The Weekend Round-Up: August 5-7

 

Happy Weekend!

Ideas galore for seasonal and ongoing activities are in these posts:
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Swim Spots
* On the Water
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Bike Rides
* The Great Indoors
* Peaceful Places

Fairfax County 4-H Fair & Carnival
Where: Frying Pan Farm Park | Herndon, VA
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: $10 parking + tickets for rides, etc.
Head on down to the 4-H fair! Through Sunday, enjoy carnival rides, amusements, treats, farm animals and rabbits, rides and displays, horse and dog shows, the tractor pull, kids crafts and face painting, plus plenty of good food, drinks and live music. Held at Frying Pan Farm Park, hours for the many activities vary by day, so be sure to check the website before you go.

Music & Stamps Family Day
Where: National Postal Museum | Union Station Area, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate artist Rafael Lopez’s new Mariachi stamps with a Family Day next weekend. Music, crafts, stories, stamps, and more will be available throughout the day. If anyone needs to step away from the festivities, a Take-A-Break space will be available throughout the program. Recommended for ages 0-10 (though anyone can join), no advanced registration is required. Read more about the National Postal Museum here.

Sunflower Planting
Where: 8th & Virginia Ave, SE | Capitol Riverfront, DC
When: Saturday, 9am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Join the Capitol Riverfront BID to celebrate and enrich the vibrant street connecting Capitol Hill and Capitol Riverfront. Help revitalize and enhance the future Emblem Plaza just past Barracks Row with a sunflower planting this Saturday. The plaza is in the design phase, but when it’s finished, there will be space for small public gatherings, new planting beds, and a pop-up café. Coffee and pastries will be served while supplies last. We hope to see you there!

Friendship Firehouse Festival
Where: Friendship Firehouse | Alexandria, VA
When: Saturday, 9am – 2pm
Admission: Free
This annual family event hosted by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association invites the public to enjoy the history of the fire department at the historic Friendship Firehouse. The popular event features antique fire apparatus, craft booths, displays by Alexandria merchants, and live music.  The Festival will be the last opportunity to see Friendship’s 1851 hand-operated suction engine – elaborately decorated with the company’s clasped-hands insignia – before it is sent for conservation treatment. Kids will receive free toy Friendship firefighting helmets.

DC Funk Parade Festival
Where: U Street Corridor | DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 5pm
Admission: Free
The DC Funk Parade is back in Festival format on Saturday! Four activation sites along the U Street corridor will feature live, outdoor music. CHeck the website to see where you can experiece “The Magic of Music” and an authentic cultural experience that is a 20+ year DC tradition.

Howard County Fair
Where: Howard County Fairgrounds | West Friendship, MD
When: Begins Saturday
Admission: $10/ages 13+, $5/seniors, free for under 10
County Fair season is starting around the area with the 76th annual Howard County Fair, and you have through next Saturday to enjoy rides, magic shows, musical entertainment in the evenings, pig races and pony rides, the Kids & Critters barn, Demolition Derby, a pro rodeo, and more. Most of the rides cost extra, and packages are available, so be sure to check out the website to see what’s available if you plan to go.

BrickFair
Where: Dulles Expo Center | Chantilly, VA
When: Saturday, 10am – 5pm & Sunday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: $20/all day, $13/afternoon
The nation’s largest LEGO Fan Festival will be enthralling guests of all ages this weekend. BrickFair brings together LEGO enthusiasts from across the country to showcase their amazing brick constructions, from tiny intricate works to elaborate, towering creations. Hundreds of exhibitors will be there to display their designs, along with vendors selling all things LEGO — T-shirts, hats, mini figures, models, and more. And guests can use it all as inspiration to do some building there themselves, plus enjoy all kinds of fun hands-on activities.

Entertainment in NoVa Parks
Where: Fairfax Parks | Fairfax, VA
When: hroughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Enjoy music and more live performances in Northern Virginia parks! The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Summer Entertainment Series has a bunch of shows happening this weekend all parks all around the county. Bring a picnic dinner, blankets, and lawn chairs to enjoy the best local and regional entertainers. See what’s on the schedule here.

Summer Time
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Summer fun around the area continues! Keep the seasonal pursuits going with a variety of options: Catch an outdoor movie or concert.  Head to a farm for peach picking. Enjoy some water fun, either at an outdoor pool,  sprayground, or water park. Feast on crabs. See a seasonal exhibition like The Playhouse at the Building Museum or Fairies in the Garden at Annmarie Sculpture Garden. And so much more.  This post has all the details you need on all these summer joys.

Water Lantern Festival
Where: National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $26-36/adult, $22-26/age 8-14, free/7 & under
The Water Lantern Festival brings together people from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life to join in a memorable event. Create your own paper lantern — write down some of your hopes and dreams, or a letter to a loved one — and see the beauty of it joining thousands of lanterns and the lights reflecting upon the water. Admission prices are for advance purchase, on site cost is $41 for adults.

Tennis, Anyone?
Where: Rock Creek Park Tennis Center | Rock Creek, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Ticket prices vary
There’s more on-court excitement as the Citi Open Tennis Tournament wraps up this weekend. With the quarterfinals on Friday, the semis on Saturday, and the championship matches on Sunday, the event is sure to serve up some excellent tennis.

Citi Open Watch Party – CANCELED
Where: City Ridge | Northwest, DC
When: Saturday, 2-11pm
Admission: Free
If you can’t get to the matches, join the City Ridge community to view them and enjoy more fun, too! Gather with friends and family on the Great Lawn to watch the 2022 Citi Open women’s and men’s semifinals and women’s doubles final on Saturday. Cheer on your favorite players on the big screen while playing oversized outdoor games and participating in the Citi Open Trivia Contest with a chance to win tickets to Sunday’s finals! Food and drinks will be available for purchase. BYO blanket and chairs for the ultimate watch party experience as seating will not be provided. See the website for the day’s schedule and to register for free.

Peach Fuzzitval
Where: Great Country Farm | Bluemont, VA
When: Saturday, 9am – 5pm
Admission: $14/child & $16/Adult
Celebrate peak peach picking season at Great Country Farms! Along with tons of fun activities, you can also learn how the peaches are grown and used in food and drink and enjoy the results as well. Kick off each morning with a peach pancake breakfast, then later on get the whole family involved in peach eating and peach pit spitting contests and family water games. All the fun farm attractions will be open, and there will also be live music to entertain the crowd. And across the way at Bluemont Vineyard, enjoy special peach drinks and wine.

The Time is Ripe
Where: Farms around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Along with peaches, blueberries, blackberries, and a few more fruits and veggies are among the produce that’s ripe right now.  And most area farms have something ready for harvest and welcome guests to come pick ’em themselves. It’s always a good idea to check websites or call ahead to confirm availability the day you plan to go. Sunscreen, hat, and water also recommended.

Exhibit This
Where: Museums & venues around the DC Area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by exhibit
There are some extraordinary installations and delightful annual exhibits at our museums and galleries right now. Go to The Playhouse at the Building Museum, explore Ase: Afro Frequencies at ARTECHOUSE, see Fairies in the Garden, immerse in the work of Yayoi Kusama, make a wish, explore King Tut’s tomb at Nat Geo, or take the kids to play at the Botanic Garden.

DC vs. New York
Where: Audi Field | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 7:30pm
Admission: Tickets start at $29
DC United is home again this weekend with a match against New York FC on Saturday evening. I recommend taking public transportation as parking can be difficult. Or park in the Navy Yard neighborhood and walk from there. Plan to grab dinner before the match— El Bebe, All Purpose Pizza, The Salt Line, and Dacha are very convenient and my top recs for family-friendly spots to eat there. Purchase match tickets here.

Tax Free Shopping
Where: Throughout VA
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Free (but plan to spend, obvi!)
Are you ready to do some back-to-school shopping? This weekend will be a good time to start! Virginia is taking a sales tax holiday August 5-7. During that time, all school supplies that is $20 or less per item and qualifying clothing and footwear that is $100 or less per item will be tax free!  There are also tax waivers on other home appliances and accessories —  details here.

ABBA The Concert
Where: Wolf Trap | Vienna, VA
When: Sunday, 8pm
Tickets: $37+
Sweden’s ABBA The Concert continues to be the top ABBA tribute group in the world, dazzling audiences with fantastic performances of ABBA’s iconic hits including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Waterloo,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and “Dancing Queen.”

Mr. Poppers Penguins
Where: Imagination Stage
When: Through August 7
Tickets: $14
It’s the final weekend to catch this show…  Mr. Popper’s Penguins have waddled onto Imagination Stage, delighting audiences as only these loveable creatures can. The whimsical tale about dreaming as big as an Antarctic adventure, even in bleak times, sends a timely message to kids and adults alike. Recommended for ages 3-10.  Read a full review of the show here.

Fantastagirl and the Math Monster
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo, MD
When: Through August 21
Tickets: $25 
On stage at Adventure Theatre…   Fantastagirl, a second-grade superhero who uses words to save the day, comes face to face with her worst nightmare: the Math Monster! When confronted with problems too big for words alone to solve, Fantastagirl must accept help from her friendly, furry, fraction-loving foe. While Fantastagirl and Math Monster use words and numbers to help her friends and scientist moms, something far more sinister than Math brews on the horizon.

Cinderella
Where: The Puppet Co.
When: Through August 28
Tickets: $15 (look for discount)
See a show on strings!  Rod puppets convey the classic tale of rags to riches, love at first sight (twice!), and getting what we all deserve. Don’t miss this fan favorite production, or your magical midnight curfew! Recommended for ages 5+. Run time is approximately 45 minutes.

Six
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: Through September 4
Tickets: $65-150 (look for discount)
From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.

***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* The Air & Space Museum in DC just announced it will partially repoen October 14 after many months’ renovation!
* We’ve been in Greece for the past week+ — some pics on IG, if you’d like to see.
* This is really cool and satisfying to view.
* A legendary area restaurant is returning!
*  Go read the latest Humans of New York series — and have tissues handy.
* I usually cringe at public proposals, but this one is pretty awesome.
* 10 Happy Things for August from my lovely friend and stellar photographer Darcy