The Weekend Round-Up: October 6-9

There’s plenty going on to fill your long weekend — and I’m sure this is one when many of us feel especially appreciative of the extra quality time with our fams. Happy Weekend!

Natitude
Where: Nationals Park & Capitol Riverfront, DC
When: Friday & Saturday
Admission: Ticket prices vary
It’s playoff time! If, like me, you weren’t lucky enough to score seats through official Nationals sales, you still may be able to go. Tickets are available through multiple online outlets — you can find links to some of them here (but note that you definitely won’t be getting any discounts this time). If you want to watch and work your Natitude, but don’t want to splurge on actually going to the game, many venues in the Capitol Riverfront ‘hood are hosting playoff food & drink specials and more fun.

Celebrate the Season
Where: Around the DMV
When: All weekend long
Admission: Varies by locale
Enjoy autumn fun and then some at a number of farms around the area. Pick pumpkins, whiz down slides, visit animals, jump on giant inflatables, take pony rides, indulge in caramel apples, and much more. This guide to fall festivals has details on all of them.

Wicked Fun
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Get the Halloween party started early with activities and events that celebrate the spooky spirit throughout October. This post has details on where all the tricks and treats are happening.

Taste of DC
Where: RFK Stadium | Northeast, DC
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Start at $10
Celebrate the food, wine, and culture of our city this weekend. Along with the obvious — tastings from more than 65 area restaurants — there will be cooking demos, live entertainment, a beer garden, and an area with activities especially for kids, including dancing, games, storytelling, arts & crafts, and more.

Hispanic Heritage Month Family Day
Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum | Penn Quarter, DC
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at SAAM! Dance in the courtyard, create colorful crafts, and participate in a museum-wide scavenger hunt. Discover works by Latino artists, which are part of a major initiative at the museum to build a significant collection of Latino art in the nation’s capital. 

Block Party
Where: Anacostia Community Museum | Anacostia, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Join the museum in celebrating 50 years of being the premier cultural institution east-of-the-river! Live performances on an outdoor stage include Experience Unlimited with Sugar Bear, 17th Street Dance of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, Pepe González, the Wong People, Garfield Elementary School Band, Crazee Praize Nation, The JoGo Project, and Tradiciones Bolivianas. There will also be food trucks, art activities for kids, storytelling, a vendor’s marketplace, special appearance by WPGC-FM morning host Joe Clair, and more.

Grand Opening Celebration
Where: Sew Creative Lounge | Mt. Ranier, MD
When: Saturday, 12-6pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate the grand opening of Sew Creative Lounge! This will be a day of fun sewing and craft activities for all ages, plus discounts on registration if you mention KidFriendly DC! It’s also a great time to meet teachers and see some of the projects made in the children’s classes. Sew Creative Lounge is located at 3711 Rhode Island Ave, Mt. Rainier, MD.

Supernatural Shakespeare
Where: Folger Shakespeare Library | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 10-11am & 11am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Shake up your Saturday with a workshop at the Folger! These programs occurring on the first Saturday of every month, encourage families to experience Shakespeare’s language together. This session, get spooky with Shakespeare’s ghosts and witches. “Eye of newt and toe of frog!” Register here.

Taste of Bethesda
Where: Woodmont Triangle | Bethesda, MD
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free, but you pay for food samples
According to some stats, Bethesda has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the U.S. Accurate or not, DC’s suburban neighbor definitely has a food scene worth celebrating. The 27th year of Bethesda’s famous food and music festival will bring 60 restaurants and five stages of entertainment. Along with food samples and live entertainment, there will be a kid’s corner for face painting, arts & crafts, and more fun for young ones. Admission is free, and taste tickets are sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5.

Art on the Avenue
Where: Mount Vernon Ave | Del Ray, VA
When: Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate the diversity of Alexandria’s Del Ray community at this multicultural arts festival. Over 300 artists – jewelers, woodworkers, pottery makers, soap crafters, glass makers, painters, sculptors, fabric artists, and musicians – will have their work on display and for sale. And kids activities have always been a vital part of the festival – scarecrow stuffing, pumpkin painting, lotus flower design, screen art weaving are just some of the crafts to enjoy. Food vendors will also be there offering hot dogs, BBQ, Indian fare, crab cakes, chocolate bananas dipped on a stick, and home made cider donuts.

Spirit of Autumn
Where: ARTECHOUSE | Southwest DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $8/child, $12-20/adult
The new exhibition from ARTECHOUSE, Spirit of Autumn is kind of like entering a seasonal dreamworld. From floor-to-ceiling imagery projected onto the walls to audio of birds singing to opportunities to “play” in leaves, the large-scale installation captures quintessential fall with an enchanting multi-sensory experience for all ages. See fall leaves, including some created by you, swirl on walls and manipulate them with your movements. Make it rain and thunder with the clap of your hands. Watch autumn leaves spread across the floor as you wander through them. It’s immersive, beautiful, and enchanting for all.

Show Time
Where: Theatres around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
* The Kennedy Center presents Night Train 57: A Sensory-Friendly Folk Opera featuring kids fave Dan Zanes
* Say arrrgh! to How I Became a Pirate at Adventure Theatre
* Imagination Stage’s newest production The Smartest Girl on the World, begins this weekend
* Pinnochio just began its run at The Puppet Co. (no lie!)
* And little ones will love Baby Bear’s Brithday, the Tiny Tots show at the puppet theater
* Our Town is now on stage at the Olney Theatre
* Take the sippy cup set to Art on the Horizon’s adorable Drumming with Dishes in Alexandria
* Catch The Cashore Marionettes at Publick Playhouse on Saturday
* Make it a KidFree outing to Arena Stage for Native Gardens
* Or have a date night at the Lansburgh Theatre for The Lover & The Collection
* Puppet Playhouse presents Jungle of Bungaloo at Encore Stage & Studio
* Death of a Salesman, on stage at Ford’s Theatre, is best for ages 13+
* Spend Columbus Day with Rocknocerous at Jammin’ Java – they’re playing a Monday morning show!

Get Merry at Ren Fest
Where: Revel Grove | Crownesville, Md
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Admission: $22/age 16+, $10/age 7-15, free/6 & under
There are only a couple of weekends left to enjoy the bounty of merriment at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The annual faire recalls medieval times with a village full of fun and entertainment for the whole family. This is one of my very favorite events in the DC area, and it could very well become one of yours, too. Huzzah!

Sugar Skulls Painting
Where: Art Jamz | Dupont Circle, DC
When: Saturday, 12:30-2pm
Admission: $33-38
Kids can get creative at this painting class for a deathly good time creating their very own bright and colorful sugar skull painting in this class just for young artists. Plan to get messy and have fun!

PorchFest
Where: Adams Morgan, DC
When: Saturday, 2-6pm
Admission: Free
Get the best seats in the house (or on the sidewalk) as the front porches of homes and maybe a few local businesses are transformed into intimate performance spaces to be enjoyed by anyone who happens to stroll by. Enjoy a variety of music styles from over 30 bands playing on porches, patios, and stoops in the neighborhood. Music maps will be available at the corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW on Porchfest Day.

Day in the Park
Where: Stead Park | Northwest, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
The Washington Jewish Music Festival welcomes all to a fun-filled day in the park. Bring the whole family for a Sukkot celebration featuring games, kids’ activities, and musical performances by Mister G and Joanie Leeds!

College Park Day
Where: 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive | College Park, MD
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Join the College Park community in the 8th annual festival celebrating the city! The day will feature live entertainment on two stages, free admission to the College Park Aviation Museum, arts & crafts, dancing, public safety agencies, a health expo area, Maryland mascots, and the Tour de College Park — a family-friendly bike ride around town. Take the littles to the Kids Zone for a 83-foot air craft carrier obstacle course, a climbing wall, pumpkin and face painting, and so much more.

Opus 1
Where: Merriweather | Columbia, MD
When: Saturday, 4-11pm
Admission: Free
The inaugural art, music, and technology experience celebrates the art of sound with immersive art installations, mesmerizing music performances, and treetop projection mapping. Activations for all ages include an live enertainment in inflatable pavilion bedecked with light and projection, hands-on arts workshops, interactive games, a pep band march for all festival-goers, a culinary village, and more.

Walks in the Woods
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Enjoy the season and some active fun. See the very beginning of fall foliage, tramp in places with scenic views, hike and explore history at interesting locales, and savor the time outdoors. This post has a a bunch of recommendations for places to walk in the woods with the kids.

Harvest Festival
Where: Agricultural History Farm Park | Derwood, MD
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: $15/car
Get a taste of farm life from the 1850s to present through a day of hands-on activities and experiences on a working farm. The Agricultural History Farm Park is situated on 455 acres of land in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve and serves as a historic farm site as well as a modern farming activity center. Activities include hayrides, live farm animals, corn maze, farm tours, antique farm equipment, garden tours.

Kinderfest
Where: Watkins Regional Park | Upper Marlboro, MD
When: Sunday, 12-5pm
Admission: Free
Head to Watkins Regional Park for the 35th Annual Kinderfest, a day focused on children that takes place every year on the first Sunday in October. The scores of events and activities to entertain the whole family include clowns and costumed characters, singers and dancers, pony and hay rides, carnival games, scarecrow workshops, sweet and savory refreshments, and spins on the famous Watkins carousel and miniature train. Admission to the event is free, but some activities require a fee. Read more about Watkins here.

***More Good Stuff to Know***
* Puerto Rico still needs help. If you want to know how you can contribute, PBS shares some good info.
* This is a great website to check out right now.
* The fifth annual Race for Every Child 5K run/walk and Kids’ Dash, which benefits Children’s National Health System, will take place Saturday, October 21. Sign up soon – registration closes October 12!
* Looking for a new podcast? Find some good recommendations here.
* Menomale in Brookland has delicious oven-fired pizza and more tasty food all ages will dig.
* DC school HUB is hosting a free Preschool & Private School Fair next Saturday, October 14 from 9-11 AM at Norbeck Country Club in Rockville. 
* My friend Margaret, a very talented architect and design consultant, just started a blog about (re)building her new home. Follow along as she documents the whole journey — she’s super cool, charming, and funny, so I know it’s going to be a great read!