Happy Monday, DC!
Pop star Charli XCX has a concert at Capital One Arena, rock legend Bruce Springsteen joins the Power to the People Festival, and Oktoberfest celebrations are underway at the Wharf.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
September 28–October 4
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- Charli XCX concert. Charli XCX takes the Capital One Arena stage this week to promote her latest album Music, Fashion, Film. Dance and sing along with fellow Charli’s Angels to pop songs from her new album as well as older favorites such as “360” (Mon, $102+, Capital One Arena).
- Power to the People. Get tickets to the first-ever Power to the People celebration. Top musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello, Foo Fighters, Public Enemy, and more are teaming up at Merriweather Post Pavilion to uplift “peace, love, justice and music” (Sat, $133+, Columbia).
- Oktoberfest at the Wharf. Don your dirndl or lederhosen for a party on the pier. There’s music, a stein-hoisting competition, and a cuddly wiener dog race at this Oktoberfest celebration (Sat, free, Wharf).
- Noseda conducts Exotic Tales. Attend the National Symphony Orchestra’s first regular 2026–27 season performances since leaving the Kennedy Center. Conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads an adventurous score of three iconic works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Ravel (Thurs, $42+, Fairfax).
- Immigration Film Fest. Immigration Film Fest, organized by local nonprofit KAMA DC, is dedicated to sharing the stories and experiences of refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants. The hybrid lineup makes it easy for moviegoers to catch screenings from the comfort of home or at an in-person showing at Festival Center or MLK Memorial Library (Fri through October 11, $55+ in-person pass, $40 virtual pass).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Watch the latest episode of adventure show Survivor with fellow fans at DC9 (Wed, free, Shaw).
- Sip Oktoberfest beer, customize bike tassels and bells, and view art after hours at Phillips after 5 (Thurs, $20, Dupont Circle).
- Shop books, candles, ceramics, fashions, and more handmade goods at Art on the Avenue in Del Ray (Sat, free, Alexandria).
- Make fashionable art with DC’s Crochet Kingpin (Sat, free, Anacostia).
Theater and shows:
- Enjoy feel-good musical Dirty Dancing at National Theatre (Tues-Sun, $99+, Downtown).
- Watch shorts, documentaries, narrative flicks, and new films from university students at George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth during Washington West Film Festival (Fri, October 8-12, 21, $22 for single passes, $100+ for festival pass, Reston).
- Don’t miss this entertaining burlesque and variety show at DC Comedy Loft and Bier Baron Tavern (Sun, $23, Downtown).
Music and concerts:
- Squirrel Flower brings her bohemian rock vibrations to Union Stage (Thurs, $30, Wharf).
- Country guitarist Chris Stapleton sings to a Jiffy Lube Live audience (Fri, $116+, Bristow).
- Relive your party days in the 2010s at this throwback jam session (Fri, $28.50, Shaw).
- Grassroots rhythm fest Home Rule Music Festival wraps up at Alethia Tanner Park (Sat, free, NoMa).
Bites and beverages:
- Taste of Bethesda returns with four stages of entertainment paired with fare from several area restaurants (Sat, free; taste tickets come in bundles of five for $10, Bethesda).
- Discover—and taste— a DC-made whiskey from the pre-prohibition era on a walking tour with local author Troy Hughes (Sun, $35, Mt. Pleasant).
- Get your espresso fix at DC Coffee Festival (Sat-Sun, $30+, Union Market).
Exercise and wellness:
- Run along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal pathway at this half marathon and 5K (Sun, $44+, Georgetown).
Things to do with kids:
- Kids can decorate pumpkins and play in a corn maze at Rosslyn Fall Fest (Sat, free, Rosslyn).
Plan ahead:
- 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 Mon-Thurs, National Gallery of Art).
- Tickets for the ghostly popular Soul Strolls at Congressional Cemetery are on sale now (October 16-17, 23-24, 30-31, November 1, $40 for adults , $20 for ages 12 and under, $80 for VIP, Capitol Hill).
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.
