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

Happy Monday, DC!

Two big parades are happening this week: National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, and DC Emancipation Day Parade. You can attend both outdoor celebrations with family and friends for live music and fellowship.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

April 7–April 13

1. 1. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. The spring event we’ve been waiting for arrives this weekend with balloons, floats, and marching bands. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will strut down Constitution Avenue featuring parade performances by theater star Deejay Young, singer Kathy Sledge, Asher Havon, and more (Sat, $25+ for seating, Downtown).
   2. Sakura Matsuri–Japanese Street Festival. Keep the cherry blossom entertainment going at the two-day Sakura Matsuri–Japanese Street Festival . The major event is packed with J-pop dance parties, a cosplay fashion show, sing-alongs, live storytelling, dojo demos, and several food vendors serving Asian bites (Sat-Sun, $10+, Downtown).
   3. DC Emancipation Day Parade. The 20th Anniversary Emancipation Day Parade —in commemoration of DC’s enslaved persons obtaining freedom in 1862—will begin at the cross section of Pennsylvania Avenue and 10th Street, NW, at 2 PM, followed by an outdoor concert featuring R&B and gospel artists such as Anthony Hamilton, Chante Moore, and Tim Bowman. The evening will conclude with a fireworks show (Sun, free, Freedom Plaza).
   4. “Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble” exhibit. Formed in 1985, the anonymous, gorilla-masked feminist-activist art collective is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The new exhibit in their honor “Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble” presents a timeline of the group’s bold examinations of gender disparities in the art world to critiques on pop culture, politics, and other topics through prints (opens Sat, free, National Museum of Women in the Arts).
   5.  DC Beer Fest. Sip on seasonal spring beers or craft brews from dozens of different breweries at this laid-back Beer Fest. General admission tickets grant guests access to unlimited samples from over 80 breweries, as well as live music, a dueling piano bar, and food truck alley. VIP tickets allow visitors to check out the warning track and dugouts at Nationals Park, batting practice against live pitching, plus take home some commemorative goodies (Sat, $55+, Nationals Park).
   6. Art of Pink. Art meets nightlife at this Pink in the Park cherry blossom celebration. Art of Pink is an immersive nighttime art gathering where neighbors can see works from more than 90 local artists at Met Park. In addition to pop-up art, you can snack on bites from Blossom Night Market, and watch a jumping breakdance showcase with beats by DJ Fleg (Fri, free, Arlington).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• Write a cherry blossom haiku, and snack on sweet treats from Spilled Milk at Planet Word’s evening Wordplay event (Wed, $5+, Downtown).
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey bring circus acts to Live! At the Library evening gathering (Thurs, free, but tickets required, Library of Congress).
• Celebrate Mother Earth at National Gallery Nights’ Reduce, Reuse, Remix after-hours party; there’s crafts, art viewing, and music (Thurs, free, but limited tickets available onsite, National Gallery of Art).
• Sip champagne, taste caviar, and view a vintage car and live fashion illustrations at Café Riggs’ luxurious Pink & White Party (Thurs, $105, Downtown).
• View historic tea utensils and ceramics in the exhibit “Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped” at the National Museum of Asian Art (opens Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
• Stroll through the Adams Morgan Art Walk with a DC Arts Center guide (Sat-Sun, $5, Adams Morgan).
• Create your own fragrant candle with Flame and Pout (Sun, April 19, $40+, Fairfax).

Community and heritage:

• Participate in a colorful family-friendly Holi dance party and one-mile run or walk at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods (Sat, free, Columbia).
• Give woodblock printing a try, and join an art and justice conversation with NMAAHC curator Johanna Obenda, artist Daniel Minter, and filmmaker Tiffany McNeil (Sat, $35, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).

Theater and shows:

• Attend a staged reading of Electionland—a production that recalls the disputed presidential election of 1876 (Mon, free, Northeast DC).
• The classic musical Annie makes a National Theatre return this spring (Fri through April 20, $49+, Downtown).
• Standup comedian Shane Gillis has a sold-out Capital One Arena show this weekend. If you’re a fan of his humor, you can snag a ticket from third-party sellers (Sat $119+, Capital One Arena).
• Washington Concert Opera performs Italian drama Luisa Miller at Lisner Auditorium (Sun, $59, George Washington University).

Music and concerts:

• Australian pop star Kylie Minogue brings her Tension Tour to DC (Tues, $42+, Capital One Arena).
• Folk guitarist Melissa Etheridge plays live at Warner Theatre (Sat, $67+, Warner Theatre).
• Local R&B singer Tasia and DC vocalist Hasani are in concert at The Pocket (Sat, $20, Union Market).

Get involved:

• Adopt or foster an urgent dog at Prince George’s County Animal Shelter (Tues, adoption prices vary, free to foster, Upper Marlboro).
• Help grow fresh food for the community by volunteering at The Arc Farm (Tues, free, Shipley).

Things to do with kids:

• Kids can hop over to Butler’s Orchard for a springtime jamboree called Bunnyland (Sat-Sun, April 17-19, 21, 26-27, $12+ for adults, free for children 12 months and younger, Germantown).
• Little ones can meet the Easter Bunny at Shipgarten’s family festival complete with two bounce houses, playgrounds, face painting, giveaways, food, a magic show by Jake the Great, and a photo booth (Sun, free, Tysons).

Plan ahead:

• Celebrate Earth Day at NMWA Nights with recycling opportunities, DJ beats, drinks, and art (April 16, $25, Downtown).
• Charlie Ballantine plays a live concert at the picturesque Kreeger Museum (April 19, $35, Northwest DC).
• Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles has a new book. Tickets are on sale now for her memoir talk at MGM National Harbor (April 30, $67+, National Harbor).

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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.