Best Things to Do in the DC Area, 4/25-5/1: C&O Canal Boats, Georgetown French Market, and a Chocolate Festival

Happy AAPI Heritage Month! 

Hello Neighbor, 

It’s hot out there!

So, What Should You Do April 25-May 1?

For your convenience, this newsletter includes emojis to help you during these unprecedented times: 

• The 🛋 indicates an event is happening in-person inside.
• The 🌲 indicates an event is happening in-person outside. 
• The 💻 indicates an event is happening virtually. 
• And lastly, the 🆓 indicates an event is free.

Top 7 Picks of the Week

1. Boating anyone?  Boats return to the C&O canal this week and tickets can be purchased here. There will be a formal celebration (Thurs, $250, 🛋, Georgetown), too, featuring cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and live music. 
2. Celebrating the African diaspora. 🌍 The National Gallery of Art will be hosting an Afro-Atlantic Histories Festival featuring  local creators, Jamaican cuisine samplings, and live music (Sat, free, 🛋, National Mall). Similarly, consider attending an open-mic sponsored by the National Museum of African Art, “Africa Out Loud” (Sat, free, 🛋, Brookland), or learn how art responds and shapes the narratives wrought by the transatlantic slave trade (Tues, free, 💻).
3. A chocolate celebration. 🍫 Indulge in samplings and chocolate education at the 5th DC Chocolate Festival (Sat, $20, 🛋, Glover Park).
4. Galas everywhere. 💎 The White House Correspondents Dinner is this week! Also, the Phillips Collection is hosting its Centennial Gala with tickets available to its black-tie after party (Fri, $200+, 🛋, National Cathedral).
5. Stock up on plants. 🌱 Featuring annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees, the U.S. National Arboretum will be hosting its annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale. Besides plants there will also be food trucks at the event too (Sat, $, 🌲, National Arboretum).
6. Holi DC. The Festival of Colors takes place this weekend at Bull Run Regional Park (Sun, $10, 🌲, Centerville).
7. Enjoy French-inspired open-air markets. Explore the annual Georgetown French Market, featuring more than 25 local antique stores, restaurants, and more. There will be macarons, a caricature artist, and live music (Fri-Sun, free, 🌲, Georgetown).

 Everything Else This Week

• A city of foodies. 🍝 Party at a natural wine party (Fri $95, 🛋, Park View) or indulge in a cocktail tasting inspired by the book “Why Fish Don’t Exist” (Sat, $55, 🛋, 14th St.). Head to the Line Hotel for a collaborative pizza party with No Goodbye’s and Andy’s Pizza (Sat, free, 🛋, Adams Morgan). Take cooking classes: Spring Ravioli Workshop (Thurs, $25+, 🛋, Shaw), Brazilian Moqueca (Fish Stew) (Tues, $70, 🛋, Capitol Hill), or Empanadas (Sun, $25, 💻). Join a linguist in understanding how we talk about food (Wed, free, 💻).  
• Mother’s Day market. 💖 Capitol Cider House is hosting an Artisan Market (Sun, free, 🌲, Georgia Ave.).
• Street art party. 🖼 Co-sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum and at Dupont Underground, the Calle Libre DC Street Art Festival is hosting a closing reception (Fri free, 🛋, Dupont Circle).
• Politico-like events. 📖 How was Berlin the capital of spies (Wed, free, 💻)? How does Putin speak (Mon, $13, 🛋, Dupont Circle)? Maybe watch a Congressional Soccer Match (Wed, free, 🌲, Navy Yard)?
• Climate change. 🌏 Common Good City Farm is hosting a screening of the documentary “Breaking Boundaries,” uncovering the science of our planet. The evening also includes a mixer and discussion (Sat, $15, 🌲, Shaw).
• Dirty Dancing.🕺 Actress Jennifer Grey wrote a memoir (Sun, $22, 🛋, Chinatown).
• Making of the Capitol. 🏛 Learn how the use of free Black and enslaved labor (Fri, free, 🛋, National Mall) was used in the building of the Smithsonian Castle, the United States Capitol, the White House, and Georgetown University. There will be a Smithsonian castle (Sun, free, 🛋, National Mall) cornerstone laying reenactment. DC Library will be hosting a workshop to help users uncover their DC history resources such as nineteenth century newspapers, Dig DC, or Ancestry (Wed, free, 🛋, Mt. Pleasant).
• Meet and greet. The women’s history-focused A Tour Of Her Own (Wed, $10, 🌲, Capitol Hill) will be hosting a meetup discussing the  life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune. 

Your Neighbor,

Jade (@clockoutdc)

Jade Womack

Jade Womack is an energy economist by day, and an events blogger by night. She started her blog, Clockout DC, when she was moonlighting as a bartender in 2019. She grew up in Arlington, and currently lives in Adams Morgan with her dog.