Making Your Own Fun on White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend

It’s time once again for worlds to collide — that extra special lost weekend during which visiting celebs and local reporters kick POTUS to the curb and get hammered together for days on end: the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

It’s just a party. The Republic will endure. #WHCD

— Alexandra Romero (@AlexaMRomero) April 20, 2015

Those not planning to rack up monumental Uber tabs in the pursuit of party hopping — the schmoozing begins in earnest late Thursday and powers through until Sunday afternoon — might be interested to know there’s more to life than stalking model Chrissy Teigen for a selfie (she’s one of Thomson Reuters’ dinner guests).

And unlike those poor souls destined to be crammed into the bowels of the Washington Hilton for most of Saturday evening, you might just learn a thing or two (and maybe even do some good) by getting out and about.

Saturday

Support Capitalism

Catch a free ride over to the 12 th Annual Georgetown French Market on the DC Circulator. (Take that, Uber!)

The sidewalk-shopping bonanza promises deep discounts from participating vendors, live music throughout the day (jazz and gypsy swing bands are scheduled to play from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and tasty nibbles — think: sweet and savory crepes, grilled Merguez sausages and gourmet macarons — supplied by Gallic restaurants.

Book Hill neighborhood, Georgetown; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free admission.

Exercise Your Vote

Play food critic by weighing on the mobile kitchens scheduled to compete in the Taste of Three Cities Food Truck Fest . The regional taste around is expected to welcome dozens of contenders — including BONMi, DC Slices, BBQ Bus, Midnite Confections Cupcakery, Captain Cookie &amp; The Milk Man, Rocksalt, Sang On Wheels, Red Hook Lobster Pound and others — for an afternoon of feasting and evaluating.

The top performer is projected to face off against winning food trucks from Baltimore and Philadelphia on June 6 for the title of Taste of Three Cities Triple Crown and a $2,500 grand prize.

1005 First St. NE; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (VIP access), noon to 9 p.m. (general admission); tickets start at $15, with proceeds expected to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen.

Broaden Your Horizons

Allow the Washington City Paper to show you a side of Hot Chocolate City you might not have seen before by participating in Hunt DC 2015 .

The smartphone-enabled scavenger hunt plans to put teams (two person minimum) through the wringer by running folks all over town and hitting them with brain teasers. Participants are expected to solve puzzles, check in at different locations and snap group photos along the way in order to claim the top prizes ($500 to first place team, $500 for most spirited participants).

Feel more like just hanging? Stick to the lawn games (cornhole, etc.) and stake out the after-party presented by Bud Light.

399 M St. SW; 11:30 a.m. to ???; $49 general admission, $59 on-the-spot registration

Soak In Suburbia

No reason the glitterati should be the only ones to get totally blotto. Hike out to Shirlington and suck down the best some 30-odd breweries have to offer at Capitol City Brewing Company’s 2nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Spring Beer Festival .

4001 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.; noon to 7 p.m.; free admission, $30 to get wasted (four ounces at a time).

Beat Cancer

Help dispatch multiple myeloma cancer by partaking in Crawfish for Cancer’s 3 rd Annual DC Crawfish Boil .

(Screenshot)

Event organizers, who’ve taken up residence this year at Bardo, are promising an open bar (beer, wine, liquor), live music (musical acts include: Turtle Recall, Ted Garber, and Fast Eddie and The Slowpokes) and “hundreds of pounds of crawfish.” Signature cocktails featuring Firefly Sweet Tea vodka are also on the table.

Those who buy their tickets ahead of time will be privy to a pre-party Friday night at Mission (1606 20 th St. NW). An after-party is scheduled at Mason Inn (2408 Wisconsin Ave. NW); expect discounted beer, rail drinks and shots.

1200 Bladensburg Road NE; noon to 5 p.m.; $80 advance purchase, $90 at the door.

Sunday

Still got some fight left in ya? Well then prepare for a deep dive into #ThisTown.

Open Your Eyes

Allow WHCD alumnus cum documentary filmmaker Patrick Gavin to take you behind the scenes of the city’s annual descent into madness by peeping his new flick, “Nerd Prom: Inside Washington’s Wild Week.”

555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; 2:30 p.m. to ???; screening and Q&amp;A with Gavin are included in price of admission to the museum ($22.95 per person). Seating is first-come, first-served.

Listen Up

The Poynter Institute invites armchair pundits to pick the brain of CNBC chief Washington correspondent John Harwood during an intimate discussion, “ A Look Inside Washington Politics ”

There will be food and drink, some heady discussion and, one would hope, the opportunity to hobnob with a seasoned White House reporter. Because that never gets old, right Chrissy?