41 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week: Ireland at the Wharf, “Company” Musical, and Artomatic

Happy Monday, DC!

St. Patrick’s Day week has arrived. Show off your luck at the Wharf’s waterfront party, or head to Annapolis for a shamrock parade. Also, Artomatic recently set up shop Downtown, and there’s a new tiki-bar boat cruise coming to the Potomac River.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

March 11-March 17

1. Ireland at the Wharf. Ireland at the Wharf is back for another giant St. Patrick’s Day party. All ages are invited to the waterfront to indulge in all things Irish. Festival-goers can experience live performances by the lasses and lads of Virginia-based Boyle School of Irish Dance, Baltimore’s Poehemia, and a blend of hits from The 19th Street Band. Also, there are drink specials at area bars, and a showing of the Ireland vs. Scotland Six Nations Rugby match on the big screen at Transit Pier (Sat, free, Wharf).
2. “Company” musical. The gender-switched version of Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical finally arrives in DC, with the main character dude Bobby transformed into a woman named Bobbie. Fans of the original production will enjoy hearing classic songs such as “Barcelona” and “Being Alive” as Bobbie navigates life as a 35-year-old single woman (Tues through March 31, $45+, Kennedy Center).
3. Artomatic. After a long hiatus, Artomatic returns to DC for seven weeks of art-related events and installations. The former Urban Institute headquarters has been transformed into a 300,000-square-foot interactive creative exhibit packed with performances, dancers, artist meet-and-greets, poetry workshops, drawing sessions, film talks, dance parties, visual works, and much more (through April 28, free, Downtown).
4. St. Patrick’s Day in Annapolis. St. Patrick’s Day in Annapolis is one of the area’s biggest four-leaf-clover-themed events. The two-day cultural festival features a free parade down West and Main streets to the City Dock complete with marching bands, Irish ensembles, floats, and civic groups. Plus, the Maryland gathering hosts Shamrock the Dock music festival, which will highlight local and international Irish dance troupes and pipe bands bands across two stages (Sat-Sun, $30 for festival, free for parade, Annapolis).
5. “Power & Light” exhibit at National Archives. Never-before exhibited prints from the National Archives negatives come to light in the opening of a new exhibition. “Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey” uses more than 200 images to tell the story of coal laborers during a nationwide survey conducted in 1946. Spectators will see striking large-scale prints, projections, and digital installations that document miners and their families (opens Sat, free, National Archives).
6. “At the Wedding” play. In the latest work from Brooklyn playwright Bryna Turner, a woman named Carlo crashes her ex-lover’s wedding. The Studio Theatre rendition narrates Carlo’s comedic troubled journey through love and prenuptial drama (opens Wed, $35+, Logan Circle).
7. Whitlow’s on Water. Local bar Whitlow’s is inviting neighbors to take a ride on their new 48-passenger tiki boat cruise. The *Sea Suite Cruises has collaborated with Whitlow’s to create a one-of-a-kind party cruise experience featuring televisions and an open-air bar. Guests are welcome aboard Whitlow’s on Water to sail across the Potomac River while listening to music and sipping summery drinks from an onsite bartender. The boat is available for private and individual charters (opens Sat, $29+, Georgetown, Navy Yard). (Here’s more of a preview.)

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• Observe photographs from “Recapturing Happiness” at the Japan Information & Culture Center during their extended gallery hours (Mon, free, Northwest DC).
• Attend a lunchtime talk with curator Alden O’Brien to learn about the DAR Museum’s textile collections (Tues, free, Downtown).
• Learn about soil care, plant health, and other gardening know-how at a self-care workshop (Tues, $25, Dupont).
• Sweet treats are a part of this Bold Fork Books cookbook discussion (Tues, $8+, Mount Pleasant).
• Immigrant Food hosts a fireside chat with author and mental health advocate Dimple Dhabalia (Wed, $10, Downtown).
• Fans of Survivor can attend a lively watch party at Duke’s Grocery (Wed, $30+, Navy Yard).
• This National Gallery Nights after-hours jamboree is all about color theory (Thurs, free, but limited tickets available at the door, National Gallery of Art).
• “Change YOUR Game”  is a family-friendly interactive exhibition that connects sports with technology (opens Fri, free, Smithsonian National Museum of American History).
• “Imagined Neighbors” is a new painting and calligraphy exhibition that shows the connection between 19th century Japanese artists and China (opens Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
• A new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art features 160 abstract textile works, from basketry to knitting to knotting (Sun through July 28, free, National Gallery of Art).

Community and heritage:

• Art historian Judy Scott Feldman teaches Tudor Place visitors about the history of the National Mall (Tues, free, Georgetown).
• Sit in on a panel discussion about women in business in commemoration of Women’s History Month at La Cosecha; there will be cocktails, too (Wed, $30, Union Market).
• Requiem for the Enslaved is a musical tribute to enslaved people (Thurs, $15+, Kennedy Center).
• Dacha’s St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt will feature holiday-themed games such as crossword puzzles and a scavenger hunt for local landmarks, for a chance to win prizes  (Sat, free, Navy Yard).

Theater and shows:

• It’s the last chance to see the comedic Broadway musical The Book of Mormon at the National Theatre (closes Sun, $89+, Downtown).
• Have an evening with actor William H. Macy followed by a screening of Fargo (Thurs, $36+, Warner Theatre).
• Classic sci-fi thriller Little Shop of Horrors arrives at Ford’s Theatre (Fri-May 18, $71+, Penn Quarter).

Music and concerts:

• Kennedy Center audiences can expect to hear classic symphonies from Mozart at the Rotterdam Philharmonic concert (Mon, $35+, Kennedy Center).
• Sleater-Kinney reemerges with new music at The Anthem (Tues, $45+, Wharf).
• Celtic band Tartan Terrors plays folk tunes at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center (Tues, $25, Rockville).
• Hip-hop star Offset raps his latest lyrics at Fillmore Silver Spring (Tues, $75+, Silver Spring).
• Clementine Creevy brings her Touch of Chaos Tour to Union Stage (Tues, $45+, Wharf).
• Listen to the folk and punk sounds of solo artist Laura Jane Grace (Tues, $29, Howard Theatre).
• Indie-rock artist Mary Timony performs at Black Cat (Thurs, $20+, Shaw).
• The National Symphony Orchestra is honoring DC jazz icon Duke Ellington (Fri-Sat, $29+, Kennedy Center).
• Rapper Danny Brown rhymes his latest tracks at Howard Theatre (Fri, $27+, Shaw).
• Dance the night away at the Pink Tie Party to help raise funds for the Cherry Blossom Festival (Fri, $250, Union Station).
• Electronic group Thievery Corporation performs two sold-out shows this weekend at the 9:30 Club (Sat, $76+, sold out, but resale tickets available, U Street Corridor).
• VA Irish Fest is a one-day showcase featuring on-site vendors, traditional Irish dance performances, and multiple music sets (Sat, $15+, Ashburn).

Get involved:

• Spur Local and District Bridges team up for a wine tasting paired with community-driven conversation. Sip a beverage from Sonny’s Pizza menu, and chat with neighbors; a portion of the proceeds help support District Bridges (Tues, $30, Georgia Avenue).

Things to do with kids:

• GALA Hispanic Theatre presents the bilingual, family-friendly, music-filled play Quijote y Sancho Panza, nuevas andanzas (Sat, March 23, $12 for adults, $10 for children, Columbia Heights).
• Your kids can create St. Paddy’s Day crafts from home at Arise Academy Camp’s virtual party (Sat, free, virtual).

Sports:

• Kick off March Madness with the CAA women’s and men’s championships at Entertainment & Sports Arena (through Sun, $17+, Congress Heights).
• Cheer on your favorite ACC basketball team at the conference tournament this week (Tues-Sat, $5+, Capital One Arena).

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 as a Potomac Paddle Club collaboration with Sea Suite Cruises, but Sea Suite Cruises is the parent company of Potomac Paddle Club. We regret the error.

Briana Thomas

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.