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Hot summer nights are about to get hotter. From sexy rooftop pool parties to epic outdoor music festivals to picnics by moonlight with live jazz or fireworks, Night+Day’s Best Summer Nights highlight primo nocturnal events for the beautiful, balmy evenings ahead.
Best Summer Nights in....
Best Summer Nights
D.C.
Fourth of July Fireworks on the National Mall Seventh St. and Constitution Ave. NW, National Mall, 202-426-6841 nps.gov/foju/index.htm
The Draw: Watch stellar fireworks light up the night sky above the Washington Monument, set off in time to the National Symphony Orchestra’s renditions of The 1812 Overture and Stars and Stripes Forever. The Scene: A-listers receive invitations to watch the ‘works from nearby government building rooftops, where alcohol flows freely and generous buffets of burgers and barbecue are popular. The White House’s roof is the best, obviously, but the Department of Interior’s rooftop is pretty good, too. The alternative is to join the thousands of tee-shirted, sunburned Americans in security lines to pass (sans booze) into the Mall, and then stake out territory with blankets and lawn chairs. July 4. Hot Tip: The Potomac River might be the best place of all to watch the fireworks, so talk to that friend with a boat, or else check out river cruises, like the one offered by DC Cruises.
Jazz in the Garden Seventh St. and Constitution Ave. NW, National Mall, 202-289-3360 nga.gov/programs/jazz
The Draw: On a pleasant summer evening, surrounded by intriguing sculptures and historic buildings, you can sip a glass of sangria, whisper to your sweetheart, and appreciate the bluesy melodies of Deanna Bogart or the Latino jazz of Incendio. The Scene: Washington at its best is on display on Friday summer evenings in the National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden. Tourists, couples, families, and TGIF professionals not quite ready to make bar rounds bring their own picnics or buy items from the rather-good Pavilion Café (try the salmon flatbread sandwiches), then settle themselves on the grass or on the terrace to soak up the music of the night. Late May through mid-Sept Fri 5–8:30pm. Hot Tip: The garden’s Pavilion Café serves a special “jazz in the garden menu” that includes a picnic basket for two, including artisanal breads, sliced meats and cheeses, dips, and fruit. A full bar, sangria, wine and beer, and dessert are all available.
Liaison Sundays The Liaison Hotel, 415 New Jersey Ave. NW, Capitol Hill,
202-638-1616 (hotel), 202-487-6874 (pool party reservations) dcpoolparty.com
The Draw: Adult pool parties on hotel rooftops have caught on like wildfire in DC, but none attracts a more beautiful crowd than this Sunday lounge party that starts in the afternoon and continues ‘til 10pm. Think bottle service, bikinis, sunbathing, DJs, even a little dip in the pool. The Scene: Adult swim, indeed. Hotel guests with families in tow will have to splash elsewhere on Sunday afternoons. DC’s most gorgeous collect here in their Prada suits and logo’d sunglasses, fresh from an embassy event or a fashion show, perhaps. The men are buff, the women beautiful, and oh, don’t they know it. Late May–Labor Day weekend Sun 1–10pm. Hot Tip: For a less formal, just-as-fun daytime scene, check out the Capitol Skyline Hotel’s ultra-popular Saturday afternoon pool parties, whose DJs, live music, drink specials, and studly 20- and 30-somethings started DC’s pool party trend in the first place.
