Happy weekend, everyone!
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all weekend-long around town, or snap Instagram-worthy photos at the area’s latest sweet-tooth experience.
Best Things to Do This Weekend
- Candytopia. It’s time to make your sweet escape to Candytopia. The immersive family-friendly sweets-inspired wonderland takes visitors on a sensory journey through 14 different interactive environments, including a candy art gallery, a marshmallow pit, and a room with confetti-farting pigs. Guests can take Instagram-worthy photos and snack on treats, too (opens Fri, $30, $23 for children 4 to 12, free for children under 3, Tysons).
- “Jagged Little Pill” the musical. The Broadway original musical Jagged Little Pill by Diablo Cody arrives in DC at the National Theatre. The production tells the moving and healing story of a perfectly imperfect American family struggling with addiction and mental health, and features compositions from singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette (through March 26, $65, Northwest DC).
- “Pour, Tear, Carve” exhibit. The Phillips Collection’s latest exhibition, “Pour, Tear, Carve,” spotlights more than 65 works in a visual showcase of artists using paint, wood, paper, plastic, steel, bones, dirt, and other materials to construct art (Sat through May 14, $16, free for those 18 and under, Northwest DC).
- St. Pawtrick’s Day. Your furry friends can tag along with you at Barkhaus’ St. Pawtrick’s Day party. The festivities will include a photo booth, free Irish swag, drink specials for humans, and green “puppuccinos” and an off-leash indoor and outdoor park for doggies to enjoy (Fri, free, Alexandria).
Want More Things to Do?
Budget-friendly. You’re invited to The Art League of Germantown’s 40th anniversary celebration and exhibition; meet the artists and browse wall art and fine arts (Sat, free, Germantown). Shop gently used books, CDs, vinyl, and more at the Capital Book Fest pop-up (Thurs, free, Downtown). The DC Record Fair is back at Eaton DC (Sun, free, Downtown).
Arts and culture. Celebrate Nepenthe Gallery’s one-year anniversary with art, wine, and cheese (Thurs, free, Alexandria). Watch short films about nature and conservation at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival (Thurs, $30, Capitol Hill). The Environmental Film Festival opens this weekend (Thurs through March 26, free, $60 all-access pass, virtual, various locations). Watch a screening of Prey about the Comanche Nation and chat with the actor Amber Midthunder and the producer Jhane Myers (Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian). Explore 20-years worth of concert poster designs at the “Let It Bleed” exhibition (through April 9, free, Mount Pleasant). Attend the opening reception of “Prints and Works on Paper” at Hemphill to observe the themes of activism and art (Sat through May 6, free, Northwest DC). Read a collection of books and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community at this library pop-up (Sat, free, Reston). Browse a collection of modern and contemporary works at the new exhibition “The Interior Life: Recent Acquisitions” (Fri through September 10, free, National Gallery of Art). Attend the opening reception of “Woman of Color” at Art of Noize featuring the paintings of Greta Chapin-McGill (Sat, free, Northwest DC).
History and community. Discover the history of Japanese cherry trees in America at the U.S. National Arboretum (Sat, $20, Northeast DC). Learn about civic engagement and advocacy at the mayor office’s Women’s Policy Bootcamp (Sat, free, George Washington University). Local Black women barbers tell their stories at this Dap Project event (Thurs, free, Congress Heights). Blacks in Wax celebrates Black history at their 16th annual showcase (Sat, free, Kennedy Center).
Theater and shows. There’s still time to learn about Tulsa’s Black Wall Street at Arena Stage’s The High Ground (through April 2, $72+, Southwest DC). Or, see the life of feminist Gloria Steinem portrayed on stage at Theater J’s Gloria: A Life (through April 2, $65, Northwest DC). Eat brunch at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema during a special movie screening of the comedy Booksmart (Sun, $11, Arlington, Northeast DC). Laugh at dating jokes and a murder mystery improv at the DC Arts Center’s comedy night (Thurs, $15, Northwest DC).
Music and concerts. Washington Performing Arts presents pianist and composer Chad Lawson with violinist Judy Kang and cellist Seth Parker Woods at Sixth and I (Sat, *$40, Chinatown). Enjoy a blend of poetry and music performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Cathedral Choral Society at the Washington National Cathedral (Sun, free virtual ticket, $30, Northwest DC). Listen to bluegrass music played by The Dirty Grass Players at this St. Patrick’s Day bash (Fri, $17+, Wharf). The Washington Bach Consort performs a seasonal classic: Handel’s “Messiah” (Sun, $25+, Bethesda). Join this BIPOC Emo jam party (Fri, $10+, Southeast DC).
Bites and beverages. Get into the cherry blossom spirit with food, cocktails, and a runway show by Absolutely Dragulous at the Pink Tie Party (Thurs, $225, Northwest DC). There’s a buffet station and a live DJ at Clarendon Ballroom’s Irish Madness Fest (Fri-Sat, free entry, Arlington). Chow down at Bollywood Bistro’s Holi Festival Celebration; there will be music and colorful smoke bombs (Sun, $39, Fairfax).
Sports. The Harlem Globetrotters bring their theatrical basketball show to EagleBank Arena (Fri-Sat, $25, Fairfax).
Game night. Play golf at DC’s newest Swingers location (every Tues-Sun, $24, Navy Yard). Or, play mini-golf on the 11th floor of the Capital One Center at Perch Putt (opens Fri, $15, Tysons).
Things to do with kids. The lottery for the White House Easter Egg Roll opens this weekend (Thurs through March 23, free, virtual registration). A book about a cadaver lab adventure comes to life on stage in The Mortification of Fovea Munson musical (Sat-Sun, $20, Kennedy Center).
Get involved. Have a Saint Patrick’s Day party at Whitlow’s DC for a good cause; there will be games, giveaways, and bottomless beverages. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to My Sister’s Place (Sat, $45, Northwest DC).
If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign-up for our newsletter for more things to do.
*An earlier version of this post listed this event price as free, but it is not. We regret the error.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
