Happy weekend, everyone!
We hope the air clears up so you can enjoy the weekend’s fun outdoor music shows. If you prefer to stay inside, you can visit the new Capital Jewish Museum, or get tickets to Hadestown the musical.
Best Things to Do This Weekend
June 8-11
- Capital Jewish Museum opening. Get a first look at DC’s newest cultural attraction: the Capital Jewish Museum. Guests are invited to learn about the region’s Jewish history while walking through exhibits that highlight Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a synagogue from 1876, and social justice. You can join the pre-opening bash for music and dancing (museum opens Fri, free, $54 for opening bash on Thurs, NoMa).
- “Hadestown” the musical. Go down to Hadestown this weekend at the National Theatre. The haunting love story of mythical characters Orpheus and Eurydice are portrayed on an imaginative stage backed by creative lighting, a live music ensemble, and gifted vocalists (through June 18, $45+, National Theatre).
- Capital Pride Concert. Capital Pride weekend wraps up with a major concert featuring an array of artists and musical acts across three stages. You can see the top performances on the main stage on Pennsylvania Avenue at 3rd St, NW. The concert headliners include Broadway star Idina Menzel, pop singer Hayley Kiyoko, and drag queen Monét X Change (Sun, free, $55+ for VIP and Pit passes, Downtown). (As we wrote about earlier this week, the weekend also includes Saturday’s Capital Pride Parade and Sunday’s Pride Festival.)
- Woodmoorstock. Grassroots music festival Woodmoorstock returns to Silver Spring this weekend for a celebration of the area’s musical talent. This year’s event showcases 55 bands on 11 neighborhood stages including driveways and porches. The outdoor show is a fun way to hear blues, rock, pop, and reggae (Sat, free, Silver Spring).
- Tinner Hill Heritage Music Festival. Here’s a family-friendly event to recognize Black Music Month: The 29th Annual Tinner Hill Heritage Music Festival honors the African American legacy of the Tinner Hill neighborhood. The historic fundraising gathering at Cherry Hill Park features live bands including Dumpstaphunk and Rocknoceros, historic exhibits, face painting and puppy petting for kids, yoga, food, and more (Sat, $30+ for general admission, *free for children under 11, Falls Church).
Want More Things to Do?
Budget-friendly. Learn how to ride a bike at Anacostia Park (Sat, $10, Anacostia). Eat brunch outdoors at City Market at O’s Pride block party (Sat, free, Northwest DC).
Arts and culture. Watch Mission Impossible at Franklin Park with live music (Thurs, free, Downtown). Or, view Ford v Ferrari on Transit Pier (Thurs, free, Wharf). [EDITOR’S NOTE: AFTER THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED, THE WHARF CANCELLED THE FORD V FERRARI SCREENING DUE TO AIR QUALITY.] Music selector Dee Clark is showing off a ’90s vinyl record collection at Stable Arts (Fri, donations welcome, Northeast DC). Visit Dupont Underground to view “The Ground We Stand On: Past and Present DC LGBTQ Change makers” art exhibit (Sat, free, Dupont). Explore Black culture in the new Frank Stewart photo retrospective at the Phillips Collection (Sat through September 3, $16, Dupont). Try out the pottery wheel with the family at Spring Art Fest (Sun, donations welcome, Hyattsville).
Community and history. Digitize your prized possessions while helping to preserve Queer history (Sat, free, Mount Pleasant). Attend a Pride Shabbat featuring music and dinner at Sixth and I (Fri, $18+ for dinner, free for virtual service, Northwest DC). The entire family can enjoy food and live entertainment at Marshall Heights Day (Sat, free, Southeast DC). Sit in on a conversation at Metrobar about the back stories of DC’s War Memorials (Sun, $14, Northeast DC). Watch a youth parade and listen to drag queen story time at Takoma Pride Day (Sun, free, Takoma Park).
Theater and shows. The new British comedy One Jewish Boy premieres at Theater J (through July 2, $45, Logan Circle). Bloombars is showing a stage play about Art (Fri through June 24, $20, Columbia Heights). Don’t miss the Washington Ballet’s live choreography at City Center (Thurs-Sat, free, Downtown). It’s the last call to see coming-of-age play The Humours of Bandon (closes Sun, $45, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts. Latin music star Ricardo Arjona is live in concert (Fri, $58+, Capital One Arena). The DC Different Drummers Jazz Band is playing at Yards Park (Thurs, free, Navy Yard). See the the Duke Ellington Orchestra in concert at the Smithsonian (Sat, $25, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History). Boogie and groove with DJ Laura Lopez at No Kisses bar (Fri, free, Northwest DC). Take a swing dance lesson with Gottaswing (Fri, free, Wharf). Alternative Latino group Las Cafeteras will kick off Amped in the Park (Thurs, free, Columbia). Todd Brooks and Pour Decisions are Rockin at the Ridge (Fri, free, Northwest DC). Jam to a lineup of local talent at the Summer Circle (Sat, $10+, College Park). Soul singer Ms. Lauryn Hill performs at Wolf Trap (Fri, $52+, Vienna).
Bites and beverages. Experience a drag brunch with Shi Queeta Lee at the Hamilton Live (Sun, $65, Penn Quarter). Delight in lawn games, live music, and a ton of food at the NC Seafood Festival (Sat, $15+, Capitol Hill).
Sports. Watch the French Open at the Ridge Club (Sun, free, Northwest DC).
Things to do with kids. Youngsters can tour The Farm at Halley Rise, decorate kites, and participate in a scavenger hunt (Sat, free, Reston). Attend a summer pool party at Color Burst Park (Sat, free, Columbia). Children can make crafts at this pet-friendly park event (Sat, free, Tysons).
Get involved. Run with the DC Front Runners in their annual Pride 5k; proceeds benefit local LGBTQ and disenfranchised youth organizations (Fri, $45, virtual). Help weed and water George Washington University’s Grow Garden to support Miriam’s Kitchen (Sat, suggested $20 donation, 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 Tinner Hill Heritage Music Festival as free for all ages, 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.
