Go for a hike (or run!) in the woods at Rock Creek Park
This spring-like weather probably won’t last through the weekend, but that doesn’t mean your fun won’t continue. Enjoy an annual performing arts fest or an event all about kids’ health and nutrition. Celebrate Black History Month or local writers. Explore STEM activities or local nature. Attend open houses for a charter school or kids active programs. These and many more ideas are detailed below. Oh, also… KFDC turns 7 today! And I’ll be celebrating with an awesome giveaway later, so be sure to check back and enter. Happy Weekend!
Intersect with the Performing Arts
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Admission: See the website
The Atlas is kicking off its annual festival that presents tons of fantastic performances in music, theatre, dance, film, and spoken word with several exhibitions especially for families. See Jane Franklin Dance perform The Big Meow. Enjoy Callaloo: The Legend of The Golden Coqui, a puppet show by Sepia Works. Joy of Motion Dance Center’s Alight Dance Theater presents Stargazing. These are just the most kid-friendly — the whole line-up of shows throughout the Festival is worth checking out by grown-ups.
Open House
Where: My Gym Bethesda & My Gym Potomac
When: Friday, 4-7pm
Admission: Free
Get a preview of My Gym Potomac and My Gym Bethesda’s spring offerings. Meet the teachers and sample the programs — there are Mommy and Me movement and music classes for babies and preschoolers, and tumbling, sports, and parkour classes for older children. The evening will include games and activities, plus discounts on registration! You can also enter a giveaway for a chance to win eight weeks of enrollment here.
Nature Explorations, Inside & Out
Where: Rock Creek Park
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Spend a day exploring at Rock Creek! Visit the Nature Center and catch a planetarium show on Saturday at 1pm and 4pm. Hike from there to Peirce Mill, where you can check out its inner workings. Visit horses at the Horse Center. Or just wander along the trails in the woods and enjoy the nature around you.
Kids in the Kitchen
Where: YMCA Anthony Bowen
When: Saturday, 9am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Want your kids to eat smart and learn to make healthy lifestyle choices? Join The Junior League of Washington at Kids in the Kitchen on Saturday for a fun-filled day of games, crafts, hands-on learning, and exciting prizes – all to celebrate and promote nutritional literacy. This free kids health and nutrition event is targeted at children ages 3-13. The Anthony Bowen Y is located at 1325 W Street NW.
Black History Month Celebration
Where: Josiah Henson Park in Bethesda
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free
Enjoy free, educational events that highlight the stories, struggles, and successes of African Americans. Activities include guided tours of the park, the screening of a PBS documentary about the park, and the annual spoken word poetry event, “Lyrical Rhythms: The Sounds of Freedom.”
More Ways to Celebrate Black History
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
February is Black History Month, and there are events and activities throughout the DC area to celebrate it. Museum programs (including an entire museum!), special tours and exhibits, story time sessions, and more will be enlightening and fun for all ages. See where they’re happening this weekend.
DC STEMfest
Where: Harmony Charter School
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
DC STEMfest invites everyone from all ages to celebrate science, technology, engineering, and math with fun activities. This free event is open to students, families and features interactive exhibits, hands-on experiments, mind-blowing demos, a full line-up of live science-themed performances and much more.
Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by show
* Ella Enchanted is on stage at Adventure Theatre
* Reserve free tickets for Struggle for Freedom: The Life of Dr. King, this week’s Saturday morning at the National performance
* Jack and the Beanstalk just opened at The Puppet Co.
* And Penguins’ Playground is this week’s featured Tiny Tots show
* The Freshest Snow Whyte just opensed at Imagination Stage
* Little ones will enjoy Kitchen Adventures with Encore Stage & Studio
* Make it a KidFree night as Shakespeare Theatre Company presents King Charles III at Sidney Harman Hall
Celebration of Writers
Where: Howard University
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
The District of Columbia Area Writing Project is proud to host a “Celebration of Writers.” This event, as the name suggests, calls for a fun and exciting celebration of writers from varied fields and genres, as well as the celebration of our most recent graduates from the Teacher’s Summer Institute. Join us for an enjoyable day of interactive performances, including songs, dance, storytelling and poetry. Our guests of honor include prestigious personalities, such as Colbert I. King from Washington Post, Dr. Oneeka Williams who is a renowned childrens’ books author and an urological surgeon and finally Mark A. Williams, a teacher at Duke Ellington School of Arts and organizer of R Street Collective . Register for free here.
African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space
Where: Steve C. Udvar-Hazy Center
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free, but parking is $15
Each February, the Museum celebrates the significant contributions African Americans have made to flight and space exploration despite the overwhelming obstacles they had to overcome. Enjoy presentations, hands-on activities, and stories. Learn about African American astronauts, pilots, and scientists of the past and present and their accomplishments.
Magic of Spying: Tradecraft Trickery
Where: International Spy Museum
When: Saturday, 11 am – 12 pm
Admission: $10 ($9/members)
In the real-life world of espionage, spies often call upon the art of magic and illusion to distract the enemy, make evidence disappear, and escape unnoticed. Join professional magician, Peter Wood, as he demonstrates the art of misdirection, sleight of hand, and other illusions used by skilled spies. This one of a kind performance, custom-designed for the Spy Museum, is guaranteed to fascinate children and adults alike. For ages 7 and up.
Feel the Heritage Festival
Where: Drew Community Center
When: Saturday, 1-6pm
Admission: Free
Arlington County will celebrate its rich African-American heritage. This free event will feature live music, dance performances, storytelling, children’s activities, including face painting, balloon art, and crafts. And food, art, and other wares will be on sale.
Wizard School Scavenger Hunt
Where: National Gallery of Art
When: Saturday, 2pm
Admission: $17.50/ages10-17, $19.50/adult
Join Watson Adventures on a unique Harry Potter-themed scavenger hunt for kids 10 & up! Follow in the footsteps of young wizards on a field trip to the National Gallery in search of art that echoes characters, places and enchanted objects in the famed Harry Potter books and movies. Wizards and muggles alike can play and enjoy this hunt. It’s not an addition to or variation on Harry’s adventures, but instead references to the books will provide a surprising bridge to many strange and wonderful works of art. It’s a great way to discover — or rediscover — the museum. Designed for kids and adults to do together, and kids must be accompanied by an adult. Advance purchase is required.
Roll with It
Where: DC Armory
When: Saturday, 4pm (door open at 3pm)
Admission: $15
DC Rollergirls, the National Capital Region’s only women’s flat-track roller derby league, are kicking (or make that, rolling) another season of hard-hitting skating. A 40-minute exposition bout paying tribute to DCRG legacy home teams DC Demoncats and Scare Force One will take place before the main event, featuring the DC Rollergirls National Maulers vs. Free State Roller Derby.
Charter School Open House
Where: Creative Minds International Public Charter School
When: Saturday
Admission: Free
As the lottery deadline nears, explore a DC school option this weekend. It’s a great opportunity to learn about their academic programs and approach to teaching, meet some of the staff, and check out the space. Read more about Creative Minds here.
Dance Your Socks Off
Where: River Park Nursery School
When: Saturday, 4-7pm
Admission: $15 or $40/family
River Park Nursery School’s annual Sock Hop is always a fun-filled, family-friendly event. Featuring entertainment by local musical celebrity Mr. Skip, food, games, and a silent auction, enjoy activities for all ages and an opportunity to support preschool education on Capitol Hill.
Lil’ Kickers Open House
Where: Cassel’s Sports Complex
When: Saturday,10:30am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Check out a great soccer program for kids! Lil’ Kickers will be providing mini classes throughout the morning for your children to experience their program, so stop by at any time. Their balanced and creative approach to coaching will have a positive impact on your child that goes far beyond the soccer field. High-energy soccer classes are carefully designed to enhance your child’s overall growth and well-being. The result? Kids with strong physical skills, who are well-balanced and confident. And, they do all this while your child has the time of their life. This is the first of several Open House Events at their four locations. Cassel’s is located at 1400 Park Center Road in Herndon, VA.
DREAM BIG IMAX 3D
Where: Air & Space Museum & Udzar-Hazy Center
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $9/adult, $8/senior, $7.50/ages 2-12
With some rain in the forecast, a movie at a museum will be a great plan. This latest film on local giant screens promotes the E in STEM. From the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots to footbridges in Haiti to a solar car race across Australia, DREAM BIG celebrates the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small and highlights how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways. View the trailer here. And, of course, plan to explore the museum while you’re there!
District of Dance: A DC Rhythm & Blues Celebration
Where: Anacostia High School
When: Sunday, 3-8pm
Admission: Free
Inspired by the rhythm & blues history of Washington, DC, from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, this event welcomes all ages for an afternoon and evening of community fun. Join in to celebrate with live performances, hand dance lessons, and panel discussions. Anacostia High School is located at 1601 16th Street SE.
Teen Studio
Where: National Gallery of Art
When: Sunday, 1-3pm
Admission: Free
Kids in grades 9-12 are invited to examine Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s memorial to honor Civil War heroes Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the all–African American 54th Massachusetts Regiment. Through the combination of art history and studio perspectives, these immersive workshops aim to expand creative thinking. Taught by artists and museum educators, each two-and-a-half-hour workshop consists of conversation and hands-on drawing instruction in the galleries. The workshops are designed for all skill levels. Register in advance!
The Great Indoors
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Rain and colder temps are on the way, so you might need extra ideas for indoor outings. Burn some energy at an indoor playground, visit a museum, explore a historic place, catch some live entertainment, bring the outdoors in at a nature center. This post listing over 80 ideas for activities inside will get your fun started.
Out and About
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
If you’re keen on getting out no matter what the weather, this post has lots of suggestions for great places to spend a day outdoors — trails to hike, playgrounds, gardens with kids activities, and more!
