Happy Monday, everyone!
Welcome back from the extended weekend. You can spend the first week of summer noshing on flavorful bites at the BBQ Food and Music Festival, or celebrating Pride at Wolf Trap. There’s indoor art fun at the Smithsonian, too.
Best Things to Do This Week
June 20-25
- BBQ Food and Music Festival. There’s grub, tunes, art, and family fun at Giant’s 31st Annual BBQ Food and Music Festival. You can graze your way down Pennsylvania Avenue tasting more than 100 food samples, witness a barbecue battle, join a hotdog eating contest, and jam to ’90s throwbacks from the Chuck Brown Band and DJ Jazzy Jeff; there’s live dance from Salay Bolivia, too (Sat-Sun, $20+, Downtown).
- Out & About Festival. Celebrate Pride Month at Wolf Trap’s debut Out & About Festival. The eclectic bill features singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, soul pop vocalist Yola, country artist Brandy Clark, classical composer Rufus Wainwright, and local favorites Bad Moves and Oh He Dead. Also, there are theater productions for children to enjoy (Sat-Sun, $75+, $12+ for children’s performances, Vienna).
- Smithsonian Solstice Saturday. Commemorate the first weekend of summer with the Smithsonian during Solstice Saturday. Several museums on the National Mall including the African American History and Culture Museum, African Art Museum, and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, will have extended hours—a few until midnight—and special programming. There’s a Glow Night Arcade Party at Arts and Industries Building, a late-night viewing of the Natural History Museum’s new “Cellphone: Unseen Connections,” and much more (Sat, free, various museums).
- “Imagining the Future” Leonardo da Vinci exhibit. See a rare display of 12 original Leonardo da Vinci drawings from the Codex Atlanticus at the DC Public Library’s new “Imagining the future – Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius” exhibition. The historic monographic expo examines technology and art accompanied by a hands-on lab for youth to learn about the groundbreaking artist (Wed through August 20, free, MLK Library).
Want More Things to Do?
Budget-friendly. Shop vintage clothes at a Y2K flea market (Sat, free, Northeast DC). There’s late-night karaoke at DC9 Nightclub (Wed, free, U Street Corridor).
Arts and culture. Explore video art and popular music in the new exhibition “Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies” (Fri through January 29, 2024, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum). Art critic Jerry Saltz discusses his book Art Is Life at the Hirshhorn (Thurs, free, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden). DC grade school students have photography on display at the Phillips Collection’s “Focal Point” (closes September 10, free, Dupont). DC collagist Paula Mans presents an exhibition on gentrification at Homme gallery (through June 30, free, by appointment only, Northwest DC). Watch the film Bridesmaids on the soccer field at Marie Reed School (Tues, free, Adams Morgan), or Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at Audi Field (Thurs, free, Southwest DC). The Inner Loop reads poetry and nonfiction at their Solstice Soiree (Tues, free, Georgia Avenue).
Community and history. Professors Jacoby Carter and Benjamin Kahan talk about Sexuality and the Harlem Renaissance at the National Portrait Gallery (Tues, free, virtual). Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman discuss modern LGBTQ+ themes in historic fairy tales (Tues, $25, virtual).
Theater and shows. The Enigmatist family-friendly show immerses audiences in cryptology and puzzles (Tues through July 2, $35+, Kennedy Center). Comedian Alison Leiby walks through surprising perspectives in Oh God, A Show About Abortion (Tues-Sat, $39+, Kennedy Center). It’s the last call to see Arena Stage’s Exclusion about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (closes Sun, $76+, Southwest DC). Also, Incendiary closes at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (closes Sun, $5+, Northwest DC). Chamber Dance Project presents ballet and poetry at Greenberg Theatre (Thurs-Sun, $110, Northwest DC). See the opening of Visionaries of the Creative Arts’ revival of A Raisin In The Sun (Wed through July 2, $40, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts. John Pizzarelli Trio plays jazz music at the Kennedy Center (Thurs, free, Kennedy Center). Singer-songwriter Saleka Shyamalan performs sultry R&B tunes at Songbyrd (Wed, $15+, Northeast DC). The Home Rule Music Festival continues with an outdoor lineup of local talent (Sat, free, Northwest DC). Post-punk band Protomartyr performs at Black Cat (Tues, $20, U Street Corridor). Nü Androids hosts DJ Baynk at Culture (Fri, $30+, Northeast DC). Pop star Bebe Rexha is live in concert at The Fillmore (Wed, $39+, Silver Spring).
Exercise and wellness. Relax at a yoga class at Carlyle House (Tues-Sat, $10, Alexandria). Bring your own skates and join a roller skating class (Tues, $12, Anacostia). Wear your favorite sports team gear and break a sweat at this boxing class (Tues, free, Columbia).
Plan ahead. The Best of Washington party is back this summer featuring food from your favorite restaurants, open bar, and live entertainment at The Anthem (July 13, $195 for general admission, $240 for VIP tickets, Wharf).
Things to do with kids. Disney’s The Lion King musical arrives in DC (Thurs through July 29, Kennedy Center). Kids can make art while adults enjoy frozen coffee at Moca on the Move at Met Park (Sun, free, Arlington). The whole family can play games, create flag banners, and enjoy story time at All Around the World at the Merriweather District (Sat, free, Columbia). Children can learn about immigrant stories at Heurich House Museum (Sat, $15, Dupont).
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.
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.
