Happy Valentine’s week, DC!
Share the love with your boo or your besties this week at a Valentine’s dinner or show. There’s also the return of fun annual events such as Alexandria’s George Washington Birthday Parade and the DC Independent Film Forum.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
February 10–February 17
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- George Washington Birthday Parade. Spend Presidents’ Day weekend in Old Town to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The annual George Washington Birthday Parade is the oldest in America, and this year’s theme celebrates our first president as “America’s Commander-in-Chief.” The parade will feature drummers and other musicians, color guards, and more. There are also a number of historic sites and museums open on the holiday for exploring (Sat, free, Alexandria).
- DC Independent Film Forum. Binge-watch more than 60 feature films, documentaries, shorts, local productions, and animated films at the 26th annual DC Independent Film Forum. The multi-day event includes Valentine’s Day animation screenings and workshops, a Q&A with filmmakers, and a showing of the local film Diminished Returns: The Black Wealth Gap in Washington, D.C. (Wed-Feb. 17, $45+ for passes, various DC theaters).
- Cupid’s Undie Run. The one-of-a-kind charity exercise is back this weekend: Cupid’s Undie Run. Runners, walkers, and dancers can register to party in their underwear for a good cause. The amusing Cupid’s run kicks off with a jamboree at Union Stage, followed by a mile-long jog to help raise funds for those affected by the genetic disorder Neurofibromatoses, and a finale dance party (Sat, $45+, Wharf).
- In the Heights musical. Signature Theatre takes on an upbeat production of In the Heights—a Tony award-winning musical on culture and gentrification (Tues through May 4, $40+, Arlington).
- Bartees Strange concert. DC’s own multi-talented musician and producer Bartees Strange celebrates Valentine’s weekend at 9:30 Club with a new record called Horror (Sat, $25, Shaw).
- Wordplay Wednesday: Valentine’s Edition. Take your sweetheart to an after-hours Wordplay soirée packed with puzzles, games, Immigrant Food sips, and tasty treats by Windows Catering at Planet Word (Wed, $5+, Downtown).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Watch shorts and documentaries at the inaugural Visions of Freedom: A Black Film Festival at Howard University (Tues-Fri, free for Howard students and staff, $20 for all-access pass, virtual, Howard University).
- Enjoy drag performances with your gals at Lyle’s pre-Valentine’s DJ dinner (Thurs, free entry, Dupont Circle).
- Attend a book signing with the authors of Radical Paper, Lynn Sures and Michelle Samour, at Phillips Collection (Fri, $20, Dupont).
- Create your own cacao-inspired codex, and learn about the history of chocolate (Sat, free, Smithsonian American Indian Museum).
- A new exhibition at National Building Museum, “South Forty,” examines contemporary architecture and design in the South (opens Sat, $10, Penn Quarter).
- Sip rosé and play music bingo at Lulu’s Winegarden (Sun, free, U Street Corridor).
Community and heritage:
- Ahead of World Pride, join a conversation with past Capital Pride Alliance honorees (Wed, free, but registration required, virtual).
- The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices return to the Lyceum for another uplifting traditional Black History Month concert featuring storytelling, spirituals, dance, and a cappella music (Sun, free, Alexandria).
- Commemorate George Washington’s Birthday at the first president’s historic estate with free admission (February 17, free, Mount Vernon).
Theater and shows:
- The novel Crime and Punishment is brought to life on stage by the American Ballet Theatre (Wed-Sun, $50+, Kennedy Center).
- Have you ever watched a theater production inside of a record store? Here’s your chance: Bob Bartlett’s “Love and Vinyl” premieres at Byrdland Records this week (Thurs through March 9, $35, Union Market).
- Comedian and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell is sure to have audiences laughing at the Kennedy Center (Thurs, $35+, Kennedy Center).
- Take your Valentine to Je’Caryous Johnson’s Games Women Play (Thurs, $44+, National Theatre).
- Busboys and Poets is hosting a Black love and history edition of the comedy series Seven Black Minutes (Fri, $15, Anacostia).
- Don’t miss the US premiere of playwright John Kani’s Kunene and The King (Sun through March 16, $39+, Penn Quarter).
- Get tickets to Step Afrika!’s high-energy step show (Sun, $39+, Warner Theatre).
Music and concerts:
- The National Symphony Orchestra plays Mozart and Beethoven hymns at Mount Vernon (Tues, $68+, Mount Vernon).
- Guitarist Mdou Moctar plays moving acoustics at The Birchmere (Tues, $35, Alexandria).
- Belarusian post-punk trio Molchat Doma performs live at the Anthem (Tues, $35+, Wharf).
- Mesmerizing pop vocalist Cody Fry performs with some of his musician friends at the Kennedy Center (Tues-Wed, $39+, Kennedy Center).
- Listen to the Peabody Institute’s Songs From Inside concert—a collection of narrations from prisoners (Wed-Thurs, free, virtual, Baltimore, Penn Quarter).
- Experience For the Love of Go-Go with go-go veterans Backyard Band and Black Alley (Fri, $34+, Kennedy Center).
- R&B singers Joe, Musiq Soulchild, and Eric Benét perform a soulful concert (Sat, $135+, Downtown).
- You can spend Valentine’s Day weekend with R&B stars Trey Songz and Tamar Braxton (Sun, $59+, Congress Heights).
- See five orchestras in one night at the the Kennedy Center (February 17, free with ticket, Kennedy Center).
- Indie duo Toro y Moi & Panda Bear are live at 9:30 Club (February 17, $46, Shaw).
Bites and beverages:
- Celebrate friendship and love with cozy drinks and live music at 600 T (Tues, $25, Shaw).
- Toast to love with rosé and raspberries while taking in the elevated ambiance of the Waldorf Astoria’s Peacock Alley (Wed, $90, Downtown).
- Dine on a special Black History Month menu at the Smithsonian’s Sweet Home Café with chef Jeff Cortez (Fri, free to attend, menu items extra, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).
- Smell roses, sip champagne, and munch on savory sandwiches with your lover at Fairmont’s Valentine’s Afternoon Tea (Fri-Sun, $98, Georgetown).
Things to do with kids:
- Kids can participate in art-making and writing activities, join story time, and take guided museum tours at the National Portrait Gallery’s Presidential Family Fun Day (Sat, free, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
Plan ahead:
- Tickets are on sale now for the return of NMWA Nights. The after-hours museum fun includes hands-on crafts, live music, and cocktails (February 19, $25, 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.
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.
