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

Happy summer, DC!

If you couldn’t snag a ticket to our sold-out Best of Washington party, don’t fret. There are three exciting outdoor events to keep the summertime vibes going: Mubadala Citi DC Open, Kids World at Franklin Park, and Wolf Trap’s Carmina Burana opera concert—plus, there are lots more things to do around town this week.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

July 21–July 28

1. 1. Mubadala Citi DC Open.The District’s annual showcase for professional tennis continues this week with matches, athlete meet-and-greets, and food 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 you can see tennis stars such as Venus Williams, Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys, and Frances Tiafoe compete for the title (closes Sun, $43+, Rock Creek Park).
   2. Kids World. Take the kiddos to Franklin Park for a weekend of hands-on activities, installations, and games. Kids and teens can participate in art projects like face painting, caricature, and tattooing; work out with super heroes; watch a teddy bear parade; and more (Sat-Sun, free, Downtown).
   3. Capital Jewish Museum After Sunset. If you’re looking for a bit of after-hours fun, the Capital Jewish Museum’s evening party is a great choice. Museum-goers will have the opportunity to listen in on curator talks, watch drag performances, and sip cocktails in celebration of Pride (Thurs, $16+, Georgetown).
   4. Carmina Burana opera in concert. Opera and chorus fans can sit in on a summer evening performance of songs from the medieval-inspired production Carmina Burana at Wolf Trap this weekend. The National Symphony Orchestra, two choruses, and Wolf Trap Opera soloists are putting their spin on this timeless story of love and fate (Fri, $47+, Vienna).
   5. Bad Moves farewell concert. After releasing three high-energy albums in less than a decade, the talented DC band Bad Moves is breaking up. You can say, or sing, farewell to the group at their final show at Black Cat (Sat, $24, Shaw).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• Author Benedict Nguyễn chats about her humorous volleyball novel Hot Girls with Balls at the library (Wed, free, MLK Memorial Library).
• The US Postal Service turns 250 years old this month. All ages are invited to commemorate the achievement with crafts, games, and museum explorations at the Postal Museum (Sat, free, Smithsonian National Postal Museum).
• Watch a documentary film on Brazilian zoo animals (Sat, free, National Gallery of Art).
• Play games, participate in hands-on workshops, and groove to go-go group E.U. at DMV Made Festival (Sat, free, National Mall).

Community and heritage:

• The Loudoun County Fair is back at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds with carnival rides, pie-eating contests, bingo, live music, and more (Mon-Sat, $13.50+ for adults, $5.75 ages 6 to 12, free for ages 5 and younger, Leesburg).
• Neighbors can climb aboard Metro vehicles, learn about Metro programs, and eat snacks at MetroFest (Sat, free, Fairfax).

Theater and shows:

• It’s the last week to catch the US premiere of the new musical Dead Inside at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (closes on Sun, $31+, Penn Quarter).
• Solve puzzles at a live game of Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern (Tues through August 3, $39+, Kennedy Center).
• The life of a Black, deaf, queer writer is at the center of the new musical A Strange Loop (Wed through August 10, $40+, H Street Corridor).

Music and concerts:

• Sail away to the melodies of soft rock and R&B at Signature Theatre’s cabaret-style show Sailing: Yacht Rock (Tues through August 10, $53, Arlington).
• Local DJs Harry Hotter and Doc Delay spin off in a Verzuz battle during happy hour at Anthem Row (Tues, free entry, Downtown).
• Live from the Lawn at Strathmore has two outdoor concerts this week. Adults can hear Afro punk tunes from Chopteeth, and kids can dance to bilingual jazz (Wed-Thurs, pay-what-you-can, Bethesda).
• Tap into your inner superstar with a group of friends at the Wharf’s karaoke party featuring The HariKaraoke Band (Wed, free, Wharf).
• Shop a farmer’s market, browse vendors, and listen to music at West Porch Fridays (Fri, free, Union Station).
• Pixies—a rock group that’s been making music since the ’80s—plays their greatest hits at the Anthem (Fri, $75+, Wharf).
• Blues Alley brings local pop artist Emma G to the Cut’s main dining room at Rosewood (Sat, free reservation, Georgetown).
• Dance to Too Much Talent Band’s soulful summer sounds in your best party attire at R&B On The Water (Sun, $49+, Navy Yard).

Get involved:

• Sip mocktails at this farm-to-table Garden Party to help raise funds for LeDroit Park’s food pantry and youth education programs (Fri, $35+, LeDroit Park).

Bites and beverages:

• Savor chicken adobo, spring rolls, and other bites from Filipino tastemakers Rhine Dizon, Miea Hicks, and Aliya Elaine Duran at this foodie and karaoke pop-up (Wed, free entry, Mount Vernon Square).

Things to do with kids:

• Local bilingual duo 123 Andrés celebrates their 10th anniversary with a children’s concert at Wolf Trap (Wed, $12, free for ages under 2, Vienna).
• Maryland Youth Ballet returns to Wolf Trap to perform a rendition of timeless fairytale Cinderella (Fri-Sun, $12, free for ages under 2, Vienna)
• Step into a Peppa Pig–themed wonderland at Tysons Corner Center’s new children’s pop-up at the Camp store (opens Fri, $37+, Tysons).
• All ages can roller skate, go fishing, and play games at Late Skate (Sat, free, Anacostia).

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.