Happy Monday, DC!
Attention sports fans: Mubadala Citi DC Open is back! Starting this weekend you can watch international tennis stars compete live in Rock Creek Park. Also, the National Cannabis Festival takes over RFK Festival Grounds for a two-day hip-hop showcase.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
July 14–July 20
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- Mubadala Citi DC Open.The District’s annual showcase for professional tennis returns with day-long matches, athlete meet-and-greets, and culinary delights from Taco Bamba, Roaming Rooster, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and more at at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. This year’s lineup includes stars including Venus Williams, Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys, and Frances Tiafoe. (Sat through July 27, $43+, Rock Creek Park).
- National Cannabis Festival. This year, the two-day concert-style National Cannabis Festival—usually a spring event—returns to Washington for a summertime showcase. The event brings hip-hop veterans Big Boi and Three 6 Mafia as well as R&B singer Ty Dolla $ign to RFK Festival Grounds. Between music sets, concertgoers can browse the cannabis exhibiter fair, grab bites from the Munchies Zone, and learn how to grow cannabis at home (Fri-Sat, $75+, RFK Festival Grounds).
- “Dialogues of the Carmelites” opera. Francis Poulenc’s 1957 opera Dialogues of the Carmelites was adapted from an unproduced screenplay by Georges Bernanos (The Diary of a Country Priest). Attendees at the Barns at Wolf Trap can see the dramatization of the true story of Carmelite nuns who were martyred during the French Revolution for refusing to renounce their faith (Fri, Sun, July 24, 26, $57+, Vienna).
- Teddy Swims in concert. Teddy Swims sings soul-stirring songs from his project I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy—a two-part debut album. Tickets to his shows at the Anthem are sold out, but you can snag a ticket from third-party sellers (Wed-Thurs, $89+ from third-party sellers, Wharf).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Visit the The National Building Museum’s Great Hall to climb through an immersive parkour installation before it closes this week (closes Sun, $5 parkour ticket, $10 museum admission, $7 museum admission for ages 3-17 and 60+, Penn Quarter).
- Illustrator and writer Mari Andrew—who began her drawing career in DC—returns to town for an author discussion at Sixth & I (Tues, $22+ for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown, virtual).
- Make bookmarks, decorate a journal, and score a new summer book at the Yards (Wed, free, Navy Yard).
- Watch a movie screening of ’80s comedy The Goonies on the Library of Congress lawn (Thurs, free, Library of Congress).
- Bachelor in Paradise is back on TV. Dive into the romance with a game of bingo and watch party at Quincy Hall (Thurs, free entry, Arlington).
- James Grady— author of the classic DC spy thriller Six Days of the Condor—discusses his latest novel, American Sky, at Politics and Prose (Fri, free, Northwest DC).
- See a screening of Chinese fiction and documentary film Caught by the Tides at the museum (Fri, free, but registration encouraged, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
Community and heritage:
- Vote in the Ward 8 Special Election this week (Tues, free, Anacostia).
- African American artists and designers discuss “Heritage, Design, and Culture in the Black Home” (Thurs, free, but registration required, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
Theater and shows:
- It’s the last call for the circus-style retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Duel Reality (closes Sun, $39+, Penn Quarter)
- Actor Riki Lindhome stars in the new comedic musical Dead Inside at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (through July 27, $31+, Penn Quarter).
- Love, irony, and friends explore their relationships in the DC premiere of Apropos of Nothing, a Comedy (through August 10, $54, Dupont Circle).
- After debuting in Europe in the ’60s, American opera The Alcestiad will be heard in the US for the first time this summer (Sun, $40, MLK Library).
Music and concerts:
- Shop a farmer’s market, browse vendors, and listen to music at West Porch Fridays (Fri, free, Union Station).
- Rock and pop bands play live at Penn Social’s Dig Dug Dig Music Festival (Sat, $25, Penn Quarter).
- Prepare to dance the night away to retro tunes at another Dancing Queen ABBA Glitter Disco (Sat, $33, Wharf).
- Former Saturday Night Live comedian Kyle Mooney arrives in DC to showcase his latest craft, music (Sun, $49+, Shaw).
- DC’s dance-punk group Light Beams is in concert at Rhizome (Sun, $10+, Takoma).
Get involved:
- Attend the Congressional Women’s Softball Game for a good cause; ticket proceeds will support Young Survival Coalition—an organization that aids young women diagnosed with breast cancer (Wed, $12+, free for ages 5 and under, Audi Field).
- Race in the Mario Kart World grand prix at Fantom Comics to help raise support for Save Chinatown Solidarity Network DC (Thurs, $10, Dupont Circle).
Bites and beverages:
- Immerse yourself in French culture in honor of Bastille Day at Lady Madison. Diners can enjoy Parisian bites, Whispering Angel rosé, and live music (Mon, free, Downtown).
- If you missed last weekend’s Bastille Day celebrations at Embassy of France, don’t fret. The embassy will throw a Garden Party this weekend packed with French cuisine, drinks, and music (Sat, $96, Northwest DC).
Things to do with kids:
- Kids and parents can participate in group workouts, eat healthy snacks, and dance to a live DJ at Fuel the Future Day (Sat, free, Upper Marlboro).
- Go on a nighttime sightseeing adventure through the Mount Vernon Trail to spot moths (Sun, free, Alexandria).
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.
