Yup, it’s that time of the year again and Folsom Street Fair will be upon us faster than you can say, “Slap my hiney, honey!!”

D.C. VegFest is a free, day-long outdoor festival at the GWU University yard featuring speakers, food and fashion venders, nonprofits, and cooking demonstrations by locally and nationally renowned vegan chefs.

The inaugural production of Forum Theatre’s eighth season is Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest, which debuts this weekend.

Join Food & Friends, along with host committee members, Patricia Hawkins and Rod Mercer, for a free book signing and discussion by John-Manuel Andriote, author of Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Beat City is a queer lounge night featuring pure, real Rock and Roll in a queer environment. Everything from Alice In Chains to ZZ Top. We’ll also feature queer rock artists such as The Gossip, Joan Jett, Magnetic Fields, Judas Priest, Faith No More, Bloc Party, Le Tigre, The Buzzcocks and more.

We hope you’ve all had a great summer and made some great memories.

Not to be confused with the HRC (you’ll get nothing but ugly looks if you bring it up), the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission promotes, like its name implies, the rights of LGBTI and HIV+ people around the world. This Thursday, they’re doing their part to promote a positive LGBTI community here in the city by hosting a benefit cocktail party at Madiba Restuarant in Fort Greene. Unlike that other HRC, there are no big-money ticket prices or black tie requirements. Instead, they’re offering free admission, drink specials, a raffle, and complimentary hors d’oevres, and only asking for as much support as you can offer in return. Help the world with a drink in my hand? Why, I couldn’t ask for more.

Hope Chest, a special event featuring artwork by DC/Baltimore artists Mariah Anne Johnson, Becca Kallem, Chandi Kelley, Michelle McAuliffe, Erin Murray, Elle Perez, Katherine Sifers, and Dafna Steinberg, is hosting an opening reception on Thursday.

Ah, The Bay Area’s late summers. Prolonged sunshine and warmth.

I know where the summer goes, and it’s away, sadly, as it’s demonstrating now. Going, but not gone yet, though, as the boys at Spank are preparing to celebrate this weekend with TWO boat parties. For everyone’s sake, I’ll eschew the obvious SNL reference and assume that it goes with out saying how awesome a boat party can be (but if it doesn’t, I just said it, so there). To quote the Spank hosts themselves, “Nothing makes New York glow like a view from the harbor on this clipper ship.” Friday night is the Viking boat party, and Saturday night is the Yacht boat party. Each boasts a solid roster of DJs, hosts, and special guests, who I’m sure will uphold Spank’s unfailingly consistent record for recruiting excellent party people. The two-and-a-half hour cruise, on either night, will run you only $25, which is a great way to splurge some end-of-summer dough before you hunker down to work and store up for winter. So, by all means, head out to the harbor this weekend and rage, rage against the dying of the light. But gets your tickets soon, because the boat’s limited to only so much space (a metaphor, perhaps?).