Happy Monday, DC!
DC has a Go-Go Museum & Café! You can visit Anacostia’s newest museum beginning this week to learn all things about the music genre. Plus, it’s Mardi Gras season and the Wharf is throwing a big party and parade.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
February 24–March 2
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- Go-Go Museum & Café grand opening. To mark the five-year anniversary of go-go being the official music of DC, the long-awaited Go-Go Museum & Café will open its doors to the public this Wednesday. The new history and culture museum located in the heart of Anacostia has exhibits, short films, and interactive installations that showcase the energetic history of go-go, including an artificial intelligence hologram of veteran musician EU, a documentary on former LGBTQ-street-gang-turned-activists Check It, and a timeline that traces the genre back to African ancestry (open Wed, Sat, $15, free for DC residents, Anacostia).
- Mardi Gras at the Wharf. The Wharf’s Mardi Gras parade is going to be a big event: There will be jugglers, stilt walkers, decorated floats, and a Mardi Gras king and queen. The parade will kick off on Market Pier and head a mile down Wharf Street. To end the night with a bang, there will be a fireworks show and live performances across four stages by local go-go and funk groups the Experience Band & Show, Too Much Talent Band, Crush Funk Brass Band, and others (Sat, free, Wharf).
- “Uncanny” exhibit at NMWA. The new “Uncanny” exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts is purposefully unsettling. The works—by such surrealist artists as Sama Alshaibi, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Louise Bourgeois, and Leonora Carrington—presents dummies and other objects in both dreamlike and nightmarish depictions of women, as a examination of patriarchal traditions (Fri through August 10, free, $16, $13 for DC residents, Downtown).
- The Age of Innocence at Arena Stage. DC playwright Karen Zacarías brings Edith Wharton’s classic novel The Age of Innocence to life on Arena Stage. The timeless 1870s tale is a New York love story about societal norms, privilege, and passion (Fri through March 30, $59+, Southwest DC).
- DC Black History Film Festival. This annual festival celebrates Black culture through art and film at the Lincoln Theatre. The 2025 film-athon—hosted by actor Lamman Rucker—features five hours of documentaries, shorts, and dramas about African American history-makers such as poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, and civil rights stories on voting and education (Fri, free, U Street Corridor).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Read a book by civil rights leader Pauli Murray at Black Voices Book Club (Mon, free, Takoma Park).
- Best-selling author David Grann visits Sixth & I to promote the paperback release of The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (Tues, $25+ for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
- Learn a new craft at the Paper Architect Workshop (Tues, $51, Capitol Hill).
- The Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia backs the ReelAbilities Film Festival, where moviegoers can watch films about people with disabilities (through March 6, free+, DC and Northern Virginia).
- Watch the premiere of season 48 of Survivor at DC9 Nightclub (Wed, free, Shaw).
- Solas Nua’s premiere-packed Capital Irish Film Festival boasts 17 titles directed by women, and 12 written or co-written by women (Thurs-Sun, $15 for individual passes, Silver Spring).
- Couples can compete in a game of chess against master player David Bennett at Gerrard Street Kitchen (Thurs, free, Downtown).
- Brides-to-be can shop wedding dresses, antique jewelry, accessories, and more at a vintage pop-up (Sun, $15+, Union Market).
- Paint Your Pet at District Dogs (Sun, $75, Arlington).
Community and heritage:
- At this Profs & Pints DC lecture you can learn how psychology impacts sexual behavior (Tues, $17, Penn Quarter).
- African American professionals in the intelligence community reflect on their careers at the International Spy Museum (Thurs, free, virtual, Southwest DC).
- Learn about the heritage of go-go music and the connection to the ’90s DC public health crisis (Thurs, donations welcome, Anacostia).
Theater and shows:
- Corn-filled musical comedy Shucked arrives at the National Theatre (Tues-Sun, $69+, National Theatre).
- The Scenarios—a world premiere from playwright Matthew Capodicasa—opens this week at Studio Theatre (Wed through April 6, $42+, Logan Circle).
Music and concerts:
- Local indie folk singer Patrick Budd performs at The Pocket (Wed, $14+, Truxton Circle).
- Have an intimate folk music evening with singer-songwriter Jason Isbell (Thurs, $91+, Warner Theatre).
- Rap stars and R&B vocalists Latto, Bryson Tiller, Hunxho, Jacquees, Skilla Baby, and Big Boogie share the DMV Winter Fest stage (Fri, $59+, Capital One Arena).
- The ABBA Glitter Disco dance party is back with gold, sparkles, and retro music at Union Stage (Fri, $25+, Wharf).
- Hear Brooklyn Rider’s contemporary classical melodies live at Sixth & I (Sat, $45, Downtown).
Bites and beverages:
- Record bar and cocktail lounge Press Club is hosing a pop-up tasting experience featuring Mexican-inspired bites and drinks by Vertical (Mon, $115, Dupont).
- Pick up a complimentary chocolate treat from the library (Wed, free, Northeast DC).
- If you’re a fan of the reality TV show Survivor—and half-price wine—don’t miss this watch party at Immigrant Food (Wed, free entry, Arlington).
Things to do with kids:
- Art and books come to life at Merry Pins’ Crafty Tales workshop for kids (Sat, free, Takoma Park).
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.
