May Culture Guide: 47 Things to Do in the DC Area

Happy May, DC!

Close out spring at an outdoor music festival such as M3 Rock and Porchfest. Plus, WorldPride comes to town boasting an array of vibrant celebrations across the DC region.

9 Best Things to Do in DC

by Pat Padua

Music

Max Richter

May 2

The composer has found a big audience for gorgeously atmospheric music like his eight-hour album, Sleep. Here he’ll join the American Contemporary Music Ensemble to perform two of his melancholy post-minimalist works: The Blue Notebooks and In a Landscape.

Books

Isabel Allende

May 7

In her latest novel, My Name Is Emilia del Valle, the renowned Chilean American author weaves a tale whose drama reaches from 19th-century San Francisco to the Chilean civil war.

Music

Gianandrea Noseda Conducts Mahler’s Sixth

May 8–10

The National Symphony Orchestra tackles a Gustav Mahler masterpiece that’s at once booming and lyrical–a roller coaster of emotions perfectly suited to volatile times.

Music

MJ Lenderman

May 15–16

The indie-rock guitarist/songwriter reached his full potential–and found a much bigger audience–on his fourth solo album, Manning Fireworks. Fans of his preceding 2023 live record know he absolutely kills it onstage.

Theater

We Are Gathered

May 16–June 15

Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose screenplay for Moonlight won an Oscar, wrote this romantic comedy, a modern twist on Shakespearean wedding plays.

Festivals

WorldPride DC

May 17–June 8

This international event, previously hosted by world capitals from Rome to Sydney, is finally happening here–the same year as the 50th anniversary of DC’s own first Pride celebration. Look for a wide range of parades, street festivals, and concerts.

Museums

“Essex Hemphill: Take Care of Your Blessings”

May 17–August 31

The poet/activist was raised in Washington and played a key role in the area’s art scene in the 1980s and ’90s. This exhibit connects Hemphill’s writings with the work of artist contemporaries who knew him and were inspired by his example.

Composer Jeanine Tesori’s acclaimed work–which won a slew of Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical–tackles the agonies of adolescence. Created with playwright/lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire, it’s arriving on a DC stage for the first time.

Theater

Frankenstein

May 27–June 22

In this new adaptation, British director Emily Burns–whose modernized Macbeth was all the rage at STC last spring–takes a deep look at the inner life of Mary Shelley’s gothic mad scientist.

Want More Things to Do?

by Briana Thomas

Arts and culture:

• Book-lovers can nerd out over antique manuscripts, historic documents, and unique maps at Capital Rare Book Fair (May 2-4, $15 general admission, free for ages 16 and younger, $60 for opening night, Downtown).
• Tour the Washington National Cathedral, and shop plants at Flower Mart (May 2-3, free, Cathedral Heights).
• Author Yepoka Yeebo discusses Anansi’s Gold— a Ghanian history book—at Politics and Prose (May 3, free, virtual, Northwest DC).
• Browse fashions, taste chocolates, and make jewelry at Alexandria Spring Fling (May 3, free, Alexandria).
• May the 4th Be With You at Smithsonian’s Star Wars discussion where you can learn about props from the film and preservation (May 4, $25, virtual).
• Disco at a retro prom (May 8, free, with lottery registration opening April 28, National Gallery of Art).
• Browse 20 vivid large-scale prints by artist Niki de Saint Phalle at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (May 9 through November 30, $16 for adults, free for ages 21 and younger, Downtown).
• The outdoor Takoma Flea Market is a great place to find repurposed items, vintage clothing, jewelry, records, furniture, and home goods (May 10, free, Takoma Park).
• Browse 120 booths full of fine arts from local and national creators at the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival (May 10-11, free, Bethesda).
• Shop new and vintage heirlooms at Fine Day Fair (May 10-11, $25+, Chevy Chase).
• Shop chic garden gems, painted furniture, architectural salvage, rustic antiques, and other stylish finds at Lucketts Spring Vintage Market (May 16-18, $20 general admission, $50 for early-buyer weekend pass, Berryville).
• NMWA Nights—a crowd favorite after-hours event—hosts another monthly art gathering with music and drinks (May 21, $25, Downtown).
• Explore photographs of Indigenous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere in the new exhibit “InSight: Photos and Stories from the Archives” (opens May 23, free, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).

Community and heritage:

• Passport DC is a month-long event that highlights the rich traditions of diplomacy in Washington; there are embassy open houses, workshops, exhibitions, and more (May 1-31, free, various participating locations).
• May is Bike Month. You can participate by going on a social ride with neighbors through Potomac Yard (May 1, free, Arlington).
• The Annapolis Irish Festival is two days worth of Ireland-inspired fun packed with live music, vendors, and food (May 2-3, $15+; kids under 12 free on May 3, Crownsville).
• Watch adorable chihuahuas speed down a racetrack to help raise funds for Rural Dog Rescue; there’s a DJ, beer garden, and a dog costume contest (May 3, free, Wharf).
• Immerse yourself in international art, culture, food, and fashion at non-European Union embassies during Around the World Embassy Tour (May 3, free, various participating locations).
• Check out Czech fashions, taste Belgium waffles, sip Danish beer, and more cultural fun at the EU Open House (May 10, free, various participating locations).
• Artisans, performers, and foodies honor Pan-Asian heritage at Fiesta Asia Street Fair (May 17, free, Downtown).

Theater:

• Studio Theatre transforms into a Detroit jazz club for the play Paradise Blue (opens May 1, $55+, Logan Circle).
• Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa talks about yogurt and movies in this world premiere by playwright Julia Izumi (May 4 through June 1, $55+, Penn Quarter).
• See Keegan Theatre’s Falsettos musical in celebration of WorldPride (May 10 through June 15, $64, Dupont).

Shows and performances:

• Folger Consort performs country dances and chamber music from 16th and 17th century England (May 2-4, $20+, Capitol Hill).
• Commemorate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the library’s performance pop-up featuring Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (May 3, free, MLK Library).
• Actor Ramy Youssef does standup at Warner Theatre (May 3, $51+, Warner Theatre).
• Washington National Opera performs the original tech opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (May 2-10, $45+, Kennedy Center).
• Catch a free modern dance performance by DC’s Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (May 17, free, Penn Quarter).

Music:

• Singer-songwriter Miya Folick performs at The Atlantis (May 1, $22, Shaw).
• Rock out at M3 Rock Festival with music legends David Lee Roth, Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley, and more artists at Merriweather Post Pavilion (May 2-4, $50+, Columbia).
• Local bands and soloists perform on neighborhood porches and lawns at Adams Morgan PorchFest (May 3, free, Adams Morgan).
• R&B vocalist Coco Jones fills Echostage with bold melodies and sensual sounds (May 7, $31+, Northeast DC).
• Swamp Dogg headlines Lincoln Cottage’s Bourbon and Bluegrass music festival (May 17-18, $50+ for adults, $35+ for children ages 7-20, free for children ages 6 and younger, Northwest DC).
• The highly-anticipated return of Jazz in the Garden arrives this month at the Sculpture Garden (Fridays May 23-July 11, free, but lottery registration required, National Gallery of Art).
• Funk, jazz, and go-go fuse together at this concert featuring two DC bands: Black Masala and JoGo Project (May 23, $18+, Wharf).

Things to do with kids:

• Families can attend the opening of Glen Echo Park’s historic carousel, and watch Step Afrika perform at Carousel Day (May 3, free to attend, $2+ for carousel rides, Glen Echo).
• Jump through a gigantic bounce house this month with your family. The play place includes slides, music, and sports games for all ages (May 10-11, 17-18, 24-25, $40+ for adults, $30+ for ages 4-15, free for children 3 and younger, Fort Washington).
• Kiddos can pick strawberries, and take a tractor ride at Lincoln Strawberry Festival (May 16-18, $15, Hamilton).

A version of this article appears in the May 2025 issue of Washingtonian.