Summer comes to an end with an array of local festivals such as DC Jazz Fest and Adams Morgan Day, and Ethel Cain is a headliner at All Things Go Music Festival. Also, Theatre Week is a great way to score cheap tickets to a new play.
Arts and culture:
- American Icons is the kickoff theme for fall’s National Gallery Nights (September 10, free, but registration is required via a ticket lottery August 31-September 3, National Gallery of Art).
- Experience art nearly round-the-clock—painting, photography, fashion, music, and dining—during the District’s 15th Art All Night (September 11-12, free, multiple DC locations).
- Meet the cast of the HBO comedy Insecure (September 11, $95+, National Harbor).
- Sit in on conversations with moviemakers and watch a number of cultural films at AFI Latin American Film Festival (September 16 through October 7, $10+, Silver Spring).
- Discover the heritage of African American quilts in the new exhibit “Routed West” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (opens September 18, $16, free for ages under 21, Downtown).
- K-pop group Aespa brings hyperpop tunes to Capital One Arena (September 22, $49.50+, Capital One Arena).
- Shop jewelry, purses, scarves, clothing, and other wearable art at the Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show (September 25-27, $20+, Smithsonian Institution Arts and Industries Building).
- Browse jury-selected creations including sculptures, paintings, jewelry, pottery, textiles, and more at the Alexandria Old Town Art Festival (September 26-27, free, Alexandria).
- Festival-goers can buy autumn produce and snacks from Freshfarm market vendors and shop for handmade items and vintage products from URBNmarket at Mosaic Fall Festival (September 25-26, free, Fairfax).
- Watch an art parade and shop vendors at the Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival (September 27, free, Wheaton).
Community and heritage:
- Adams Morgan Day is a lively neighborhood celebration with live music, family entertainment, and art (September 13, free, Adams Morgan).
- Ukrainian dance, traditional crafts, face painting for kids, and a beer garden are back at Ukrainian Festival (September 18-20, free on Fri and for ages under 21, $15+ for Sat-Sun, Silver Spring).
- Falls Church’s artsy family-friendly festival turns 50 (September 19, free, $3 taste tickets, Falls Church).
- Celebrate local culture and history on a guided tour during Walking Town (September 19-26, free, various locations).
- H Street Festival showcases local eateries, vendors, and fashions, and offers kids’ activities and contests (September 19, free, H Street Corridor).
- Kick off fall in your best lederhosen or dirndl at Lovettsville Oktoberfest (September 26, free, Lovettsville).
- Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture has The Reunion to mark their 10th anniversary (September 24-27, free, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).
- Check out ancestral fashions, Latin music, folk dance, and a lively parade on Pennsylvania Avenue at Fiesta DC (September 26-27, free, Downtown).
Theater and shows:
- Watch a movie screening of Hook accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra (September 5, $40+, Wolf Trap).
- Signature Theatre pays homage to some of Broadway’s lead women from the Golden Age (September 8-20, $61, Arlington).
- Venus—a dark comedy about dating—opens at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (September 9 through October 4, $20+, Penn Quarter).
- DC’s high-energy dance crew Step Afrika! marks the country’s 250th anniversary with a moving new production (September 10 through November 1, $77+, Southwest DC).
- Get tickets to the heart-warming true story Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre (September 10 through October 18, $20+, Penn Quarter).
- Actor Brian Cox—best known for his role in HBO’s Succession— is the lead star in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Score (September 11 through October 18, $43+, Downtown).
- Keegan Theatre premieres A Beautiful Blue Morning Sky. The concert tells stories of September 11 (September 11-13, donations welcome, Dupont Circle).
- Theatre Week invites locals to catch several area performances at a discounted rate (September 24 through October 11, $25+, various participating theaters).
- Helen Hayes winner Psalmayene 24 directs Shakespeare comedy Measure for Measure at Folger Theatre (September 23 through October 26, $20+, Capitol Hill).
- Wish You Were Here invites audiences into an Iranian story of friendship and change (September 23 through November 1, $42+, Logan Circle).
Music:
- Jazz artists Dan Murray, Herb Scott, and several others play around town at this year’s DC Jazz Fest (September 2-6, $29+, Wharf, Downtown).
- Bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana bands play at the Watermelon Pickers’ Fest (September 10-12, $87+, Berryville).
- Listen to Robyn live in concert to help raise funds for social and environmental nonprofit PLUS1 (September 9, $146+, Wharf).
- Rosslyn Jazz Fest ushers in another weekend of contemporary jazz performances (September 12, free, Arlington).
- Watch live music performances across multiple stages at the Takoma Park Folk Festival (September 27, free, Takoma Park).
- Ethel Cain, Brandi Carlile, and Mitski are some of the headliners of All Things Go Music Festival (September 25-27, $149+, Columbia).
- Charli XCX arrives in DC to promote her latest album Music, Fashion, Film (September 28, $102+, Capital One Arena).
Things to do with kids:
- Food, art, agriculture, and family fun are what you can look forward to at the DC State Fair (September 6, free, Downtown).
- Charles County Fair returns with carnival rides, live bands, and animal contests (September 17-20, $10 for adults, free for ages 10 and under, La Plata).
- Kiddos can play on rope swings, visit farm animals, venture through a tractor museum, and ride an enormous slide at Cox Farms Festival (September 19 through November 8, $15+, Centreville).
- Meet farm animals and ride amusement attractions at the State Fair of Virginia (September 25 through October 4, $12+ for ages 5 to 12, $14.50+ for adults, free for ages 4 and younger, Doswell).
A version of this article appears in the August 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
