Good day, DC!
Lady Gaga’s tour makes a stop at Capital One Arena this week. Plus, the cherry blossom excitement continues at Bloomaroo, Sakura Sunday, and more family-friendly festivals.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
March 23–29
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- Lady Gaga concert. Lady Gaga brings her star power to DC on a world tour promoting her latest project, Mayhem. Get ready to move your feet to the singer’s over-the-top pop rhythms with fellow little monsters (Mon-Tues, $343+, Capital One Arena).
- Bloomaroo at the Wharf. Clap your hands and two-step to live local bands such as the Julia Her Band, Pink PaLiSh, and Too Much Talent Band. There’s also craft-making for kids and a colorful fireworks finale at the festival (Sat, free, Wharf).
- Sakura Sunday at National Harbor. The annual Sakura Sunday brings a Japanese pop-up market, art, music, dance, culinary treats, and more to the Maryland waterfront (Sun, free, National Harbor).
- Travesty at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Lip-synced narratives take audiences through an underground queer history in this performance (Weds through April 12, pay-what-you-can+, Penn Quarter).
- “Shirley Gorelick: Figuring It Out” exhibit. Brooklyn-born painter Shirley Gorelick—who lived in DC for a few years—will have three of her realist large-scale works displayed together for the first time at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Fri through June 28, $16, free for ages 21 and younger, Downtown).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Author Allison LaMothe talks about her neo-noir crime novel at Lost City Books (Mon, free, Adams Morgan).
- Two teams of DC natives compete in rounds of local trivia (Tues, free, Deanwood).
- Senator Cory Booker dives into his latest book Stand at Sixth & I (Tues, $15, Downtown).
- Big Bear Cafe’s Cherry Blossom Street Market features more than 25 vendors and music from Les the DJ (Fri, free, Bloomingdale).
- Moviegoers can watch shorts, documentaries, and full-length productions about climate change, environmental justice, and other topics at the DC Environmental Film Festival (through Sat, free+, various locations).
- Bookworms can meet local writers and find a new read at Capital Art Book Fair (Sat-Sun, free, Capitol Hill).
- Browse local vendors at Brookland Arts Walk and take your kids to a puppet show (Sun, free, Brookland).
Community and heritage:
- Hear from former DC mayor Sharon Pratt and other women leaders at a Women’s History Month symposium (Sat, free but registration required, Northwest DC).
- Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band perform a tribute concert to honor Vietnam War veterans (Sun, free, National Mall).
Theater and shows:
- Learn about John Lewis’s impactful civil rights legacy during Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest, a musical at Mosaic Theater (Thurs through May 3, $62+, H Street Corridor).
- Be the first to see new magic shows from local magicians (Fri, free, Arlington).
Music and concerts:
- Pink Beats—an outdoor music festival featuring electronic DJs and dance performances—is taking over Water Park (Thurs, April 2, 9, free, Arlington).
- Dance into the weekend at this K-pop music night (Fri, $27, Wharf).
- DC’s dance-punk group Light Beams gets the party started at Rhizome (Sat, $10+, Takoma).
- Go-go band Mambo Sauce plays live at Anthem Row. In addition to live tunes, there’s painting, origami, and food (Sun, free, Downtown).
Bites and beverages:
- Don your best pink and white glam for a cherry blossom-themed party at Café Riggs with rosé Champagne and passed bites (Thurs, $85, Downtown).
- Taste 15 varieties of Irish spirits at Doyle Spirits Festival with the Embassy of Ireland (Sat, $54, Dupont Circle).
Exercise and wellness:
- Slow down and stroll at this Rosslyn neighborhood walk and sound bath (Sat, $15, Arlington).
Plan ahead:
- Register in advance to meet Asian elephant calf Linh Mai at the zoo’s Elephant Trails (opens April 22, free registration available now, National Zoo).
Things to do with kids:
- Kite enthusiasts can fly their kites alongside neighbors at the Washington Monument Grounds (Sat, free, National Mall).
- Youngsters make Japanese paper crafts and cherry blossom-inspired illustrations at the National Building Museum (Sun, free, Penn Quarter).
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.
