Happy Thursday, everyone!
SporcleCon is calling all local trivia whizzes to compete for prizes at this weekend’s convention. Plus, NoMa in Color and a big hip-hop concert at Wolf Trap are some great ways to have fun outdoors.
Best Things to Do This Weekend
September 7-September 10
- NoMa in Color. The NoMa neighborhood is brightening up this weekend with the launch of its community art celebration NoMa in Color. Saturday’s kickoff event features a pavement activation from all-women mural crew Chalk Riot, a live mural painting along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, food trucks, shopping at an artisan market, and face painting. The event will continue for the next several weeks, adding self-guided art walks, pop-up performances, and dining specials to the lineup (Sat through October 19, free, NoMa).
- Cirque du Soleil Echo. Director Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar brings Cirque du Soleil’s new acrobatic show Echo to the big top in Tysons for the production’s US premiere. The poetic show backed by live vocalists and stunts takes audiences into a fantasy world that explores the bonds between humans, animals, and nature (through October 22, $39+, Tysons).
- SporcleCon. The citywide trivia convention SporcleCon returns to town with more than 50 mind-puzzling events offering competitors a chance to win more than $20,000 in prizes and donations. From trivia hunts on the National Mall and at museums, to pub trivia, stand-up comedy, and Jeopardy auditions, there’s a fun activity for anyone looking for a brain challenge this weekend (Fri-Sun, $109+, Northwest DC).
- Grease With a Side of Mumbo Sauce. This local remix of fan favorite film Grease narrates a DC story about culture, go-go beats, and mumbo sauce during the late ’80s. The flavorful adaptation by playwrights Dr. Lovail Long and Angelique Long use music and dancing to pay homage to neighborhood landmarks such as Hechinger Mall and hometown heroes like graffiti artist Disco Dan (Fri-Sun, $60+, Lincoln Theatre).
- Robert Glasper at Wolf Trap. Multi-Grammy-winning pianist and composer Robert Glasper headlines a concert at Wolf Trap to mark 50 years of hip-hop music. The commemorative evening features a lineup of special guests: Maryland rapper Cordae, Academy Award-winning rapper Common, emcee Rapsody, and more big-name artists (Sat, $34+, Vienna).
Want More Things to Do?
Budget-friendly: You can bring your puppy to a movie screening of Top Gun Maverick at Met Park (Fri, free, Arlington). Ask a NASA scientist all of your pressing space questions (Sun, free, Greenbelt).
Arts and culture: Celebrate First Amendment freedoms at a community festival featuring talks about free speech and news from TikTok influencer Vitus “V” Spehar, former NFL player Nate Boyer, and more guests (Sat, free, Wharf). A new exhibition “Disrupt and Resist” presents the works of seven contemporary disabled designers and artists (Sat, free, Arlington). Take a look at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington’s new fall exhibits during Art After Hours (Sat, free, Arlington). Attend the opening reception of “Cushner” to explore wood-cut prints and paintings at the Katzen Arts Center (opens Sat, free, Northwest DC). Join Folger Book Club in a reading of The Personal Librarian (Thurs, free, virtual). Cookbook author Adeena Sussman talks about Shabbat recipes from her latest book at Sixth & I (Thurs, $20 for in-person, $12 for virtual, Northwest DC).
Theater and shows: Laugh out loud at Town Tavern’s stand-up comedy show (every Thurs, free, but donations welcome, Adams Morgan). DC comedian and radio host Huggy Lowdown hosts a comedy special (Fri, $25+, College Park). Watch the world premiere of Married to Comics, and participate in a Q&A with filmmaker John Kinhart at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (Fri, $15, Silver Spring). DC-based comedy play Monumental Travesties opens at Atlas Performing Arts Center (Thurs through October 1, $42+, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts: Bring-your-own blanket to Jazz at Met (Thurs, free, Arlington). Or, play yard games, eat at food trucks, and groove to live bands at Rosslyn Jazz Fest (Sat, free, Arlington). Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform at Silver Spring Jazz Festival (Sat, free, Silver Spring). It’s the last call for summer series Jazz in the Parks (Sat, free, Northwest DC). Listen to bluegrass music while having a picnic at Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center (Sat, free, Silver Spring).
Exercise and wellness: Unwind with yoga at the Lincoln Memorial (Sat, $22, National Mall). This outdoor workout combines cardio and dance (Sun, free, but donations welcome, Capitol Hill). Lace up your running shoes for the Friends Collective 5K Run and Walk (Sun, $45, Rock Creek Park). Participate in Sunset Yoga at Potomac Yard (every Sun through September 24, free, Arlington). Sweat and stretch at an instructor-led boxing and yoga class at Carlyle Crossing (Sat, free, Alexandria).
Bites and beverages: Eat cotton candy and sip mocktails and craft brews at Crooked Run Fermentation for the community Fall Family Fun Day Festival (Sun, free, Sterling).
Things to do with kids: There’s Zumba and karate classes for children at the YMCA (Sat, free, Alexandria), and Family Swim Day at the pool (every Sat through September 23, free, Silver Spring). Kids can bake goods with their grandparents at Cookology Culinary School (Sat, $85, Arlington). Youngsters are invited to see a magic show by the Great Zucchini, hop around in moon bounces, and get their faces painted at Shipgarten (Sun, free, McLean). Backpack giveaways, parent resources, and games are highlights of the Back to School celebration at the Capital Market (Sun, donations welcome, Suitland).
Get involved: Party With A Purpose for autism awareness at Hard Rock Cafe (Fri, $20, Penn Quarter).
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.
