Thursday
Opening Night at the Double Exposure Film Festival
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 6:15 p.m., pay what you can
Where’d the Van Gogh go? Art heists are a hugely popular subgenre of true crime stories, so it’s no coincidence that the Double Exposure Film Festival is opening with the U.S. premiere of “The Oligarch and the Art Dealer,” a new film about a Russian billionaire and the Swiss gallerist who stashed paintings by Klimt, Chagall, Van Gogh and more in a mysterious vault on his behalf. A Q&A with director Andreas Dalsgaard and reception follows. The documentary-focused festival runs through Sunday.
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Film critic A.S. Hamrah at Lost City Books
2467 18th St. NW, 7 p.m., free
The film critic for n+1, The Baffler, The New York Review of Books and other outlets discusses his new collection, “Algorithm of the Night,” with former Washington Post pop music critic Chris Richards.
More to explore: Q Marsden’s neo-soul at Union Stage.
Friday
Punch Brothers at the Warner Theatre
513 13th St. NW, 8 p.m. $49 to $120
“Ahoy there!” Inland or not, that’s how mandolinist Chris Thile prefers to greet his audiences. The MacArthur Genius grant winner and host of the late, great public radio show “Live from Here” brings his band of bluegrassy/sea shanty/classical-ish musicians to the Warner.
Asia After Dark: Diwali Festival at the National Museum of Asian Art
1050 Independence Avenue SW, 5 to 9 p.m., free
The Smithsonian celebrates the Hindu festival of lights with an after-hours extravaganza. Food vendors and kid-focused crafts open at 5 p.m. Docent talks and tours of the museum’s collections continue throughout the evening, while music and dance performances run from 5:30 to 7:30. That’s when DJ MAIYA takes over to spin South Asian tunes, while outside, the museum is lit up in vibrant, swirling hues.
More to explore: All Hallows’ Eve Celtic concert at the Hill Center
Saturday
WNO’s “Madama Butterfly” at DAR Constitution Hall
1776 D St. NW, 7 p.m., $60 to $250
The Washington National Opera opens its first full non-Kennedy Center season with Puccini’s gut-wrenching classic about a geisha abandoned by an American sailor. For this immersive staging, the company built a custom thrust stage backed by projection screens and hung a giant cloud of cherry blossoms from Constitution Hall rafters.
An Evening with Kate Nash at Hamilton Live
600 14th St. NW, 8 p.m., $31 to $43
The Anglo-Irish indie singer-songwriter Kate Nash’s music was wildly popular in mid-aughts indie circles, but the economics of pop music have changed. The tour supporting her new album “Cailin,” is partly funded by her account on OnlyFans. “It’s literally funding my tour,” Nash told The Independent in 2024. “Shining a light on my ass is shining a light on the issue [of funding] in the music industry.”
More to explore: DC Beer Fest at Nats Park
Sunday
“On Stage: Portraying the Performing Arts” opens at the National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets NW, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., free
Increased restrictions and oversight from the Trump administration have translated into fewer major exhibits opening at federal museums. Instead, we’re seeing smaller displays drawn from permanent collections. This weekend, the National Portrait Gallery opens “Portraying the Performing Arts,” featuring 20 portraits of people who became famous on American stages, from Ginger Rogers to LL Cool J.
“Wish You Were Here” closes at Studio Theatre
1501 14th St. NW, 2 p.m., $93
The sophomore effort from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sanaz Toossi is set in 1978 Iran, where a group of girlfriends prepares for an elaborate wedding and a revolution with a mix of giddiness and trepidation.
More to explore: Pages and Purrs: Storytime with a cat rescue at Politics and Prose