April Culture Guide: 43 Things to Do in the DC Area

Happy April, DC!

Spring into April at a rap concert with Tyler, The Creator. Then, attend one—or several—cherry blossom festivals and happenings throughout the region. Also, there are a few new theater productions to add to your going-out list this month.

Music

Tyler, The Creator

April 1

The adventurous rapper’s introspective latest album, Chromakopia, casts an at-times-ominous spell over dense, atmospheric beats.

Theater

Fake It Until You Make It

April 3–May 4

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse satirizes identity politics with a comedy set in the fraught nonprofit world. Amy Brenneman and Shyla Lefner star.

Museums

“Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen”

April 4, 2025–January 3, 2027

“Black Dada” is how this painter has described some of his work–he draws inspiration from both Hugo Ball and Sun Ra. Pendleton’s signature large-scale canvases will be featured with a new floor-to-ceiling video projection.

Museums

Chakaia Booker

April 5–August 3

This New Jersey–born artist uses old tires to transform industrial waste into formidable artworks, three of which–including “Acid Rain,” above–will be on display in the East Building tower.

Books

Joe Boyd

April 6

The revered music producer (credits include classics from Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, and R.E.M.) worked for more than a decade on his globetrotting, genre-jumping book about the history of music, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain.

Museums

“Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble”

April 12–September 28

Formed in the 1980s and still going, the anonymous, gorilla-masked feminist-activist collective is celebrating its 40th anniversary of calling attention to sexism in the art world and beyond. This exhibit draws from the museum’s broad holdings of Guerrilla Girls artwork.

Opera

Luisa Miller

April 13

Soprano Angel Blue (above) takes on the title role in Washington Concert Opera’s production of the Verdi classic about a peasant girl who falls for a nobleman.

What does it mean to live an examined life? What made the father of philosophy so dangerous that he was executed? In Open Socrates, the controversial American philosopher Agnes Callard digs into these questions and argues that the ancient writings of Socrates are still a valuable guide for the 21st-century human.

Music

Lucy Dacus

April 18–19

The Richmond singer-songwriter–who has found greater fame as a member of the indie-rock supergroup Boygenius–comes to town in support of her eagerly awaited fourth solo album, Forever Is a Feeling.

Music

Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas

April 23

Taylor (above)–the Ghanaian guitarist, bandleader, and producer–has created rhythmically simmering African pop music since the 1960s, having worked with such legends as Fela Kuti. Now 90, he comes to town with his onetime protégé Thomas, known as “the Golden Voice of Africa” and now a 78-year-old veteran himself.

Want More Things to Do?

by Briana Thomas

Arts and culture:

• Comic fans can geek out over all things books, film, and games at Awesome Con (April 4-6, $65+, Mount Vernon Square).
• Are you looking for your love match? You may find your partner at Board Game Speed Dating (Tues, $28, Bethesda).
• View historic tea utensils and ceramics in the exhibit “Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped” at the National Museum of Asian Art (opens April 12, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
• Explore jury-selected ceramics, furniture, glass, metal, leather, wearable art, basketry, and more at the Smithsonian Craft Show (April 23-27, opening night $300+, $25 for craft show days, Penn Quarter).
• Travel to France without taking a flight at the Georgetown French Market (April 25-27, free, Georgetown).

Community and heritage:

• This year’s DC History Conference presents more than 38 panels, keynotes, walking tours, and poster presentations for the community (April 3-6, free, MLK Library).
• Take a stroll through the picturesque White House gardens this spring (April 5-6, free with timed-ticket entry tickets available outside of White House Visitor Center, White House).
• Participate in a colorful family-friendly Holi dance party and one-mile run or walk at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods (April 12, free, Columbia).
• Learn about the environment at a neighborhood talk during DC Climate Week (April 28 through May 2, free, various participating locations).

Theater:

• Get a first look at new works at Round House Theatre’s Bonnie Hammerschlag National Capital New Play Festival (April 2-27, free+, Bethesda).
• Mosaic Theater presents cullud wattah—a play about Flint, Michigan’s 2016 water crisis (April 3-27, $50.50, H Street Corridor).
• Classic musical Annie makes a National Theatre return this spring (April 11-20, $49+, Downtown).
• Rock out at Signature Theatre’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch (April 15 through June 22, $70+, Arlington).
• Watch international movies, documentaries, and shorts at Filmfest DC (April 24 through May 4, $14 for general screenings, $10 tickets for ages 16 to 25, various locations).

Shows and performances:

• Standup comedian Shane Gillis has a sold-out Capital One Arena show this month. If you’re a fan of his humor, you can snag a ticket from third-party sellers (April 12, $119+, Capital One Arena).
• Folk guitarist Melissa Etheridge plays live at Warner Theatre (April 12, $67+, Warner Theatre).

Music:

• Eat a buffet dinner aboard City Cruises while listening to a live concert with singers Joey Fatone and Wanyá Morris (April 5, $300, Wharf).
• Hip-hop group Arrested Development headlines Jazz & Blossoms at Franklin Park (April 6, free, Downtown).
• Alternative metal musicians Deftones arrive at Capital One Arena (April 6, $100+, Capital One Arena).
• Australian pop star Kylie Minogue brings her Tension Tour to DC (April 8, $42+, Capital One Arena).
• R&B legends Jagged Edge bring their silky vocals to Warner Theatre (April 16, $79+, Warner Theatre).
• Local rock and soul band Oh He Dead is playing 9:30 (April 19, $50, Shaw).
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performs at the Anthem (April 21, $89+, Wharf).
• Listen to jazz from local students at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods (April 26, free, Columbia).
• Watch Jim Henson’s Labyrinth—a musical fantasy film from the ’80s—accompanied by a live score of the soundtrack (April 30, $40, Warner Theatre).

Spring festivals:

• View art installations, take in a dazzling fireworks show, and listen to live music along the banks of the Anacostia River at Petalpalooza (April 5, free, Capitol Riverfront).
• The spring event we’ve been waiting for arrives in April with balloons, floats, and marching bands. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will strut down Constitution Avenue (April 12, $25+ for seating, Downtown).
• Keep the cherry blossom entertainment going at the two-day Sakura Matsuri–Japanese Street Festival (April 12-13, $10+, Downtown).
• General admission tickets grant access to unlimited samples from over 80 breweries, as well as live music, a dueling piano bar, and a food truck alley at DC Beer Fest (April 12, $55+, Nationals Park).
• Sip more than 100 wines and bubblies at Uncorked DC (April 19, $75+, Nationals Park).
• Chocolate lovers can savor samples, learn to make chocolate at guided workshops, and join foodie talks with chocolatiers at the DC Chocolate Festival (April 25-26, $25+, free for ages 12 and younger, Northwest DC).
• Cheers to the spring edition of DC Wine Fest (April 26, $35+, Union Market).

Things to do with kids:

• Springfest in Old Ellicott City is back with family fun, crafts, and live music (April 26, free, Ellicott City).

A version of this article appears in the April 2025 issue of Washingtonian.