October Culture Guide: 45 Things to Do in the DC Area

Autumn ushers in sweater weather, pumpkin picking, outdoor brew fests, and a lot more excitement. Cozy up with a glass of wine at a local tasting, see the Washington Ballet’s tribute to 50 years of go-go music, or binge documentaries and features at a film festival.

10 Best Things to Do in DC

By Pat Padua

Music

Rush

October 25 and 27

 

location_on Capitol One Arena

language Website

The hard-rock greats retired from the road in 2018, and after drummer Neil Peart died in 2020, it seemed unlikely that decision would ever change. But the band is now back on tour, featuring German musician Anika Nilles behind the drum kit, and the intense shows have been wowing fans and critics.

 

Museums

“Beverly Pepper: Land Art and Monumental Sculptures”

October 23–April 25

This exhibit features several gallery-size pieces and a film about the American sculptor, known for creating monumental works from iron, steel, and earth. It’s complemented by an outdoor exhibition on New York Avenue.

Books

Marcia Chatelain

October 7

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s latest book, How Bright the Path Grows, looks at the women behind the 1963 March on Washington—both well-known figures like Josephine Baker and Mahalia Jackson and lesser-known participants who still had a big impact.

Music

Noseda Conducts Exotic Tales

October 1-2

Museums

“Esther Bubley: Photographing the Homefront”

October 22

The daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants worked for the Office of War Information during World War II, and her photographs vividly captured daily life in wartime Washington.

Dance

Go-Go 50

October 30–November 1

The Washington Ballet opens its 50th season with an eclectic program that, among other things, features the world premiere of a piece boldly marrying ballet to go-go music, including work from the band Black Alley.

Music

Niladri Kumar

October 24

 

The sitar virtuoso, zitar inventor, and sometime film composer pays homage to the late master Zakir Hussain in a program drawing on both Indian classical music and contemporary jazz.

Music

Kelela

October 13

The Ethiopian American alternative-R&B singer, who grew up in Gaithersburg, is back with New Avatar, a gauzy, sonically rich album that casts a spell.

Film

Noir City DC

October 8–22

This year’s annual festival of hard-boiled cinema emphasizes crime and song, with classics including Blues in the Night (1941), the jazz-inflected Othello adaptation All Night Long (1962), and what may be Elvis Presley’s greatest movie, King Creole (1958, above).

Music

Power to the People

October 3

This inaugural celebration of “peace, love, justice and music” is an all-star concert featuring Bruce Springsteen (above), Tom Morello, Foo Fighters, Public Enemy, and more.

Want More Things to Do?

by Briana Thomas

Arts and culture:

• Shop books, candles, ceramics, fashions, and more handmade goods at Art on the Avenue in Del Ray (October 3, free, Alexandria).
• Award-winning actor Michael Douglas uncovers his road from childhood to Hollywood in his new book at Sixth & I (October 7, $52.50 for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
• Ghouls and ghosts can have a Monster Mash at National Gallery Nights; DC punk band Oh He Dead is playing live (October 8, free, but registration is required via a ticket lottery September 28-October 1, National Gallery of Art).
• This fall festival is 50 years old. Stroll a beer garden, see live bands, and browse hundreds of arts-and-crafts booths in downtown Fairfax (October 10, free, Fairfax).
• Shop the Luckett’s Fall Market for autumnal vintage finds (October 16-18, $23, Berryville).

Community and heritage:

• Don your dirndl or lederhosen for Polka on the Pier. There’s music, a stein-hoisting competition, and a cuddly wiener dog race at this Oktoberfest celebration (October 3, free, Wharf).
• Watch folk dance performances along Pennsylvania Avenue between bites of Turkish cuisine at the outdoor Turkish Festival (October 18, free, Downtown).

Theater and shows:

• Catch screenings from the comfort of home or at an in-person showing at Festival Center or MLK Memorial Library during Immigration Film Fest (October 2-11, $55+ in-person pass, $40 virtual pass).
• Watch shorts, documentaries, narrative flicks, and new films from university students at George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth during Washington West Film Festival (October 2, 8-12, 21, $22 for single passes, $100+ for festival pass, Reston).
• Maybe Happy Ending is a futuristic new musical about a robot love story sparked by a road trip across South Korea(October 6-11, $87+, National Theatre).
• Keegan Theatre’s Hundred Days concert-musical is based on a true romance story (October 10 through November 15, $65, Dupont Circle).
• Top directors, filmmakers, and actors will gather for narrative and documentary showings, Q&A sessions, awards ceremonies, and more at Middleburg Film Festival (October 15-18, single passes and film schedule TBA, advanced all-access passes sold out).

• Greenbelt’s Utopia Film Festival screens documentary shorts, animations, independent features, and locally produced films (October 17-18, $20 pass, Greenbelt).

• Are You Now or Have You Even Been is an electrifying docudrama that recounts hearings from the House Committee on Un-American Activities (October 17 through December 6, $77+, Southwest DC).

Music:

• Country guitarist Chris Stapleton sings to a Jiffy Lube Live audience (October 2, $116+, Bristow).
• Grassroots rhythm fest Home Rule Music Festival wraps up at Alethia Tanner Park (October 3, free, NoMa).
• Rod Wave performs his chart-topping melancholy lyrics in DC (October 16, $199+, Capital One Arena).
• Electro music duo Boy Harsher has a concert at Howard Theatre (October 30, $39+, Shaw).

Bites and beverages:

• Taste of Bethesda returns with four stages of entertainment paired with fare from several area restaurants (October 3, free; taste tickets come in bundles of five for $10, Bethesda).
• Eat finger-licking barbecue, listen to Rock Creek Revival, and take your kids to a martial arts dojo at MD State BBQ Bash (October 9-10, free, Bel Air).
• Mount Vernon Fall Wine Festival serves unlimited sips from Virginia vineyards such as DuCard Vineyards, Gray Ghost Vineyards, and Horton Vineyards on the grounds of George Washington’s estate (October 9-11, $51+, Mount Vernon).
• Our favorite beast is back in town this fall. Snallygaster—named after a folkloric monster—hosts hundreds of brew, cider, and food vendors for a day of toasts and dancing (October 10, $75+, Downtown).
• Raise a glass with fellow wine enthusiasts at DC Wine Fest at Dock5 (October 16-17, $61, Union Market).

Halloween:

• A haunted house, multiple escape rooms, and a ton of scary attractions are now open at Laurel’s House of Horror (select dates through November 7, $30+, Laurel).
• Listen to spooky stories and exorcist tales on a guided DC by Foot walking tour about the Ghosts of Georgetown (ongoing, $39 for adults, $25 for ages 4-16, Georgetown).
• Take Soul Strolls through the historic Congressional Cemetery (October 16-17, 23-24, 30-31, November 1, $40 for adults , $20 for ages 12 and under, $80 for VIP, Capitol Hill).
• Kiddos and adults can spot zoo animals and go trick-or-treating after hours at Boo at the Zoo (October 16-18, $35, National Zoo).
• Make creepy crafts at the popular Air & Scare Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (October 24, free, registration required for outdoor events, Chantilly).
• Dress in costume for a family disco party at Dance Place (October 24, $15, Northeast DC).
• PumpkinPalooza invites families to pick pumpkins and dress up in Halloween costumes at Alethia Tanner Park (October 28, free, NoMa).
•  Supplyhouse transforms into Nightmare in Navy Yard featuring three DJs across three dance floors, food trucks, and on-theme cocktails (October 31, $66+, Navy Yard).
• Listen to music from the Revolutionary Era, eat fresh baked bread, and collect Halloween candies at Mount Vernon (October 31, $26 for kids, $31 for adults, Mount Vernon).

Things to do with kids:

• Kiddos get to see their favorite Disney characters perform on the ice (October 8-12, $29+, Fairfax).
• Cherry Hill Park transforms into a children’s play space where there’s pumpkins, music, and demos on basket weaving at Farm Day (October 10, free, $2 activity tickets, Falls Church).
• There are kid-friendly carnival attractions, pony rides, and a petting zoo at the Stafford County Fair (October 15-18, free, Fredericksburg).