Happy Monday, DC!
Clap your hands and move your hips to the sounds of Latin superstar Shakira at Nationals Park, or dance with Tiësto and other major DJs at the Project Glow music festival. Plus, there are new plays and an opera opening this week.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
May 27–June 1
-
- Shakira in concert. Latin superstar Shakira graces the Nationals Park stage, in a musical welcome to the World Pride DC Festival. Audiences can expect to hear hip-swaying tunes from her latest album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Sat, $197+, Nationals Park).
- “Frankenstein” on stage. Shakespeare Theatre Company presents the new adaptation of British director Emily Burns’ Frankenstein. The play uncovers the inner life of Mary Shelley’s gothic mad scientist (Tues through June 29, $39+, Downtown).
- Project Glow festival. Move your feet to your favorite electronic and dance music artists. Project Glow lights up RFK Festival Grounds with high-energy beats across three stages with more than 35 artists, DJs, and producers sharing the lineup. The homegrown festival is headlined by creators Tiësto, Chris Lake, Loud Luxury, and more (Sat-Sun, $85+ for one-day pass, $139+ for two-day pass, RFK Festival Grounds).
- Sound Scene at Hirshhorn. Attend the Smithsonian’s Sound Scene— an interactive sound and multi-sensory arts festival— on the National Mall this weekend. View musical art installations from artists such as Jocelyn Ho, Margaret Schedel, and Sofy Yuditskaya; join workshops; and listen to live music performances from audio and sound choreographers (Sat-Sun, free, but registration required for select workshops, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden).
- Street Fest. Choose from an array of activities at Union Market’s lively multi-day Street Fest. Festival-goers can binge-watch more than 70 films at Light Reel Film Festival, groove at a Queer Dance Party, browse art at pop-up galleries, and watch movies outdoor on the plaza (Fri through June 8, free+, Union Market).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Matteline deVries-dilling of Lite Brite Neon Studio joins a maker talk at the library to explain their light string work in Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s exhibit (Tues, free, MLK Library).
- Author and climate organizer Denali Sai Nalamalapu discusses their graphic novel Holler at Lost City Books (Tues, free, Adams Morgan).
- Watch Hail the New Puritan—a docu-fantasy about British dance sensation Michael Clark at the National Gallery of Art (Sun, free, registration required, National Gallery of Art).
Community and heritage:
- Sit in on a Profs and Pints lecture at Hill Center about US-China relations (Thurs, $14, Capitol Hill).
- Shop vendors, eat bites, and view art and film at Save the Block for AANHPI Month (Sat, free, Chinatown).
Theater and shows:
- Washington National Opera performs the great American folk opera Porgy and Bess (through Sat, $45+, Kennedy Center).
- The New York Circus Project’s punk rock circus experience Liquid premieres at Dock 5 (Thurs, $52+, Union Market).
- Comedian Matt Ruby does standup at Crystal City Sports Pub (Fri, $17, Arlington).
- Mosaic Theater’s new production Andy Warhol in Iran is a comedy based on a true story about the pop artist (Fri through June 29, $61, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts:
- Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo band plays psychedelic melodies at the Anthem (Wed, $57+, Wharf).
- Pop group Wet teams up with singer-songwriter Julie Byrne for a concert at Union Stage (Wed, $33+, Wharf).
- WoCo Fest showcases classical and choral music from gender-marginalized composers (Fri-Sat, $30, $100 for day pass, Bethesda).
- Listen to the classical tunes of Loadbang at the Library of Congress (Fri, free, but registration required, Library of Congress).
- Legendary rock group Metallica makes a M72 World Tour stop at Northwest Stadium (Wed, $76+, Landover).
- The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington brings their Broadway and pop music World Pride International Choral Festival to the Capital Jewish Museum (Sun, free, Georgetown).
Exercise and wellness:
- Have a high-energy workout with Vida Fitness at Milian Park in celebration of World Pride (Wed, free, Mount Vernon Triangle).
- Women can reset with mocktails and journaling at a guided wellness session (Wed, free, Oxon Hill).
- Go on a 4-mile hike through Anacostia with neighbors (Sat, free, Anacostia).
Bites and beverages:
- Sample from more than 15 local breweries, and browse artisan goods by ceramicists, woodworkers, printmakers, jewelers, and more at Drafts and Crafts (Sat, $10+, Fort Lincoln).
- Sip pours of beer and cider from local breweries and distilleries at Takoma Trukgarten (Sat, $35+, Takoma).
Sports:
- Bring your furry friends to Audi Field to cheer on the D.C. United soccer team (Wed, $30, Audi Field).
Plan ahead:
- New Jazz Underground plays live at Jazz in the Garden next weekend (June 6, free, lottery registration open Tues-Fri, National Gallery of Art).
Get involved
- All ages can listen to live hardcore performances at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church to help support Food Not Bombs DC (Sat, $15, Takoma Park).
- Wear a sundress for a good cause. The Annual Sundress Fest at Wonderland Ballroom is back to raise funds for DC Central Kitchen (Sun, donations welcome, Columbia Heights).
Things to do with kids:
- Youngsters can explore underwater habitats, and use science technology to learn about oceans at the National Children Museum’s “Wild Kratts” exhibit (through September 7, $19 for adults, free for children under 1, Downtown).
- Kids and adults can race in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic this weekend (Sat-Sun, $120 for adults, free for children, Downtown).
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.
