30 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend

Happy May, DC!

Explore European culture and food at one of several embassies opening their doors for EU Open House this weekend. Also, a ginormous family-friendly bounce house visits Maryland.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

May 5–May 11

1. 1. EU Open House. The European Union and its embassies are opening their doors for guests to enjoy music and food from Austria, Portugal, Finland, Germany, and many more places. You can check out Czech fashions, taste Belgium waffles, sip Danish beer, and take photos with Slovenia’s iconic carnival mascots (May 10, free, various participating locations).
   2. National Gallery Nights. Disco at a retro prom for this edition of National Gallery Nights. The after-hours art party invites museum visitors to come dressed in ’70s attire for a groovy DJ boogie, and art-making fun (Thurs, free, but limited walk-in tickets available, National Gallery of Art).
   3. Big Bounce America. Jump through a gigantic bounce house this month with your family. The 24,000-square-foot play place includes slides, obstacle courses, a space-themed wonderland, music, and sports games for all ages (Sat-Sun, May 17-18, 24-25, $40+ for adults, $30+ for ages 4-15, free for children 3 and younger, Fort Washington).
   4. Coco Jones concert. R&B vocalist Coco Jones fills Echostage with bold melodies and sensual sounds in promotion of her debut album, Why Not More? (Wed, $64+, Northeast DC).
   5. Author Isabel Allende in Conversation with Jill Biden. Chilean American author Isabel Allende discusses her latest novel, My Name Is Emilia del Valle—a drama that touches on subjects such as 19th-century San Francisco and the Chilean civil war—with former first lady Jill Biden at Sixth & I (Wed, in-person sold out, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• How fast can you solve a jigsaw puzzle? Test your speed at Pike Cornerstone (Mon, $25+, Arlington).
• Watch the martial arts film Shaolin Soccer with neighbors at the library (Mon, free, Georgetown).
• Browse 20 vivid large-scale prints by artist Niki de Saint Phalle at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (May 9 through November 30, $16 for adults, free for ages 21 and younger, Downtown).
• The outdoor Takoma Flea Market is a great place to find repurposed items, vintage clothing, jewelry, records, furniture, and home goods (Sat, free, Takoma Park).
• Meet Kwame Alexander, Annie Marie Stephens, and other authors at Books in Bloom (Sat, free, Columbia).
• Browse 120 booths full of fine arts from local and national creators at the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival (Sat-Sun, free, Bethesda).
• Shop new and vintage heirlooms at Fine Day Fair (Sat-Sun, $25+, Chevy Chase).

Community and heritage:

• Passport DC is a month-long event that highlights the rich traditions of diplomacy in Washington; there are embassy open houses, workshops, exhibitions, and more (through May 31, free, various participating locations).
• A former CIA officer guides a spy history walking tour of Georgetown (Mon, Thurs, $45+, Georgetown).
• Civil rights historian Forest Issac Jones discusses his book Good Trouble (Thurs, free, MLK Library).
• Celebrate AAPI Month at the Smithsonian’s IlluminAsia Festival; there will be after-hours comedy, book talks, gallery tours, and more (Sat-Mon, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).

Theater and shows:

• Washington National Opera performs the original tech opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (closes Sat, $45+, Kennedy Center).
• Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies And Yogurt (With Live & Active Cultures!), a world premiere by playwright Julia Izumi, is at Woolly Mammoth (through June 1, $55+, Penn Quarter).
• Watch the world premiere of Spanish comedy and drama Choke at Gala Hispanic Theatre (Thurs through May 18, $48, $25 for ages under 25, Columbia Heights).
• See Keegan Theatre’s Falsettos musical in celebration of WorldPride (Sat through June 15, $64, Dupont)
• Comedian Maria Bamford does standup at Sixth & I (Sat, $39, Downtown).

Music and concerts:

• The National Symphony Orchestra, led by Gianandrea Noseda, tackles Mahler’s Sixth (Thurs-Sat, $17+, Kennedy Center).
• Jazz at the Met is back with outdoor jazz, go-go, and fusion concerts (every Thurs through June 12, free, Arlington).
• Mama Moon and the Rumpshakers perform outdoors at Clarendon Metro Park; pets and kids are welcome (Thurs, free, Arlington).
• Cybele Nonet performs swing and jazz music, followed by a European-inspired DJ party at the Embassy of France (Thurs, $30, Georgetown).

Plan ahead:

• Latin pop star Shakira fills Nationals Park with her hip-swaying music this month to kick-off World Pride (May 31, $108+, Nationals Park).

Sports:

• The Washington Capitals skate into round two of the playoffs this week. You can root for DC’s hockey team at multiple games this week (Tues, Thurs, $96+, Capital One Arena).

Bites and beverages:

• Capital Harvest Market opens for the spring season selling fresh produce and other goods, and, on select days, jewelry, paintings, and other art at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (every Wed through October, free, Downtown).
• Celebrate Mother’s Day on a yacht cruise along the Chesapeake serving a brunch buffet and bubbly drinks (Sun, $119, Annapolis).

Things to do with kids:

• Young children can create their own amphibian-inspired artwork and build amphibian homes at the Natural History museum (Tues, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History).

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 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.