Bastille Day. Celebrate French independence at the Bastille Day celebration at the French Embassy (Fri, $180+, Georgetown), Bastille Day at the Park (Sat, $5+, Tenleytown), or Le Diplomate’s celebration (Thurs & Sat, free, Logan Circle)—that last one comes complete with a face painter and accordion player.
- Holiday food and drinks. If you are a French-food lover, eat your way through the holiday at Bastille Day at Bistro Cacao (Thurs, $60, Stanton Park), the Bastille Day Celebration at Mr. Henry’s Restaurant (Thurs, $15, Capitol Hill), or a Bastille Day cooking concert (Thurs, $99, Arlington). You can also enjoy a drink on a Bastille Day Champagne Cruise (Thurs, $85, Fells Point), a French wine tasting (Sat, $45, Capitol Hill), or at a Bastille Day wine tasting (Thurs, $95, virtual).
- Lots of tours. You can also attend a tour of famous French-Americans (Thurs, $23, downtown) or a Tour de France Watch Party (Thurs, free, Edgewood).
Kids corner. Take your kids for a night at the museum at Smithsonian Nighttime Adventures (Fri, $70+, the National Mall) or, for daytime fun, Summer Fun at Reston Museum (Sat, free, Reston). For some educational fun, drop your kids off at mini lesson on bees (Sat, free, Georgetown), Apple Camp (Sat & Sun, free, Georgetown), a Printmaking Workshop (Sat, $16, Dupont Circle), or Introverted Kids Day (Sat, free but registration required, Anacostia).
Movies this week. Grab some snacks and head outdoors to see Calamity (Wed, free, National Arboretum), In the Heights (Thurs, free, Mosaic District), Remember the Titans (Wed, free, Van Ness), Summer of Soul (Sat, free, Arlington), Jaws (Sat, free, Capitol Hill), or The Warriors (Tues, free, downtown), all for free. If you’re looking for kid-friendly films, you can catch Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Sun, free, the National Harbor), Mulan (Fri, free, Arlington), Moana (Sat, free, Capitol Hill), or The Goonies (Wed, free, Columbia).
Find a workout buddy. Break a sweat and enjoy the weather at the Outdoor Voices yoga class (Sun, free, Georgetown), a low-impact class at Fessenden Park (Sat, $15, Tenleytown), Yoga at The Wharf classes (Tues & Sun, free, The Wharf), a social run (Tues, free, Navy Yard), a Cuban salsa class (Sat, $15, Chevy Chase), skate lessons (Tues, $10, Anacostia), or one of National Landing’s many outdoor exercise classes (Mon, Tues, Wed, Sun, free, National Landing). If you’re feeling adventurous, you can go on the Ghosts of the Potomac kayak tour (Wed, $105+, Nanjemoy), a Women’s hike at White Oak Canyon (Wed, $75+, Fairfax), a bike tour around DC (Thurs, $0+, Navy Yard), or take a rock-climbing trip to Annapolis Rocks (Fri, $140+, Bethesda).
Have a shopping day. Winter is coming early this year at the Christmas in July artisan market (Sat, free, Petworth). You can shop some more at the Caribbean clothing sale and display (Sat & Sun, free, Cardozo), the Shop with Neighbors pop-up (Sat, free, Navy Yard), the Pop-Up and Grow Market (Sat & Sun, $75+, Waldorf), or the Half Street Central Farm Market (Sat, free Navy Yard). And if you’re looking to give back, browse Ukrainian art at the Ukrainian Art Benefit Show, which opens this week (opens Thurs, free, Georgetown).
Fun and food. There are lots of fun events this week including the Spies and Spymasters Cocktail Party (Thurs, $100, c Plaza), Sommer Street pop-up (Fri, free, Petworth), El Chucho’s 10 year Anniversary Bash (Mon, $30, Columbia Heights), NaLa Fridays at the Park (Fri, free, National Landing), Bouquet building and journaling workshop (Sun, $50, Tenleytown), Hip Hop Old School Bar Crawl (Sat, $10+, multiple locations), and Brown Bag Poetry (Thurs, free with admission, Penn Quarter). You can also play a game of Drag bingo (Tues, free, NOMA), enjoy cocktails and interesting company at a launch party at ARTECHOUSE (Thurs, $15+, L’Enfant), or head to the Dragnimaged show (Fri, free, NOMA).
Learn something new. Take a look at DC-inspired art at the opening of Washington Landscapes (Thurs, free, Spring Valley), bask in the full moon with a nighttime tour of DC (Tues, $20, the National Mall), put on your detective hat and explore the city at a live action game of Clue (Sat, $20), or virtually attend 60 Years of Bond, James Bond (Thurs, free, virtual) to learn all about the popular films. You can also go on the Military, Matriarchs, and Monuments tour (Sat, $0+, the National Mall) to discover more about DC’s monuments, learn more about abortion access at the Operation Save Abortion Watch Party and Community Discussion (Sun, $15+, free for members, Cardozo), mingle with Chinese political leaders and activists at the Chinese American Convention (Thurs & Sat, $150+, Adams Morgan), or explore the lives of Japanese American soldiers during World War II (Mon, Wed, Fri, free, downtown).
For sports lovers. The Nationals are home this week, so you can catch a baseball game (Tues-Sun, $9+, Navy Yard). If you are more of a hockey fan, you can head to the Washington Capitals open house and scrimmage (Fri, free, Penn Quarter) at Capital One Arena.
Fairs and festivals. Experience live performances, eat food, drink wine, visit vendors, and more at the Fiesta Asia Street Fair (Sat, free, National Mall), Lake Arbor Jazz Festival (Sat, $60+, Mitchellville), Capital Fringe Fest (Thurs-Sun, $15+, Georgetown), the NOVEL South Capitol Block Party (Sat, free, Navy Yard), and the Purcellville Wine and Food Festival (Sat, $5+, Purcellville).
Calling all bookworms. Head to a book talk with authors such as CJ Hauser (Sat, free, Chevy Chase), Isabel Kaplan (Sat, free, Chevy Chase), Barbara Graham (Sat, free, Chevy Chase), Ginny Hogan (Fri, free, Union Market), Malcom Nance (Fri, free, Chevy Chase), Sari Horowitz (Wed, free, Chevy Chase), G. Elliot Morris (Tues, free, Chevy Chase), Jamie Susskind (Mon, free, Chevy Chase), Shelley Sackier (Tues, free, Dupont Circle), and Tom Wetzel (Fri, free, Lanier Heights).
