Hey everyone! This week’s EXTRA LONG, Labor Day edition BEST WEEKEND BETS is, as always, hand selected from BYT ALL CITY and carefully calibrated for maximum fun and minimum stress, and will be punctuated with inspirational cautionary images of Tracy Flick from ELECTION, on account of this being a back-to-school pool party week and such.

FIRST: A couple of PSA’s before we start

• Help us out with our FALL GUIDES, please.
• UPCOMING BYT EVENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: This Saturday: THE LAST SUMMER CAMP of the year is on Saturday, September 3rd (BACK-TO-SCHOOL themed). NEXT THURSDAY: we’re hosting the official Fashion’s Night Out lounge in Georgetown. Featuring goodies from Saint-Germaine and Gilt City, music by Broads, touch-ups by NEKTAR Skin bar and more. SEPTEMBER 16TH: Our Embassy of Spain YES! event is already sold out and Underground Rebel Bingo time is rapidly approaching on SEPTEMBER 19TH.
• AS ALWAYS:  STYLE events here in just a bit, we talk about food a lot here, all the movies worth seeing are dutifully reviewed here and the gay Best Weekend Bets are coming right up.

THURSDAY

• HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER!
• Everyone’s been talking about Art after Dark @ Art Museum of the Americas this week, so no wonder e-tickets are sold out, but a limited amount of them are still available at the door ($30, cash only) before 9pm, so plan accordingly.
• If you want to make it an art(full) day into evening, we suggest you stop by Corcoran for the opening of TRANSFORMER’s 10 year celebration show at 6pm
• Later on, the cool quotient over @ Velvet Lounge is pretty out of control with White Life, Squeeze and Gavin Holland all holding court. We have the full preview here.
• and for those into pageantry, the hurricane delayed Summer Games hosted by Sharon Van Riggins are are @ Meridian Hill Park
• + other stuff

FRIDAY

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLACK CAT! You’re legal now.
• right after work: check out the always free and fun Portraits After 5 program or grab your second-to-last chance to see and hear Jazz in the Sculpture Garden this summer.
• Photo and film fans should head over to the ART BEHIND ART opening @ Blank Space which sees the hard work of our area’s independent film crews and stars get the art gallery treatment in this one week only exhibition featuring behind the scenes and still photography from local film productions
• LSO in full swing is this summer’s SHAKESPEARE FREE FOR ALL SERIES, so go here to see how you can score your “Julius Ceasar” tickets in a timely fashion
• plus: War on Drugs is @ Red Palace
• or if you wanna lay low, peruse our FILM reviews where we pass firm but fair judgement on everything from “The Debt” to “Our Idiot Brother” to “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy” which opens today.
• + other stuff

SATURDAY

• As mentioned a bajillion times before, the last pool party of this summer is HERE, it is BACK-TO-SCHOOL themed, DJ DREDD and EXACTLY are in charge of entertaining you, there is a free burger with entry, a ping pong tournament, a random noah’s ark moon bounce (really?) and other stuff. Noon to 8pm. Capitol Skyline. Watch our back-to-school movie marathon the night before to get ready.
• as other daytime activities go: today is your LAST CHANCE for a FREE CORCORAN Saturday or to check out the LEGO EXHIBIT @ National Building Museum
• at night: Volta Bureau (aka Will Eastman, Micah Vellian and Outputmessage, so you know it will be good) releases their debut record @ U Street Music Hall, with Gui Borato
• HR (of Bad Brains) does a rare acoustic performance @  The Fridge
• there is a double feature of spooky movies @ Artisphere, which looks fun
• and there is a plethora of solid gold dance nights: MASS APPEAL @ RNR Hotel, Big Bad City @ Velvet Lounge and Moon/Bounce Affair @ Black Cat
• STEVIE NICKS IS IN TOWN
• + other stuff

SUNDAY

• during daytime: check out some free movies @ National Gallery of Art or enjoy some house music on the rooftop of TABAQ
• missed Chuck Brown’s birthday @ 930 CLUB last week? Well, there is a free show on the National Mall to further celebrate the man and everything he stands for.
• something called Moombacon is happening @ RNR Hotel and it features pretty much every DJ in the DC/MD area coming together to destroy your labor day soul (in a good way)
• + other stuff

MONDAY

• HUNGOVER? check out our BILB (burger I’d like to bang) column for adequate alchohol soaking up options
• missed your chance to score tickets to the sold out BRIGHT EYES show on Sunday? They’re @ Ram’s head tonight and tix are still available
• Weepies swing by 930 club for a rare acoustic evening
• and you should sit down and preserve your energy a little since next week brings: Active Child, Twin Shadow, Fashion’s Night out, Peter Bjorn and John, The National AND SO MUCH MORE that you’ll want to go to.
• + other stuff

REMEMBER: THERE IS A BAJILLION OTHER THINGS TO DO LISTED IN BYT ALL CITY, so use it (to both post your events and search for them) and if you think we may have missed something, comment away, you know you want to.