The Eat Good Food Group, behind Restaurant Eve and Virtue Feed and Grain, opened Society Fair, a combination market and wine bar in Alexandria, in January. The venue houses a demonstration kitchen that can be used for groups of 10, and the bar can host cocktail classes, sommelier-led tastings, and other food-centric events up to 12 at a time. The wine bar can seat 80 or host 200 for receptions.
The minds behind ArtJamz, the pop-up, painting-focused event series, opened ArtJamz Dupont Studio in March just off Dupont Circle. The 700-square-foot studio has two separate spaces that can accommodate 30 people throughout. The space comes complete with a multipurpose license for entertainment and event catering and can be booked for the company’s signature painting sessions or other events.
Daily deals Web site LivingSocial opened its first event venue, 918 F Street, in February. The 28,000-square-foot building has been refurbished with new, modern walls and an open design for its latest usage. The company will host a variety of different activities, like dance and yoga classes, cooking demonstrations, chef-hosted dinners, and mixology lessons for 25 to as many as 140 people in its seven-level space managed by international hospitality consulting firm Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group. For culinary enthusiasts, the demonstration kitchen can accommodate 36 people and is equipped with live, automated video feeds of the hosting chef. Group tickets are available, though quantities vary per event. 918 F Street is currently not available for private event rental.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum will debut its "Art of Video Games" exhibit on March 16 showcasing the entertainment medium’s 40-year history. The interactive displays include 80 games on various consoles that visitors can play. The museum has five event spaces, including the 28,000-square-foot Kogod Courtyard, that can host seated events for 40 to 850 or receptions of as many as 1,200 people.
Over in Penn Quarter, Clyde's Restaurant Group opened The Hamilton, a 37,000-square-foot dining and entertainment venue, in January. The bilevel space has five dining areas on street level for as many as 400 people as well as a 17,000-square-foot performance space in the basement known as Live, which hosts music and entertainment performances three nights a week. During the day or on non-concert nights, groups as large as 400—or 250 for seated events—can book the venue complete with a 30-foot stage and sound equipment for karaoke sing-offs or other team activities.
