🌸 The Spirit make history

Good morning, DC. As summer's final weeks give way to back-to-school season, DC is buzzing with new restaurant openings, milestone arts celebrations, and community initiatives that prove there's never a slow news day in the District. Dive in for your Monday morning dose of everything happening around the DMV.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

Washington Performing Arts unveiled its 2025/26 season "The City is Our Stage," celebrating six decades of bringing world-class performances to the nation's capital. The season highlights include a special Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Concert featuring film icon Sigourney Weaver joining the Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet for world-premiere commissioned works. The organization will present tributes to the late tabla legend Zakir Hussain, one of their most beloved guest artists over the years. As the only arts presenter in the nation with a resident gospel program, Washington Performing Arts continues showcasing the Children of the Gospel Choir and Men and Women of the Gospel Choir in multiple performances. The season runs from October 2025 through May 2026 across six venues throughout the D.C. region. Single tickets are now available to the public, with performances beginning in October.

Volunteer Alexandria's third annual Food4ALX campaign collected 36,000 pounds of nonperishable food throughout July, falling 4,000 pounds short of their ambitious goal but still marking a successful community effort. The donations will provide meals for over 2,000 Alexandria residents for a month, with all food going to Hunger Free Alexandria's food pantries and ALIVE!'s food bank. The campaign was particularly crucial during summer months when children don't have access to free school meals and food bank donations typically decline. The drive featured 34 collection locations across the city and was sponsored by Skanska, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., United Bank, and Fitness Together. Despite missing the target, organizers praised the community's generosity during challenging economic times when food insecurity remains high. Volunteer Alexandria is still accepting donations to help meet ongoing community needs.

Flor. Coffee + Books, a new two-story coffee shop and bookstore, opened in a converted yellow rowhouse at 31st and M streets in Georgetown with a grand opening celebration on August 22. Founded by Florencia Agrazo and partner Marco Ferrario, the café emerged from Agrazo's pandemic-era gratitude journaling practice and aims to create a space where people can "stop the rushing" and be present. The cozy spot features Argentinian pastries, breakfast items, a "gratitude machine," and the first hundred grand opening guests received free coffee and mini tarot readings. Flor. joins a mini wave of new Argentinian-inspired establishments in DC, including the soon-to-open Florería Atlántico and Brasero Atlántico in Georgetown.

Taiwanese street food concept Bao Bei, which finished second on Season 17 of Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race," has opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. The restaurant serves traditional bao sandwiches, steamed dumplings, rice bowls, and sweet treats like swirly buns and almond tofu. Owner Kenny Hsieh and his team lost to Wally's Waffles in the final episode of the competition but have now translated their food truck success into a permanent location. The new restaurant represents the growing trend of successful food truck operators transitioning to traditional restaurant spaces in the DMV area.

Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

Rising R&B artist Che Arthur teams up with Carl Gene for an intimate Monday night performance at DC9 Nightclub. Arthur, known for his smooth vocals and genre-blending style that mixes soul, funk, and contemporary R&B, has been making waves in the DC music scene with his authentic sound and magnetic stage presence.

📍 DC9 Nightclub | 🕐 Doors at 8 PM

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival continues its limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Opera House. This haunting and hopeful musical tells the true story of Leo and Lucille Frank, a Jewish couple in 1913 Georgia whose lives are forever changed when Leo is falsely accused of murder.

📍 Kennedy Center Opera House | 🕐 7:30 PM

Alternative rock veterans Silversun Pickups bring their signature wall of sound to the legendary 9:30 Club, with rising indie rockers Girl Tones opening the show. The LA-based headliners, known for hits like "Lazy Eye" and "Panic Switch," are touring in support of their latest album, delivering their trademark blend of shoegaze atmospherics and driving guitar hooks that have made them festival favorites for nearly two decades.

📍 9:30 Club | 🕐 Doors at 7 PM

Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and all your favorite Sesame Street friends continue their month-long run at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. This intimate theatrical experience brings the beloved TV show's songs and stories to life on stage, offering families a rare opportunity to see the Muppets perform live in a joyful, interactive setting that's been selling out shows all August.

📍 Kennedy Center Terrace Theater | 🕐 10:30 AM & 2 PM

Monday

83 🌡 63 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 10 mph

Tuesday

76 🌡 62 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 8 mph

9:30 Club | Silversun Pickups with Girl Tones | 7 PM

The Fillmore | Wage War with Sleep Theory | 7:30 PM

The Washington Spirit made history Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 victory over Bay FC at Oracle Park in San Francisco, playing in front of a record-breaking crowd of over 40,000 fans - setting a new attendance mark for professional women's sports in the United States. DC United's winless streak extended to 13 games after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Inter Miami at Audi Field on Friday night, despite playing against a Miami squad missing superstars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. The Nationals dropped their series to Philadelphia, falling 6-4 on Saturday as Aaron Nola earned his first win since May for the Phillies. The Mystics faced a tough back-to-back weekend, hosting the Las Vegas Aces on Friday before taking on the Seattle Storm on Saturday at CareFirst Arena in their push for playoff positioning.

Did You Know? DC's famous cherry blossom trees were almost destroyed in 1941 when four trees were cut down in retaliation after Pearl Harbor, but the remaining 3,000+ trees survived and now attract over 1.5 million visitors each spring.

Till next time,