Happy Monday, DC!
Close out May at a new Smithsonian exhibit, or Jazz in the Garden. Then, kick off June with outdoor Pride events and dance parties.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
May 28-June 2
- Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival. Start Pride Month at the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival. The all-day affair welcomes spectators to a lively street parade with floats, marchers, and tunes followed by a family-friendly music festival. This year’s *performance lineup features Christian Siriano, L. Rodgers, and Queen Jalah Nicole (Sat, free, Annapolis).
- Jazz in the Garden. DC’s popular jazz fest returns this weekend with a fresh lineup of live music. Visit the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden on Fridays throughout the summer to experience jazz, Latin fusion, and zydeco concerts. The outdoor jam sessions are known to fill up fast so be sure to snag tickets the week before each concert when the lottery opens (every Fri through August 9, except July 5, free, but tickets distributed through a lottery, National Gallery of Art).
- “Reclaiming My Time” exhibit at NMAAHC. See seating, lighting, photography, and graphic designs made by contemporary Black designers at the National Museum of African American History and Culture ’s new exhibition. “Reclaiming My Time” features 15 objects that explore the themes of rest and restoration. This exhibit is the first in The Rhimes Family Foundation Galleries to be devoted to contemporary Black designers (opens Fri, free, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
- Arlington Pride Block Party. Show your Pride enthusiasm at Water Park. The Arlington Pride Kick-Off Block Party celebrates the culture, history, and diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community with games, live music, shopping, karaoke, and more fun (Sat, free, Arlington).
- Capital Pride Honors. The Capital Pride Alliance’s lineup of celebrations kicks off this week at MGM National Harbor with the annual Capital Pride Honors awards night. Attendees can enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, dancing, and games as the community comes together to honor individuals who support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s event is emceed by WUSA9’s Lorenzo Hall (Fri, $49+, National Harbor).
- Fiesta Asia. Passport DC festivities close out this weekend with a rescheduled Fiesta Asia. The celebration of pan-Asian heritage will include over 1,000 performers, food vendors, and artisans, plus kid-friendly activities, a talent competition, street dancing, and a colorful parade. The fair has been a popular tribute to Asian culture since 2006 (Sat, free, Downtown).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- “Motown DC” exhibit celebrates Black Music Month at Anacostia Arts Center (closes July 7, free, Anacostia).
- Architect Marlon Blackwell discusses how he creates building and places, at the National Building Museum (Wed, $15, Penn Quarter).
- The “Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women” exhibit features 33 pieces of fiber handicrafts at the Smithsonian (opens Fri, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
- Build a terrarium and make a candle at PlantHouse (Sat, $25, Alexandria).
- Meet artist Wayne Hollowell at Dirty Habit for brunch and art in celebration of Pride (Sat, free, Penn Quarter).
- Compare historical texts and ledger books with more than 50 contemporary works in the new exhibit “Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains” (opens Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).
Community and heritage:
- Compete in a game of trivia to celebrate the final week of AANHPI Heritage Month (Tues, free, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
- Family-friendly activities, cultural performances, and more fun are highlights of Asia On the Creek (Sat, free, Frederick).
- Shop a vendor market, dance to live music, and take your youngsters to the Kids Zone during Cleveland Park Day (Sun, free, Cleveland Park).
Exercise and wellness:
- Break a sweat at Met Park’s sunrise group workout (Wed, free, Arlington).
- Relax and stretch at historic River Farm (Sat, $20 donation suggested, Alexandria).
- Race bikes in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic (Sat, $105, Arlington).
- This peaceful yoga class concludes with a dance party (Sat, $25+, Kennedy Center).
Theater and shows:
- DanceAfrica DC is back with two days of cultural performance indoors and outdoors at Dance Place (Fri-Sat, free+, Northeast DC).
- The Pride Kickoff Ball showcases burlesque and drag (Sat, $10+, Truxton Circle).
- Topdog/Underdog follows the journey of two brothers bound by family and destiny at Round House Theatre (Wed through June 30, $46+, Bethesda).
Music and concerts:
- Rock the Dock concert series returns to the Wharf this week. The first show features soul trio Pink PaLish (Wed, free, Wharf).
- Noseda conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in a rendition of Mahler’s Seventh Symphony (Thurs-Sat, $15+, Kennedy Center).
- Indie-pop artist Kacy Hill sings at Songbyrd (Wed, $20+, Northeast DC).
- Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra are live in concert at Lincoln Theatre (Thurs, $75+, U Street Corridor).
- Party to Taylor Swift’s greatest hits at Shake It Off in Gaithersburg (Fri, free, Gaithersburg).
- Guitarist Yamandu Costa plays Brazilian music at Miracle Theater (Fri, $50, Eastern Market).
- Reggae Fest DC returns to Howard Theatre (Sat, $20+, U Street Corridor).
- Tap into your inner superstar at the Wharf’s karaoke night with 24K Event Band on the Transit Pier floating stage (Sat, free, Wharf).
- Orchestral, choral, gospel and soul choral music are explored in The Gathering concert (Sat, $45+, Kennedy Center).
- R&B singer Eric Bellinger, and go-go groups DCvybe and Be’la Dona share the SummerFest performance lineup (Sun, $51+, Tysons).
- Come dressed in rodeo attire for a Beyoncé-themed Block Party at The Bullpen (Sun, $10+, Navy Yard).
Bites and beverages:
- Sandlot Georgetown is hosting a food truck event featuring music, and bites from Black-owned eateries (every Fri through September, free, Georgetown).
- Sip pours of beer and cider at Takoma Trukgarten (Sat, $30+, Silver Spring).
Get involved:
- Real Housewives of Potomac stars Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant are hosting a wellness and fitness event to support the National Brain Tumor Society (Sat, $25, Union Market).
Things to do with kids:
- Watch an outdoor screening of Toy Story 2 with the family (Thurs, free, Wharf).
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 the wrong performer. 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.
