No plans this weekend? Here are some last-minute things to do.
Festivals and celebrations. There are plenty of fun festivities this weekend, including the National Museum of the American Indian’s Tsimshian Celebration (Sat & Sun, free, the National Mall); After Hours at the National Museum of Asian Art (Fri, free, the National Mall); the Atlas Brew Can Release Cookout (Sat, $30, Navy Yard); the First Thursday Street Festival (Thurs, free, Alexandria); Alexandria’s Birthday Celebration (Sat, free, Alexandria); and the unveiling of the new DC development City Ridge (Sat, free, Tenleytown).
Fun for all ages. If you’re looking for a kid-friendly adventure, head to Good Kid-izen, where you and your little one can join a dance party followed by salsa and Bollywood lessons (Sat, free, Columbia). Take a lesson on bats (Sat, $3+, Georgetown), or try your hand at comic book drawing at Apple Camp (Sat & Sun, free, Georgetown).
Discover DC. If you are a history buff, check out Somewhere in Time: Discovering DC History to learn how to navigate the DC public libraries’ digital collection for research (Sat, free, Mount Pleasant); take a walking tour of the Washington Navy Yard (Sat, free, Navy Yard); or explore Alexandria at the ninth annual Old Town Pub Crawl (Sat, free, Alexandria).
Head to the library. Spend the day doing fun crafts with the kids at the Southwest Neighborhood Library (Sat, free, Southwest) or take a beginners braille class (Sat, free, Downtown).
Plant Week. Learn about different types of plants, and get tips on how to purchase new ones, at the DC Plant Week Sidewalk Market (Sat, free, Dupont Circle) or the Maryland Plant Community Shindig (Sun, free, Silver Spring).
Free live music. Head to Tunes at the Triangle to hear Juliet Lloyd’s new album (Wed, free, Mount Vernon Triangle). Or, check out the performances at Glen Echo Park’s summer concert series (Thurs, free, Glen Echo); NaLa Fridays at the Park (Fri, free, Arlington); Fridays at Fort Totten (Fri, free, Brightwood Park); Concerts on the Plaza (Sat, free, Arlington); the See You at the Circle concert series (Sat, free, Dupont Circle); or Live Music Sundays at Wunder Garten (Sun, free, NoMa).
Free comedy. Hotbed, the new home of production company Underground Comedy, will host a stand-up show (Sat, free, Adams Morgan). Also check out Wonderland Ballroom (Sun, free, Columbia Heights) or the Simple Sundays Comedy Show (Sun, free, Brightwood).
Become an artist. Whether you are an artist or an art lover, you can head to the ART BUZZ: Free art showcase and sip & paint to enjoy visual art and mimosas (Sat, free, Stanton Park). You can also check out the Silver Spring Arts and Crafts Summer Fair for art vendors, craft activities, and live music (Sun, free, Silver Spring).
Get fit for free. Get some fresh air and exercise with Fitness in the Park (Sat, free, Capitol Hill); Zumba Saturday (Sat, free, Arlington); yoga classes at National Landing (Sun, free, National Landing); and yoga and a nature walk (Sun, free, Springfield).
New exhibits. There are plenty of new exhibits opening across the city this month, including A Journey Not Soon Forgotten (Sat, free, Arlington); the H2 Oh! gallery (Opens fri, free, Georgetown); a viewing of Robert Novel paintings (Sat, free, Mount Vernon Triangle); “We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection” (Free, Penn Quarter); and the Arlington Arts Center’s summer exhibitions (Sat, free, Arlington).
Calling all bookworms! For a week of good reads, head to the Carpe Librum used-book sale (Sat, free, Navy Yard) or hear talks by authors such as Rachel Gross (Fri, free, Adams Morgan); Kristian Williams (Thurs, free, Adams Morgan); Lidia Yuknavitch (Thurs, free, NOMA); Jason Kander (Thurs, free, Friendship Heights); April White (Fri, free, Friendship Heights); or David Hoffman (Sat, free, Friendship Heights). And don’t miss stylist Dave Thomas’s book launch event (Sun, free, Downtown).
