Happy Tuesday, DC!
Welcome back from the long weekend. This week, you can meet the Smithsonian National Zoo’s precious new pandas, or play a game of social darts at the city’s new entertainment venue Flight Club.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
January 21–January 26
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- Pandas at the Zoo. The National Zoo’s newest pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, arrived at the zoo in October. This weekend, the public will finally get to meet the adorable bears in their renovated habitat on the Asia Trail (opens Fri, free, but entry pass required, National Zoo).
- Flight Club opening. Flight Club is the latest upscale gaming concept to open in DC. At the Mount Vernon Square social bar you can play a tech-equipped round of darts with a group of friends or coworkers in between bites of tacos, flatbreads, and cotton candy, and sips from the cocktail bar (opens Fri, $15+ to play, Downtown).
- Lunar New Year at the Kennedy Center. Celebrate Lunar New Year at the Kennedy Center with lion dance performances and a jazz concert headlining Chinese American composer Stephanie Chou to ring in the year of the snake (Sat, free, Kennedy Center).
- Tina the Musical. Broadway’s musical narration of rock-and-roll queen Tina Turner’s career arrives at the National Theatre with an electrifying soundtrack (Fri-Sun, $69+, Downtown).
- Monster Jam. Watch giant trucks trample over obstacles at Monster Jam while fans keep score. The world’s most popular stunt vehicles like Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, and Sparkle Smash will tread through dirt inside Capital One Arena (Fri-Sun, $20+, Capital One Arena).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Watch a retro movie screening of Death Becomes Her at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Tues, $9, Brentwood, Arlington).
- Bookworms can dive into author Rebecca Yarros’ latest title, Onyx Storm, at East City Bookshop (Tues, $15, waitlist tickets available, Capitol Hill).
- How quickly can you put together a jigsaw puzzle? Put your skills to the test at Aslin Beer Co. (Wed, $20+, Alexandria).
- Attend an art talk about abstraction themes (Thurs, free, but registration required, National Gallery of Art).
- Swap puzzles on National Puzzle Day (Sat, free, Eastern Market).
- Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray and artist Michael Shane Neal discuss the portrait of Gray now on view at the Smithsonian (Sun, free, but registration required, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
- Find a new—or old—outfit at the Happy Daze clothing swap (Sun, free, Union Market).
Community and heritage:
- Join a lecture about how the US presidency has changed over the years (Tues, $16, Penn Quarter).
- Learn about the US Mint’s new American quarter for civil rights activist Ida B. Wells at the museum (Thurs, free, but registration required, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).
- Teens and young adults can participate in A Day of Action writing workshops in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Sun, free, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
Theater and shows:
- Start 2025 with a ton of laughs at Dropout Improv; tickets are selling fast (Tues, $305+, Warner Theatre).
- Actor and comic star Nick Swardson arrives in DC for a one-night show (Fri, $53+, Warner Theatre).
- See the one-man show Guac at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, about a father turned activist (Sat through February 16, $30, Penn Quarter).
Music and concerts:
- Take a music class with guitarist Hasan Imam Hamdani (Wed, free, Bethesda).
- See a high-energy Yamato concert featuring Japanese Taiko drums (Thurs, $28+, Bethesda).
- Listen to live music from nine artists at Opera on Tap (Thurs, free, Columbia Heights).
- Get tickets to Union Stage’s Club XCX before they sell out (Fri, $15+, Wharf).
- Hip-hop legend Warren G commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Regulate album at Howard Theatre (Fri, $35+, Shaw).
- Snag a ticket to this live music tribute to R&B and pop icon Prince at The Hamilton Live before spots sell out (Fri, $20, Northwest DC).
- Shake your groove thing to disco tunes at A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA (Sat, $35, U Street Corridor).
- After an eight-year hiatus, Blind Pilot is back on stage performing songs from their new album (Sun, $30, Shaw).
Bites and beverages:
- Raise a glass of whiskey for Tasty Tuesday at Spirits & Spice (Tues, $15, Dupont).
- Taste dumplings, Peking duck, and Chinese-style lamb at Chang Chang’s communal-seated dinner in commemoration of Lunar New Year (Sun, $88, Northwest DC).
- Armenian cuisine, wine, live music, art, and film are highlights of an Evening at the Embassy of Armenia (Wed, $65, Kalorama).
Get involved:
- You can volunteer to clean up the Capitol with neighbors (Sat, free, Union Square).
Things to do with kids:
- Kiddos can explore fossils, dinosaur replicas, and more fun at Jurassic Quest (Fri-Sun, $22+, Chantilly).
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.
