Happy Juneteenth!
Juneteenth AND Father’s Day are coming up on Sunday, with Black Lives Matter block parties, the Something in the Water Music Festival, restaurant deals and so much more. It’s another busy week in the District.
Our Top 5 Things to Do This Week
1. Celebrate Juneteenth. Sunday is Juneteenth and there are so many ways to celebrate including block parties on Black Lives Matter Plaza (Sun, free, Downtown) and in Anacostia (Sun, free, Anacostia), a Black business expo (Sat, free, indoors, Silver Spring), a fine arts show (Sat, $30+, indoors, Mt. Vernon Square), a bar crawl (Sat, $10+, Cardozo), a pop-up shop (Sun, free, outdoors, Anacostia), and a Black-owned marketplace (Sat, $5+, indoors, Brentwood).
- Educate yourself. Check out new exhibits at Artechouse (Until Sept, $17+, Downtown), the African Art Museum (Thurs, free, African Art Museum), the Museum of the American Indian (Opens Wed, free, virtual) and the National Archives (Sat.-Mon, Downtown). The National Museum of African American History and Culture is also hosting a Junteenth panel (Wed, free but registration required, indoors in-person and virtual, Downtown) and documentary screening (Fri, free but registration required, Downtown).
- Enjoy live performances from Black artists. Head to Pharrell Williams’s Something in the Water festival (Fri-Sun, $400+, The National Mall) or attend a show at The Kennedy Center (Tues-Sun, $29+, Foggy Bottom), Wolf Trap (Sun, $27+, Vienna), The Shakespeare Theater Company (Opens Thurs, $49+, Penn Quarter), Capitol Cider House (Sat, free, Petworth), BusBoys and Poets (Sun, $25, Columbia) or Union Stage (Sun, $35+, The Wharf).
- Taste foods from Black culture. Try the special Juneteenth menu at Sweet Home Cafe at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Fri-Mon, prices vary, Downtown) or learn about crops of the African diaspora at the Washington Youth Garden (Sun, free, National Arboretum).
- Hear from Black authors. Attend readings and book signings from authors such as Nicole A. Taylor (Mon, free but registration required, Downtown), Celeste Mohammed (Mon, free, Downtown), Taylor Johnson (Wed, free but registration required, Adams Morgan), Ibram X Kendi (Mon, $18+, Chevy Chase), and Jordan Calhoun (Sat, free, Chevy Chase).
2. Dad day! Father’s Day is also this Sunday, so make sure to treat your dad by taking him out for a drink, getting him a gift, enjoying brunch or even attending the Father’s Day Cultural Festival and Bazaar, where he can enjoy performances, poetry, and special promotions (Fri-Sun, $20+, indoors, Silver Spring).
- Kick back and enjoy a drink. Tell a cheesy dad joke and get a free beer at Atlas Ivy City Brewery & Tap Room (Sun, free, Navy Yard) or Boundary Stone (Sun, free, Eckington). Guinness Open Gate Brewery will also be serving up speciality beers and their Father’s Day release, Rice Lager (Sun, $55+, Baltimore), or you can pamper your pops at Hook Hall’s Dad’s Night (Fri, $59, Park View).
- Father’s Day nosh. Juniper Restaurant will be roasting an entire pig to celebrate dad’s day (Sun, $19 for children, $42 for adults, West End). You can also try Dolce Vita’s modern-Mediterranean brunch with three courses (Sun, $55, Logan Circle), an all-you-can-eat pig roast at Fair Winds Brewing Company (Sun, starting at $15, Newington), or a three-course pre-fixe Indian brunch menu at Karma Modern Indian (Sun, $55 for kids, $75 for adults, Chinatown).
- To lighten the mood. Laugh your head off and celebrate dad with the Daddy Issues comedy series (Fri-Sun, $20+, Adams Morgan).
3. Break a sweat. Join The Sweet Ride (Sat, $15+, Alexandria), tour the waters of Occoquan (Sat, $66, Woodbridge), or attend a fitness (Mon, free, The National Harbor), Zumba (Mon, free, The National Harbor), or yoga class (Mon, free, The National Harbor).
4. Learn something new. Travel to Ancient Egypt with the National Geographic Museum’s immersive King Tut experience (Starts Fri, $16+, Downtown), enjoy the Dumbarton House after hours at Howlin’ Happy Hour (Wed, suggested $5 donation, indoors, Kalorama), or celebrate Judy Garland’s life and career during her 100th birthday celebration (Thurs, $30+, virtual).
5. See a show in the summer air. Jam out with the David Thong Band (Wed, free, The Wharf), Train (Wed, $12+,Bristow), Sheryl Crow (Thurs, $49+,Vienna), Japanese Breakfast (Wed, $40+,Vienna), or Tears for Fears (Sun, $22+, Columbia).
What Else Sounds Fun This Week
- Enjoy urban nature. Witness gardens in their peak season at the Philadelphia Flower Show (Tues, $155+), cruise the Potomac while enjoying margaritas and a Caribbean ambiance (Sat, $32+, Georgetown), or get into the summer spirit with a bonfire and hayride (Sat, $32+, Gaithersburg).
- More outdoor movies. Kick off the Wharf’s Sunset Cinema Series with Black Panther (Thurs, free, The Wharf). You can also see Bill and Ted Face the Music (Thurs, free, Farragut Square), Fatherhood (Thurs, The National Mall), Keanu (Tues, free, Adams Morgan), F9: The Fast Saga (Tues, free, Downtown), The Terminal (Tues, free, The National Harbor), and Mamma Mia! (Thurs, free, Mosaic District).
- Tasty tour. Explore chocolates of the world with a Chocolate tour of Embassy Row (Sun, $32+, Dupont Circle).
- Give back. Help clear out the Potomac at the National Harbor River Clean Up (Sat, The National Harbor) or donate blood at the Bloodmobile (Sun, Mosaic District).
- Get crafty for Pride. Make a pride-inspired cross stitch (Sun, $40, indoors, Georgetown/Union Market) or create a pride print and enjoy craft beers at the Big Gay Printing Class (Thurs, $30+, indoors, Takoma).
- From farm to your table. Find a summer farmers’ market including ones at Mosaic (Thurs/Sun, Mosaic District), Dupont Circle (Sun, Dupont Circle), 14&U (Sat, Adams Morgan), Capital Harvest on The Plaza (Fri, The National Mall), Bloomingdale (Sun, Bloomingdale) and Columbia Heights (Wed, Columbia Heights).
