March Madness gets underway at 12:15 p.m., and once your bracket’s finished, it’s time to start planning where you’re “working from home” while following your picks. Here are some ideas for where to watch:
Bluejacket has only four TVs behind the bar, but the Navy Yard brewery is offering the most unusual special we’ve seen: Every time a lower seed beats a higher seed, everyone seated in the bar area receives a free half pint of beer. Doesn’t matter if it’s the first round or the final. Deals, including $15 combos with a beer and burger or fried chicken sandwich, are also available. Highline RXR in Crystal City is running its own Elite 8 Beer Bracket with beers from eight regional breweries, including DC Brau, Bear Chase and Dogfish Head. Beers are priced at $6.50, and each order counts as a “point,” so overall sales will determine the winner of each “round.” Feel like you know whether folks will prefer Brau’s Joint Resolution over Solace’s Suns Out, Hops Out? Make your own bracket picks to win a $200 gift card and other prizes.
Walters has been a fixture across from Nationals Park for years, and it has all the screens you need for the first weekend, including a video wall. Both buckets of beers and buckets of wings are $25 during games. As an added bonus, you can make table reservations, beginning at 11 a.m. Sports & Social on U Street touts its 25-foot “media wall” that’s capable of showing multiple games, and the curved booths in front of it are great for groups. It also has TVs behind the bar and spread around the room. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. the first two days of the tournament, with $3 domestic beer bottles until 7 p.m., and $20 buckets of five beers during games.
Mission’s Navy Yard location opens at 11:30 a.m. with specials including $5.50 Bud Light pints, $9 orange crushes, themed shot deals and $10 select food items at its four bars. Franklin Hall opens half an hour before the first games, with specials including $4 pints and $14 pitchers of Miller Lite and $30 buckets of cans from Kona, Topo Chico and Golden Road. Whitlow’s opens at noon Thursday and Friday, with $25 buckets of Coors Light, Miller Lite and Nutrl seltzer until 10 p.m.
In case you’re wondering where the top seeds are gathering: U-Conn alumni gather at Colony Grill in Arlington, Mission Dupont is a Houston bar, the Bottom Line is the destination for Purdue alumni, and North Carolina fans head to Exiles and Tom’s Watch Bar.
Environmental Film Festival
More than 60 films will be on view in locations all over the city during this year’s Environmental Film Festival, where you can learn about everything from fungi to the wilds of Mongolia. Smithsonian museums, embassies, universities, libraries, AFI Silver Theatre, the Naval Heritage Center, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Museum of Women in the Arts will all host screenings, many of which are free. The films are devoted to topics like conservation, climate change and environmental justice. This year’s award winners include an exploration about the world of moths called “The Night Visitors” and “We Are Guardians,” a documentary about Indigenous people who risk their lives to protect the Brazilian Amazon from deforestation. Through March 30. Various times and locations. Free to $25.
José Andrés and Friends at Lincoln Theatre
Celebrity chef José Andrés is celebrating the launch of his new cookbook, “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes From Greece, Turkey and Lebanon,” with a hodgepodge performance that includes interviews, cooking and live music. He’s joined by “The View” co-host Ana Navarro and Greek food writer Aglaia Kremezi for a live recording of his podcast, where he’ll discuss food stories and Mediterranean favorites. Copies of the book will be available for purchase but not included in the ticket price. 8 p.m. $45.
‘Women in Craft Beverage’ panel at Other Half Brewing
Nine women who work in the craft beer and spirits industry — as founders of breweries and distilleries, owners of bottle shops, bartenders and brewery quality directors, and consultants and historians — team up for a panel discussion at Other Half Brewing in Ivy City. If you’re curious about working in the field, or just want to know more about what’s in your glass at a favorite bar, this should be an interesting look at life behind the scenes. Tickets include two slices of Andy’s Pizza, two draft beers from Other Half and a cocktail made with Lyon Rum from St. Michaels. (Lyon president and founder Jaime Windon is one of the panelists.) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $38.
Silver Branch Fifth Anniversary Party
The oldest brewery in Silver Spring marks five years in business with three days of specials. Celebrations kick off Thursday with Tap Talk, featuring co-founder Christian Layke and label artist Chris Bonnell sharing stories about Silver Branch’s evolution and beers. The $50 tickets include a pour of the new barrel-aged Belgian Single Ale, a flight of Belgian beers and a taco bar. On Friday and Saturday, there are all-day food and drink specials, including Belgian flights. Through Saturday. No cover charge on Friday and Saturday.
‘A2B: Slum Village’ at the Eaton
Slum Village’s 2000 album “Fantastic, Vol. 2” made waves in the underground hip-hop world, even though bootlegs with early versions of the tracks had been floating around for years. J Dilla’s production, previous showcased on songs for Common and Q-Tip, grabbed attention far outside the trio’s Detroit home; a Post review at the time praised his “unique brand of funk lite: airy chords, bubbly bass lines and muddy kicks defined mostly by a vague thumplike feeling in your stomach.” Detroit native and journalist Kaya Freeman and Matt Talley of Cool Kids Vinyl play favorite cuts and discuss “Fantastic, Vol. 2” and the group’s impact during an evening talk at the Eaton hotel as part of its A2B listening party series. 8 p.m. Free.