Happy solar eclipse day, DC!
You can watch the space-phenomenon from a number of DC rooftops. Later this week, spend the final stretch of cherry blossom season at a parade or sip brews at DC Beer Fest.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
April 8-April 14
- National Cherry Blossom Parade. The spring event we’ve been waiting for arrives Downtown with balloons, floats, celebrity entertainers, and performances. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will march down Constitution Avenue as our beloved floral festival comes to a close this weekend (Sat, $25+ for seating, Downtown).
- Bad Bunny in concert. Puerto Rico’s international reggaeton star is bringing his hip-swaying “Most Wanted Tour” to Capital One Arena. You can expect to hear upbeat hits from Bad Bunny’s latest album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (Tues, $170+, Capital One Arena).
- DC Beer Fest. Sip on seasonal beers or craft brews from dozens of different breweries at this laid-back beer fest. General admission tickets grant access to unlimited samples from over 80 breweries, as well as live music, the dueling piano bar, and the food truck alley. VIP tickets allow visitors to check out the warning track and dugouts at Nationals Park, plus take home some commemorative goodies (Sat, $50+, Nationals Park).
- Sakura Matsuri–Japanese Street Festival. Continue the cherry blossom excitement at the more than 24-hour-long Sakura Matsuri–Japanese Street Festival where festival goers can indulge in Thai food, tofu rice bowls, ramen, and more Asian cuisines. There’s also art, fashion, and plant vendors to shop, plus J-Pop and martial arts performances (Sat-Sun, $15+, Downtown).
- “Macbeth” at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Actor and film producer Ralph Fiennes stars as Macbeth in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s revival of the tragedy. This hot ticket will be staged at the former BET Studios production facility in Brentwood, instead of the company’s theater. But despite the larger space, tickets are extremely hard to come by. Here’s some tips on how to score tickets (Tues through May 5, $275+, Northeast DC).
- Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott in concert. Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs a full recital at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The classical affair spotlights hymns and symphonies from composers Dvořák, Arvo Pärt, and Sergio Assad. British pianist Kathryn Stott, Ma’s longtime musical partner, will accompany him on stage (Sun, $264+ from third-party sellers, Kennedy Center).
- DC Comedy Festival. DC Comedy Festival brings area comedians together for live standup, game shows, and music across multiple venues. Prepare to laugh all week long at jokes from comics Derek Gaines, Rahmein Mostafavi, David Temple, and several others (Mon-Sat, prices vary, various locations).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Visit Adams Morgan businesses and shops to explore artwork from local artists during ADMO Art Walk; there’s guided walking tours available on select weekends (Mon through April 30, free, Adams Morgan).
- Quirky museum O Mansion presents a new cultural exhibition, “Secret Gardens of Asia” (Mon-through April 15, $50, Dupont).
- Non-fiction writer Earl Swift brings his latest title Hell Put to Shame to Politics and Prose (Mon, free, Northwest DC).
- Culinary writer Marti Buckley visits Bold Fork Books to chat about the Basque Country dishes featured in her new read The Book of Pintxos (Wed, $22+, Mount Pleasant).
- This month’s National Gallery Nights theme is an ode to cherry blossoms. Guests can create wearable floral art, dance, and snap photos in front of a flower wall (Thurs, free, but limited walk-in tickets are available, National Gallery of Art).
- Here’s a rare program of benshi performing with live music to classics of Japanese silent cinema (Fri-Sun, free, but registration is encouraged, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
- Psychotherapist Esther Perel talks about the future of love and relationships (Sat, $27+, Downtown).
- Watch the final installment of the National Gallery of Art’s screenings of Japanese filmmaker Kinuyo Tanaka’s classic movies (Sat, free, National Gallery of Art).
- Build a bouquet along the Georgetown Flower Tour (Sat, $40, Georgetown).
- Watch a screening of art documentary The Grand Bizarre (Sun, free, National Gallery of Art).
- “New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024” presents 28 artists’ works as the latest installment of the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ triennial exhibition series (Sun to August 11, $16 for adults, $13 for DC residents, Downtown).
Solar eclipse views:
- All ages can attend the Solar Eclipse Festival on the National Mall to create paper sundials, learn about orbits, and play science games (Mon, free, National Mall).
- Or, head to MLK Library’s Garden Rooftop for a solar eclipse watch party with neighbors (Mon, free, MLK Library).
- The Ven at Embassy Row is serving solar eclipse-themed drinks at Tag Rooftop Bar (Mon, $10, Dupont).
- Free food, drinks, and viewing glasses are a good reason to stop by Deck 11 Rooftop during the solar eclipse (Mon, free, Penn Quarter).
- Get a virtual view of the solar eclipse from NASA (Mon, free, virtual).
Theater and shows:
- Sing along to “I Won’t Grow Up” and more fan favorites from Broadway’s Peter Pan the musical (Tues through April 21, $44+, National Theatre).
- Round House Theatre’s new play A Jumping-Off Point explores representation and diversity in storytelling (Wed through May 5, $46+, Bethesda).
- Get a first look at original works from new playwrights and live readings during the National Capital New Play Festival (Wed through May 5, pay-what-you-can+, Bethesda).
- Chicks in Heaven opens this week at Creative Cauldron (Thurs, $35+ for in-person, $15 for virtual, Falls Church).
- Andrew Earle Simpson will play along live to the soundtrack of silent film Bare Knees (Sun, $25, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts:
- Ugandan singer-songwriter Jon Muq performs at Pearl Street Warehouse ahead of his debut album release (Mon, $16, Wharf).
- Scottish trio Young Fathers perform their reimagined pop sounds (Mon, $25, Shaw).
- Grammy award-winner and revered Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso sings at Strathmore (Tues, $28+, Bethesda).
- Mariah the Scientist sings her latest R&B tunes at Echostage (Tues, $150+, Langdon).
- Pianist Jason Moran plays a tribute to Duke Ellington (Wed, $35+, Kennedy Center).
- Move your hips to Orquesta Akokán’s Cuban mambo (Wed, $25+, Northwest DC).
- Pink Beats closes out Pink in the Park with a lineup of local music groups. You can see Oh He Dead, The Experience Band & Show, and Gordon Daniels live at Water Park (Sat, free, Arlington).
Bites and beverages:
- Sip on drinks and compete in party games at Valor Brewpub (Wed, free, Capitol Hill).
- Oenophiles and enthusiasts can try a variety of wines from on-site vendors, shop goods from coffee and candle exhibitors, and munch on seafood and bakery items at DC Wine Fest (Sat, $35+, Union Market).
Get involved:
- Jack’s DC Good People Gathering returns to Bluejacket Brewery for a second annual fundraising event to benefit Jack Langerman Community Foundation (Sat, $25, Navy Yard).
Things to do with kids:
- Take your youngsters to the Jacqueline Woodson Block Party for games, roller skate and double Dutch demos, chalk art, and a step dance workshop from Step Afrika! (Sat, free, Kennedy Center).
- There’s face painting, glitter tattoos, and a magic show for children at Spring Family Fair (Sat, free, Sterling).
- Your little ones can attend a Kids Paint ‘n Sip at Mixt Food Hall (Sat, $15, Brentwood).
- Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington is hosting a family-friendly activity-making event at Met Park (Sun, free, Arlington).
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.
