It's that time of the year again, when the White House Correspondents Association dinner hubbub takes over the city (and the Washington Hilton on Saturday night), and pre and post events fight for the spotlight (and the best guest list).

The three largest after-parties on Saturday night—hosted by Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, and Capitol File—may be the weekend's most coveted tickets, but the festivities kick off Friday night with People magazine’s party at Park at Fourteenth. That same night, up on Massachusetts Avenue, Atlantic Media will host a private dinner for 75 at chairman David Bradley’s home, where sponsor General Motors will be parking a few new hybrids. One cutesy detail: Caterer Susan Gage and The Atlantic food critic Corby Kummer have created a menu dubbed No State Left Behind, featuring food from left-out Democratic primary states Florida and Michigan.

Politico, Viacom, and Paramount are also holding court on Friday, screening Martin Scorsese’s new Rolling Stones documentary, Shine a Light, at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association Theater.

Saturday begins with a tented power brunch at the home of Newsweek producer and Haddad Media president Tammy Haddad (co-hosted by BizBash C.E.O. David Adler). By 6 p.m., the Hilton will open its doors for predinner cocktail parties sponsored by multiple news outlets. Thomson Reuters will mark its recent merger by dressing its space in its new corporate colors of white and orange and featuring politico-inspired drinks, including the Barack O'Bomber (made with Red Bull, vodka, and Jägermeister). Atlantic Media will once again take over the coveted poolside gazebos for some 600 to 700 guests, with a white-on-white tented lounge space provided by British Airways—complete with flight attendants.

After the dinner, Bloomberg will again head to the Costa Rican embassy, with Vanity Fair also following last year's model and setting up an intimate gathering at columnist Christopher Hitchens’s house. Capitol File's soiree, on the other hand, is in a new space (the Newseum) and is being hosted by the dinner's official entertainer, Craig Ferguson, along with actress Rosario Dawson.

The McLaughlin Group's John McLaughlin will wrap up the weekend with his annual Sunday brunch at the Hay-Adams rooftop.