Our Comedy Show & Community Drive is back for the holidays! Catch amazing stand-up for free by bringing two donations instead of a ticket. Tickets and additional details HERE!

Canned Comedy is back for another night of laughs, treats, and holiday delight. Catch a fabulous night of local stand-up which giving back to the community too: instead of selling tickets, we ask that you bring two donations to support the Father McKenna Center, our partner for this event.

In addition to non-perishable donations we were collecting last month, this month, we are also taking winter accessories: specifically things like hats, scarves, and gloves. We will also be hosting a Christmas cookie/treat potluck before the show, so come enjoy a free snack while you're at it!

The potluck will run from 7-8 pm and we will have the show right after! See you at the show!

Come out and enjoy a Night of Comedy with Josh Fadem on Tuesday December 9. Doors at 6:30 and show starts at 7. Get your tickets HERE!

Josh Fadem is an actor, comedian, and voice artist originally from Tulsa, OK.  He has numerous television credits including recurring roles on TWIN PEAKS for David Lynch, AMC’s BETTER CALL SAUL as "Camera Guy", FX’s RESERVATION DOGS, Showtime’s ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA starring Kirsten Dunst, and as Liz Lemon’s agent "Simon" on 30 ROCK. Other credits include Disney +'s LOKI, FX's IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and Comedy Central's RENO 911 and ANOTHER PERIOD. Josh can be seen in FX's new Sterlin Harjo series THE LOWDOWN starring Ethan Hawke and Dan Levy’s upcoming Netflix series BIG MISTAKES.

Josh has been named a “Comic to Watch” by Variety, Nylon Magazine, Comedy Central, New York Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, and Playboy Magazine. He has performed at Montreal's Just for Laughs, Austin's Moontower Comedy Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and SXSW, and Tulsa's Blue Whale Comedy Festival. Josh's work as a voice artist includes AMERICAN DAD, POWERPUFF GIRLS, ADVENTURE TIME and JEFF AND SOME ALIENS. As a writer, Josh wrote for the Emmy nominated ERIC ANDRE SHOW and has written for Funny or Die.  Josh hosts a form-bending video podcast show called "Here Come the Details" which can be streamed and heard on Spotify and Youtube.

Desiree Dik Presents Slay Them! Come watch 6 acts compete for the ultimate Slay Them Crown! ROUND 3 is Friday December 5 @ 8PM! We will have extended hours and will be open until 11PM. Come judge the queens and have some fun. We are a 5 minute walk from the Rhode Island metro on the red line, have free parking, and ADA entrance. NO COVER!

Performers 

Donnicka R Alexander

Jazz What

Manny Quinn

Anya

Miss Gorgeous Michael

Miss Robinette

Beat the post-holiday blues with a bit of live music here at City-State! Jazz artist Christian Balmer will be in the Taproom from 8-10pm for a free show! Bring your friends, have a few beers, and enjoy the good beats!

Come enjoy some free live music at City-State! Yessah! is a Hawaiian Reggae Band from Maui based in DMV providing Reggae/RnB/Country Vibes all day and night! All ages welcome.

City-State Presents: EVERY GNAR!

Free live music on November 21 8PM-10PM. No Cover!

Excited for our STACKED lineup of comics at the first Canned Comedy show and food drive! The show is free to enter with two non-perishable food donations for @thefathermckennacenter 🥫We will even have a potluck beforehand that you can join in or contribute to! Sign up HERE!

Our AMAZING comedians: 🎤

@bahlyathe3rd

@backstav_

@emfiske

@jake_my_day

@jennyandthelibrarians

@margaretkorinek

@saracracksup

@thatsswethas

@tomphamcomedy

@little_lord_sillyboy

@angelpenncomedy

@dilan_comedy

@arzoodoescomedy

@daisy_the.comic

Potluck from 6:30 pm onwards at @citystatedc 🥘 The show starts at 7:30 pm. You can reserve a free ticket on Eventbrite. Please note, if you choose not donate two items, we ask that you pay $10 at the door instead. 

Not sure what to give? Have no fear! These items were specifically requested for their pantry: vegetable/olive oil, peaches, peanut butter, rice, corn, pasta, pineapple, cereal, green beans, and tuna! Other canned fruits/vegetables/protein are also welcome!

City State Presents Desiree Dik’s Slay Them Drag Show! Come watch 6 acts compete for the ultimate Slay Them Crown! ROUND 2 is Friday November 14 @ 8PM! We will have extended hours and will be open until 11PM. Come judge the queens and have some fun. We are a 5 minute walk from the Rhode Island metro on the red line, have free parking, and ADA entrance. NO COVER!

Join us tonight for a live performance by Yellow Velvet! Listen to some smooth jazz and enjoy craft beer, cocktails, or mocktails. This is a free event for all ages.

Kick off holiday season with us at this inclusive, beginner-friendly pottery workshop! Learn to make handmade holiday gifts or home décor from clay—no experience needed! Sign up HERE!

You’ll learn pinch pot and coil techniques with step-by-step guidance from our expert instructor. Expect a chill, joy-filled evening of creativity, clay, and a little friendly competition (yes, there’s optional pottery trivia with prizes!).

You'll leave with 1-3 sculpted pieces made entirely by you to enjoy or to gift!

Each ticket includes:

- Hands-On Instruction: A relaxed, hands-on pottery workshop guided by an experienced host. Workshop length ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on the theme

- Pottery 101: 2 hours of hands-on pottery fun, learning pinch pots, coils, and how to turn them into amazing creations likw plant pots, vases, or custom planter pals!

- Materials: All clay, tools, and materials are provided at the workshop

- Take Home: Make and take home up to 3 pieces of cute (and maybe a bit wonky) pottery

- No Kiln Needed: Option to air dry and paint your pieces at home for decorative pieces (white paint + paintbrush included)

- Good vibes & a fun time with nice humans

This is the perfect way to spend a couple of hours with friends or make new ones, all while creating something you can actually use.

Sign up now, and make memories - and pottery - that’ll last a lifetime!  Sign up HERE!

Free: City-State Presents: The Boy-Chiks and Knobl Kishkes: Your Friendly Neighborhood Anti-Fascist Klezmer Show. Show starts at 7PM on Friday November 7.

Navigator Bear North

City-State and Red Bear Brewing are working together to make and sell more beer along Metropolitan Branch--and Beer!--Trail.

Both companies were built to brew for a DC wholesale market that has never recovered from the pandemic. Together they can achieve the right scale for businesses supported almost entirely by customers coming in the door.

Many of those customers come on the Red Line and from the Metropolitan Branch Trail. And a healthy number of those are using the Metropolitan Beer Trail app, an initiative of NoMA BID. The MBeerT has helped bring Red Bear and City-State together.

Red Bear is brewing four City-State favorites--Air & Space Modern West Coast IPA, Lost Laws Pilsner, Navigator Red Ale, and Torn Mag Black Lager--all exclusively for City-State's taproom.

Navigator will be on tap by the end of October, with the others soon to follow. City-State will pour Red Bear beers on an ongoing basis.

The companies will celebrate on Nov. 1 with Navigator Bear Northeast, a launch party at City-State with live jazz, free tastes, special merch deals, and Hawai'ian-Filipino food from Kam & 46.

We are BACK for our second Love Letters to DC event on 10/26. Join us for another afternoon of crafting, craft beers, and celebration of what makes DC special.

Due to generosity of others and true collectivism from the last event we have plenty of art paint, canvasses, brushes, and more. The event is free and open to all ages!

Because nothing says sapphic romance like locking eyes over a red solo cup 💕🏓... join capital sapphics and @beerpongspeeddating for our first edition of queer pong at @citystatedc! space is limited, snag your tix HERE!

Laid back community jam sesh! Bring your instrument and join a long or come in and enjoy the music!

Spooky spirits got you down? Join us on October 19th for a day of bewitching brews, crafts galore and some one on one time with our resident witch!

Our incredible vendors include :
@craftycolanah
@r.b.artcollectables
@yoniseye
@kurohtak1
@razorback.chainmail
@airitree

We’re also excited to host @dcmothernurture, our resident multidisciplinary healer specializing in oracle readings and more! The witch is in for all your queries!

10% of all bar sales go towards @flwoltersgroup, a Black and woman owned psyschotherapy and wellness practice striving to make therapy cost-accessible

Zoo Animal Productions is excited to host their very first artist meet-up at City-State. Find your people at this free networking and social event. No matter what your medium or how experienced you are, come out and meet the amazing creatives behind making DC the wonderful and beautiful city it is! Reserve here!

JOIN US FOR THE WWPH LITERARY SALON: WRITERS & BREWS EDITION!! Tickets are limited, buy HERE

The Washington Writers’ Publishing House (WWPH), the longest continuously operating nonprofit cooperative literary press in the United States, announces its WWPH Literary Salons: America’s Future Edition—a series of free, public literary gatherings taking place across Washington, DC, along with literary events for America’s Future across the DMV. Designed to uplift community voices and celebrate the power of literature, these salons will feature creative writing workshops, author readings, and panel discussions exploring the strength of writing to shape tomorrow.

The fall WWPH Literary Salons are inspired by the forthcoming anthology AMERICA’S FUTURE: poetry & prose in response to tomorrow, edited by Caroline Bock and Jona Colson, which launches on September 9 and includes work from 164 writers from across the DMV and beyond. These literary salons reflect the anthology’s spirit, offering space for questions, hope, and creative reinvention.

What is a WWPH Literary Salon?
WWPH Literary Salons are dynamic three-hour gatherings that center the act of writing, sharing, and community dialogue. Each salon includes:
● 2–3 short creative writing workshops led by published authors
● A break with time for refreshments and informal networking/book sales
● Readings by award-winning local writers associated with WWPH/often open mic for participants
● A Q&A and/or panel with WWPH writers and editors on craft, publishing, and the writer’s life

All events are free and open to the public, with a strong focus on engaging students and local creatives. This year’s series aims to bring the literary arts directly into the heart of the community—across bookstores, libraries, and schools—with special attention to emerging voices.

MORE DETAILS ON WWPH and EVENTS HERE

The Great Zucchini is performing at City-State Public House on October 11 at 11AM. The event is free to all who come. The Great Zucchini has been a staple in the DC area for over 25 years doing 800 shows a year geared for ages 2-6. 

Five different magazines in the DMV have declared his show the best in the beltway, having performed for 3 presidential administrations, 11 embassies, The Dc improv, the 9 30 club, sells out theaters all over and he’s bringing his belly laughing show right here.  Don’t miss the fun!

• 📅 When: October 10th

• 🍺 Where: City-State Public House

• ❓ What: Trivia Night — questions spanning pop culture, local history, sports, music, and more

• 🎯 Why: Proceeds from team entry fees benefit Project Transformation DC’s summer reading programs for children in DC

• $20 suggested donation for teams

Beyond excited to announce Love Letters to DC! Bring your paintbrushes and join us at with ZAP Productions fo an afternoon of crafting. The inspiration? Art about our wonderful city! Your contributions will be combined into an upcoming display to make sure ALL our voices are heard (very exciting details tbd). We will also be having know your rights information available on site! Come for the art, stay for the knowledge.

Mark your calendars.