it off with K-Ci & JoJo at the Howard Theater tonight (6/21)  or with Rahasaan Patterson also tonight (6/21) at Birchmere, and then tomorrow (6/22) at Ram’s Head.

Check out the other greats events after the jump.

Beach and Blessings,  ThatKellieGirl 🙂

Celebrating 11 years, AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs) is an internationally recognized event that honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world.

June 19-23

Click here for schedule and tickets

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The Full Moon will be out Friday so it’s time for another Full Moon Outing– one of a series of rides Bicycle Space hosts this summer. Join them for a flight through the city to enjoy simple pleasures on a calm night.   After meeting at the shop, the moonlight will guide our brilliant swarm through the city.   The ride will go at a casual pace covering roughly 10 miles and will finish with a grand spread of ice cream and fixins’ for making sundaes.  It will be a perfect way to cool off as the Full Moon coincides with the Summer Solstice.

Friday  June 21

BicycleSpace

1019 7th Street NW

8PM

Please register here

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The Official Album Release concert for international singer-songwriter Teisha Marie. Concert. Food.Drink. Good Times.

Friday June 21

Hill Center

921 Pennsylvania Ave SE

7-11PM

$20 (Cash/Credit/Debit Accepted) Pay at door only.

Admission price includes The Girl from Nowhere CD/LIVE SHOW/food& drink!

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DC Black Theatre Festival is back! A week-long festival celebrating extraordinary stories told by people of African descent. This event has a menu of more than 125 provocative and groundbreaking theatrical performances by local and national artists, writers, producers, and theatre companies. This is the first festival of its kind to recognize the importance of both urban and traditional theatre. The DC Black Theatre Festival will also offer a wide array of visual presentations, workshops, full length plays, new reading series, Director’s Challenge and more!

June 21- June 30

Throughout the District

Click here for schedule and tickets

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The National Museum of Women in the Arts  in the Arts presents American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold‘s Paintings of the 1960s. Before originating the African-American story quilt revival in the 1970s, Faith Ringgold painted bold images in response to the Civil Rights and feminist movements. Her unprecedented exploration of race and gender in America is revealed through 45 rarely-exhibited paintings in which she developed expressive figures and adapted African designs to reflect on the momentous events that shaped America in the 1960s.

June 21-Novmber 10

The National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Avenue, NW

Click here for hours and tickets

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Jazz vocalist and D.C. native, Akua Allrich has proven herself to be a musician of extraordinary talent and crowd-moving passion. With finesse and charisma, this vocalist, composer, and teacher has successfully etched out a place for her unique musical expression, electrifying audiences in and around the nation’s capital with sold-out performances.

Friday June 21

Kennedy Center, Millenium Stage

2700 F St NW

8PM

Free

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The Sol Power All-Stars are back at Tropicalia this Friday!  Tons of new global heat to share with you all on the dance floor.  Azonto.Cumbia.Salsa.Dancehall.Soca.CoupedeCale.Afrohouse.Kwaito

Friday June 21

Tropicalia

2001 14th St NW

10PM-3AM

Free

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On Saturdays from May to October, the Fenton Street Market transforms Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring into a bustling marketplace. Over 60 local vendors a week showcase their wares: original artwork, handmade and imported crafts, antiques, jewelry, furniture, vintage clothing, unique services such as acupuncture and henna tattoos, and much more. Weekly community programming includes: live music, art demos, community conversations, joke contests and more.

Every Saturday from April 27-October 26th

Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD

10AM-4PM

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The Annual National Capital Barbecue Battle ….this two-day festival includes delicious barbecue of all kinds from top vendors, plus music by national and local acts, interactive exhibits, all benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Washington. This festival was voted one of top 5 festivals that can’t be missed!  Featured artists: EU featuring Sugar Bear, Trouble Funk, Roy Ayers, The Wailers, and many more!

June 22-23

Pennsylvania Avenue Between 9th & 14th Streets, NW

Saturday-11AM-9PM

Sunday-11AM-7:30PM

$10 Advance, $12 Door, Children 12 & Under free!

Get tickets here

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LUMEN8Anacostia returns on June 22! The all-day kickoff festival marks the start of LUMEN8 programming that will run through August 10. From 1-6 p.m., there will be children’s activities, interactive exhibits, performances and more! Then, from 6 p.m. – midnight, the old police evidence warehouse at 2235 Shannon Pl. SE transforms into The Music Box. Along with performances by six local bands, The Music Box will also have live wet plate and large format portrait sessions by STRATA photo collective, a Busboys & Poets pop-up restaurant, and a cash bar.

June 22- August 10

Lumen8

Martin Luther King Ave SE & Good Hope Rd SE

1PM-Midnight

FREE

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TV ONE’s R&B Diva Syleena Johnson returns to DC live at The Howard Theatre

Saturday June 22

Howard Theater

620 T St NW

7:30PM

Tickets: $32.50

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Turn the heat up and add some flavor to your summer.  Sonic Diaspora presents Africana Endless Summer Series

Sunday June 23

Sankofa Cafe

2714 Georgia Ave, NW

2PM-8PM

FREE

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Join us for free Sunday evening performances as the sun sets over this unique urban watershed. Featured performer: Soul In Motion Energetic West African drumming, song and dance.

Sunday June 23

Bladensburg Waterfront Park

4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg, MD

6-7:30PM

Free

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It’s been 20 years since a new group called Arrested Development slammed the gangsta dominated world of hip hop with defiant lyrics of hope. The Grammy-winning hip-hop group has been championing revolutionary music and spreading its unique sound across the globe since the early ’90s.

Sunday June 23

Kennedy Center, Millenium Stage

2700 F St NW

6PM

Free

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RAW is an indie arts organization for artists, by artists.  Come check out the HUGE line up of Photography, Dance, Music, Fashion, Hair, Makeup, Accessories, and ART!!! 19 Visual Artists, 9 Fashion & Accessory Designers, 2 Makeup Artists, 1 Hairstylist, 3 Filming Directors, 8 Photography Artists, 4 Performing Artists, and 4 Music Artists performing live!!! That’s 50 artists showcasing at the 3rd show of the RAW DC 2013 season!  DJ Loudtone who will be pumping the music all night to ensure you are having your fill of FUN and enjoying all of the AMAZING CREATIVE’S in our RAWsome new venue, Penn Social!

Sunday June 23

Penn Social

801 E Street NW

7-11PM

Tickets: $15 in Advance & $20 at the Door

Get tickets here

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Join Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor for Family Movie Sundays  meet us at the Plaza’s big screen for a FREE evening of ocean breezes and all-ages fun! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the show.  All movies are rated PG.

Sunday, May 26 – Sunday, September 1

165 Waterfront St

National Harbor, MD 20745

8:30PM  Movies start approximately 20 minutes after sunset.

FREE

Check here for the full movie schedule