Happy Monday, DC!
The long-awaited Warped Tour arrives in DC for a two-day rock fest. If you’re looking for free live music, Jazz in the Parks is back at the Parks at Walter Reed, and Opera Italiana is performing a sunset concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
June 9–June 15
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- Warped Tour music festival. After a six-year hiatus, the Warped Tour returns to DC to commemorate the touring rock music festival’s 30th anniversary, with bands such as Asking Alexandria, Pennywise, and Gideon (Sat-Sun, $259+, tickets sold out but resale tickets available, RFK Festival Grounds).
- DC/DOX Film Festival. Over the span of four days, visitors to the DC/DOX Film Festival can view full-length documentaries and short films, and sit in on conversations with filmmakers. Opening night at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre screens Steal This Story, Please!—a film about the value of independent media (Thurs-Sun, $200 for festival pass, various participating DC locations).
- Free Opera Italiana. Listen to the captivating melodies of the Opera Italiana Orchestra while taking in glimpses of the sunset and overlooking the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. The outdoor affair is a symphonic journey that all ages can enjoy (Sun, free, Lincoln Memorial).
- Jazz in the Parks. Share a blanket and a picnic at Jazz in the Parks at the Parks at Walter Reed to listen to local band The Blues Alley Youth Quartet. This weekend’s concert is the first of the neighborhood’s four-part summer concert series (Sat free, Takoma Park).
- A Wrinkle in Time musical. Mystical time-travel novel A Wrinkle in Time comes to life at Arena Stage this week. You can see the world premiere featuring music from Heather Christian and a book adaptation by Lauren Yee (Thurs through July 20, $80+, Southwest DC).
- “With Passion and Purpose” exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Explore more than 60 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints by Black artists in the new collection “With Passion and Purpose” (through October 5, free, National Gallery of Art).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Create your own rug tufting design at Relume’s guided workshop (Tues, $80, Capitol Hill).
- Watch an outdoor movie screening of The Greatest Showman at Alethia Tanner Park (Wed, free, NoMa).
- Paint a rainbow-themed Washington Monument backdrop at Shop Made in DC (Wed, $43, Union Market).
- Author A’Lelia Bundles discusses her new book Joy Goddess—a biography of her great-grandmother (Wed, free, MLK Library).
- See ’90s comedy Happy Gilmore at Transit Pier at The Wharf (Thurs, free, Wharf).
- Explore indoor and outdoor photo and visual art exhibitions at the Spanish Cultural Center during its Spring Open Doors (Fri-Sun, free, Columbia Heights).
- Race sim cars, and sip unlimited drinks at F1 Arcade’s Montreal Grand Prix Watch Party (Sun, $49+, Union Market).
Community and heritage:
- Hear from four drag performers about challenging societal norms through artistic expression at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Wed, $25, Downtown).
- Snack on free food, pick up a new book, and fly kites with the family at DC Joy Day (Sat, free, Anacostia).
- There will be line dancing, barbecue bites, and live music at this Father’s Day celebration (Sun, $81, Upper Marlboro).
Theater and shows:
- Travel through time with live comedy sketches about the past, present, and future (Tues, $24+, Downtown).
- One of opera’s most popular dramas, Les Misérables, returns to the Kennedy Center (Wed through July 13, $49+, Kennedy Center).
- A theater troupe of young actors portray the life of Marquis de Lafayette during the American Revolutionary War (Thurs, $33+ for adults, $12 for children, Georgetown).
- DC, I Love You: Ready or Not is a new immersive experience that takes visitors through a series of live storytelling performances along a guided tour of Folger Shakespeare Library (Sat through June 22, $30 single ticket, $50 with a date, Capitol Hill). (You can read more here.)
Music and concerts:
- Take bachata and salsa lessons on the Georgetown Waterfront followed by a group social dance to show off your new moves (Tues, free, Georgetown).
- Punk rock group Civic plays live at Pearl Street Warehouse (Wed, $26+, Wharf).
- Local band Rock Creek Kings plays live at Rock the Dock (Wed, free, Wharf).
- Music producer Yung Bae performs Japanese-pop and electro tunes at Union Stage (Fri, $33, Wharf).
- Visit the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden throughout June to listen to jazz, Latin fusion, and zydeco concerts (every Fri in June, free with lottery registration, National Gallery of Art).
Exercise and wellness:
- Go on a social run with FITDC (Mon, Tues, free, Navy Yard, 14th Street Corridor).
- Stretch on the National Harbor plaza with yoga instructor Cathy Valentine (every Sat through September, free, National Harbor).
- Break a sweat in this boot camp-style workout at The Stacks (Sat, free, Southwest DC).
Get involved
- Attend a summer concert with hip-hop icon Rakim and socialize with neighbors at Sundresses, Sneakers & Stogies. The event proceeds will help support Richard Wright Schools (Fri, $28, Eastern Market).
Things to do with kids:
- Bring your own blanket to The Yards’ picnic-style all ages bingo event (Thurs, free, Navy Yard).
- Take the family to a movie screening of Monsters, Inc. at Congressional Cemetery (Fri, $10 donations encouraged, Capitol Hill).
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.
