The Weekend Round-Up: May 5-7

You’ve got your pick (literally, in some cases) of fun things to do over the next few days. Weather may horn in on your plans (check to make sure events are running if it rains), so keep the The Great Indoors list handy — and go ahead and bookmark the best outdoors spots, too, just in case. Happy Weekend!

Flower Mart
Where: National Cathedral | Woodley Park, DC
When: Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free
The annual festival, in its 78th year at the National Cathedral, is a wonderful way to spend a spring day . While plant sales, floral and horticultural displays, and boutique booths will likely be of more interest to grown-ups, there will also be music and entertainment, games and rides, tasty foods, the All Hallows Guild antique carousel, and other fun activities to delight kids as well. And be sure to visit the awesome Beauvoir School playground while your’re there. Admission is free, though concessions and some activities will cost a fee. Read about one of our experiences at the event.

Friday Night Drive-In
Where: Union Market | Northeast DC
When: Friday, 6-10pm
Admission: $10/car
Celebrate May the 4th a day late as the Union Market Drive-In presents Star Wars: The Force Awakens in their monthly series that runs through November. Catch the flick on the big screen from the comfort of your car in the UM parking lot. Get there as early as 6pm and have a bite to eat in the Market or bring food back to your car. The film starts at 8:15pm. Advance purchase is recommended.

Around the World Embassy Tour
Where: More than 40 Embassies | Embassy Row & Dupont Circle, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
You might get to hear live music from Albania, sample snacks from Sri Lanka, see a Bolivian dance performance, and enjoy the rich tradition of Nepalese storytelling – all in one day! Cultural Tourism DC presents its annual Around the World Embassy Tour, an open house to embassies from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The free event showcases art, music, traditional dress, and culinary delights from nations across the globe. It’s also your chance to check out the interiors of those mansions along Mass Ave & International Drive that you usually just admire from the street. A heads-up that there could be lines to get in some embassies, so be prepared. Admission is free, but bring identification, as some embassies might conduct security checks. Read about one of our globetrotting-in-DC experiences and get a glimpse of what to expect.

Racing Art
Where: Around the Inner Harbour | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday, 9am – 7pm
Admission: Free
You might see giant pink poodles and other outrageous works of art “race” down Baltimore streets at the American Visionary Art Museum’s 19th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. Kinetinauts (the pilots of the moving sculptures) will compete for the Grand East Coast National Mediocre Champion, awarded to the competitor who finishes exactly in the middle (that is the BEST). Vehicles are wacky and whimsical, straight from a lunatic genius imagination and constructed out of all kinds of materials. They may be a small one-person machine or a 50-foot feat of engineering navigated by many. This is one of those spectacles you just have to see for yourself.

Duck, Duck… Race!
Where: Yards Park | Navy Yard, DC
When: Saturday 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
See thousands of environmentally-friendly toy ducks race along the Anacostia River! The second annual DC Duck Race, a fundraiser to benefit more than 30 non-profits executing sustainable service projects in the community, will showcase the flock of sponsored rubber duckies “racing” along a contained course on the water. There will be even more at the community festival, including entertainment, food, and activities for kids.

Kids in the Castle
Where: Heurich House | Dupont Circle, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
The Heurich House Museum will open its doors for free, kid-friendly, self-guided tours. Kids in the Castle allows visitors to explore the gilded details of the Heurich family home at their own pace. Children and their parents are invited to wander through the house and complete a photo scavenger hunt to win prizes, then head to the museum garden to play games and relax. Register in advance here.

May Day Music Festival
Where: Potomac Overlook Park | Arlington, VA
When: Saturday, 12-5pm
Admission: Free
Get outside and join Potomac Overlook Park for their wonderful springtime tradition. This annual Open House in its 32nd year is full of fun activities and exhibits for all ages, including live music performances, entertainment, community exhibits, games, and much more.

Azalea Garden Festival
Where: Landon School | Bethesda, MD
When: Friday – Sunday
Admission: Free
Carnival rides, rare flowers, and boutique gifts… oh, my! The Landon School’s annual Azalea Garden Festival is a celebration of spring. Stroll through the budding beauty of the school’s azalea garden or take a spin on an amusement park attraction. Enjoy food from some of the area’s best food trucks in the area and take home gorgeous flowers to plant in your home garden. Fun for the whole family!

International Migratory Bird Day
Where: National Zoo | Woodley Park, DC
When:: Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Admission: Free
Something to tweet about: The Zoo’s annual Migratory Bird Day festival features family-friendly activities, games and demonstrations — all in the name of bird conservation. Meet Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center scientists who study birds and their environments. See raptors up close, watch bird-banding demos, and sample Smithsonian bird-friendly coffee. Bird experts will also be there to chat about the vital role birds play in the ecosystem and how to protect migratory birds at home.

Train Day Celebration
Where: National Postal Museum | Union Station area, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
The Postal Museum’s annual celebration of the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad (May 10, 1869) will offer activities for the whole gang. Experience the Railway Post Office by checking out the inside of the train car, learn how train conductors use whistle signals to communicate, and get to know some jargon used by Postal Clerks who worked on the Railway Post Offices. Check out model trains running through our museum atrium, enjoy a special Story Time, and “meet” Owney the Dog, a mascot of the Railway Post Office. Read more about the Postal Museum in this KFDC post.

Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by show
* Head to Glen Echo Park to see Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp at Adventure Theatre
* Go wild for The Jungle Book at Imagination Stage
* See the Virginia National Ballet perform Snow White on Friday evening
* Cinderella just opened at The Puppet Co.
* And Baby Bear’s Birthday is this week’s featured Tiny Tots show there
* This weekend is the last chance to see A Raisin in the Sun at Arena Stage, an outstanding show appropriate for middle school ages and up
* Ragtime is running at Ford’s Theatre, a historic DC etertainment venue
* Make it a date night at Fun Home running at National Theatre through May 13 (look for a discount)
* Shakespeare Theatre’s Macbeth would also make for a good KidFree outing (look for a discount)
* See The Secret Garden performed by Fauquier Community Theatre

African-American Children’s Book Fair
Where: Reginald F. Lewis Museum | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday,10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Book it to Baltimore for a fun-filled day focused on kids’ literature about African Americans and people of other ethnicities. Enjoy author readings, illustration workshops, live performances, and art activities. Munson Steed, author of Little Professor Skye, will be among the featured authors, and Callaloo Puppets and Maria Broom delight with entertainment. You can also purchase hard-to-find titles in the Book Village. Register for the event here.

Strawberry Jubilee
Where: Great Country Farms | Bluemont, VA
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 6pm
Admission: $10/child, $12/adult
The largest U-pick strawberry festival takes place this weekend and next, rain or shine. Get ready for lots of fun activities for all ages, including the popular diaper derby, pie-eating contests, tart toss, strawberry princess, great food, and live music. As if that’s not enough to keep the family entertained for the day, there’s also the five-acre play area, complete with the jumping pillow, slides, rope swings, mazes, a tractor tire mountain, and animal encounters. (Whew!)

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
Where: Howard County Fairgrounds | West Friendship, MD
When: Saturday, 8:30am – 6pm & Sunday, 8:30am – 5pm
Admission:
The largest and longest-running showcase of domestic sheep and wool in the United States takes place annually the first weekend of May. The festival includes live music, judging and a parade of breeds, a sheep to shawl contest, wool yarn for sale, and border collie demonstrations. Food vendors sell various lamb dishes, and there are lamb cooking contests and cooking demos.

Raptor Festival
Where: Meadowside Nature Center | Rockville, MD
When: Saturday, 12-4pm
Admission: Free
See owls, hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey up close and face to face Explore the world of these beautiful birds through all kinds of games and crafts, flight demonstrations, and presentations from local experts. Don’t forget your camera. No registration required.

Trains, Mini Golf Games, & Carousel Rides
Where: Watkins Regional Park | Upper Marlboro, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 12-5pm
Admission:
Watkins Regional Park is always a great destination with little ones, but it’s even better in the warm months when there’s extra fun going on. The lovely Chesapeake Carousel, miniature train, and mini golf start running again Thursday – Sunday beginning this weekend. Of course, that’s just bonus fun on top of all of the other great things to do there — read more about them in this KFDC post.

Strawberry Fields
Where: Area farms Throughout the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by location
The PYO season is underway as several area farms have opened their strawberry patches to the public. So, get out there and reap the fruits. See this post for details on area farms where you can gather your own strawberries, several offering much more than just picking.

Silver Spring Truck Touch
Where: Silver Spring Nursery School | Silver Spring, MD
When: Saturday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: $5, free for ages 2 and under
Kids can explore all kinds of cool vehicles, including Montgomery County construction trucks, a fire engine, rescue vehicles, a school bus, a Metro bus, and more. Also enjoy live music from local favorites Mr. Gabe and RockStarts, as well as yummy food and drinks, arts & crafts, games and face painting. And returning again this year is the popular Silent Auction, where you can bid on lots of amazing items. Park at the CHI Center (10501 New Hampshire Ave. in Silver Spring), then head one block South to SSNS at 10309 New Hampshire Ave.

Batter Up!
Where: Cameron Run Regional Park | Alexandria, VA
When: Sunday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free, but batting may be a fee
Get in some batting practice and celebrate opening day of the batting cages at Cameron Run Regional Park. Giveaways, games, prizes, and food will be among the festivities. Make a longer day of it at the park and plan to spend more time enjoying the outdoors there.

Japanese Woodblock Printing
Where: Sackler Gallery & Haupt Garden | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday,12-4pm
Admission: Free
Join the Freer|Sackler Gallery for free family activities with Smithsonian Gardens for this open studio. Learn about orchids and witness firsthand the beauty of Japanese woodblock prints in Inventing Utamaro. Take a family-friendly tour (12:30pm and 2:30 pm) of the exhibition, then explore traditional tools and papers to create orchid prints in the Enid A. Haupt Garden. A teaching artist will demonstrate basic printing techniques, carving, and transferring designs to a block. Be prepared for inky hands! All ages welcome with adult companions.

Spring Fling
Where: Children’s Weekday Program | Arlington, VA 22204
When: Saturday, 9am – 12pm
Admission: Free
All are welcome to join the annual fair for fun and games in Alcova Heights! They’ll have a bounce house, a visit from an Arlington fire truck, a book walk, face painting, and tasty treats at the bake sale! Plus, a portion of the parking area will offer a community yard sale.  Children’s Weekday Program is located at 716 S. Glebe Rd. in Arlington.

KidStory Theatre Festival
Where: Glenallan Elementary School | Silver Spring, MD
When: Saturday, 11am – 12pm
Admission: Free
InterAct Story Theatre is closing out Season 2 of their Family Theatre Series with a special festival of performances of stories and plays written by kids! Through out the season, we will be inviting kids from the Wheaton Family Theatre Series audiences and from schools throughout Montgomery County to submit stories and ideas for short plays. We’ll cap off our wonderful year of family arts with a few of these plays, directed and performed by InterActors!

Revolutionary War Weekend
Where: Mount Vernon Estate | Mount Vernon, VA
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Admission: $20/adult, $9/ages 6-12, free for 5 and under
Step back in time at one of the largest Revolutionary War encampments in the area! See more than 300 Continentals, Redcoats, Hessians, cannon, and cavalry in action and meet the military re-enactors to learn more about life in the 18th-century, discuss military techniques, and watch battle re-enactments. This family-friendly event features a youth muster on the bowling green, military medicine, and artillery demos! Walk through furnished replicas of the tents Washington used to work, sleep, and dine throughout the Revolutionary War. Listen to costumed characters from the Museum of the American Revolution explain how each Washington used each space and what it was like to live in one of these tents.

May the Force be with DC United
Where: RFK Stadium | Kingman Park, DC
When: Saturday, 7pm (gates open at 6pm)
Admission: Ticket prices vary
It’s Star Wars Night at the DC United match against the Montreal Impact. Along with the soccer action on the pitch, there will be a halftime light sabre battle, appearances by your favorite characters, and more fun Star Wars-inspired fun.

Literary Hill Bookfest
Where: Eastern Market
When: Sunday, 11am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Join Capitol Hill neighbors in supporting the community’s own literary festival! The annual Literary Hill BookFest attracts thousands of visitors to meet and greet local authors, buy books, and learn about book-related resources and services on the Hill. Over 30 local writers from the community will display, discuss, and sign their books. New booksellers will sell books on-site. Select authors will give brief talks or readings. And a Children’s Corner will offer story times and activities.

Model Rocket Launch
Where: Goddard Space Flight Center | Greenbelt, MD
When: Sunday, 1-2pm
Admission: Free
Join the monthly model rocket launch at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Anyone is welcome, and if you’ve got a model rocket to fly, bring it along (though there are some restrictions – see them here). The program takes place the first Sunday of every month at 1pm. Read more about it in this post.

We’re All Daughters
Where: Provision No. 14 | 14th Street NW, DC
When: Sunday,/adult, $20/ages 13 and under
Admission: $60 (Use code KIDFRIENDLYDC25 for 25% off!)
Girls Health Ed is hosting a benefit brunch titled “We’re All Daughters” in honor of Mother’s Day and to support the organization in their mission to provide free health education to girls and young women nationally and internationally. Open to the entire family, tickets will include a buffet brunch and one mimosa (for adults, obvi). Register in advance here.

***BONUS BITS***
* Get ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day around DC.
* Make it a family meal or go KidFree at Joselito on Capitol Hill.
* Learn about Flex Academies and their after school enrichment programs.
* The Kennedy Center recently announced their 2017-18 season, and it is stellar!
* Plan ahead to shop and support entrepreneurial kids at the Acton Children’s Business Fair next weekend!