As mentioned last week, Awesome Con, the convention celebrating pop culture and geekdom, is coming to DC this weekend, April 26-28. For three days at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, there will be an amazing assortment of engaging events, comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay, and more, with something for all ages, including a while Awesome Con Jr. area with programming especially for kids.
Even better, I have a Family 4-Pack of passes up for grabs for one lucky KFDC reader and crew ($190 value), good to attend Awesome Con all weekend. Of course, you can go ahead and guarantee yourselves tickets by purchasing online, too.
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Giveaway: For a chance to win a Family 4-Pack of passes (2 adult, 2 kids) to attend Awesome Con this weekend, April 26-28, 2019, simply leave a comment below letting me know what your family is most excited for at the event. Get a second chance to win by entering on the KidFriendly DC Facebook Page, too! This giveaway will run through Wednesday, April 24 2019, then a winner will be drawn at random and notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!
This post is sponsored by Awesome Con, however, I only promote events, programs, and places that I genuinely believe in and think will appeal to KFDC readers.
Awesome Con, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier pop culture convention, takes place next weekend, April 26-28, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, celebrating all aspects of geekdom and pop culture with a huge assortment of engaging activities, comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay, and so much more.
The event practically guarantees to be, well, awesome for the whole family, even more so as Awesome Con Jr., a family-focused area especially for young fans, expands its offerings for kids this year. Powered by The Toy Association, there will be hours of fun with entertaining and educational programs especially for young fans. Kids can meet their favorite characters, experience tons of hands-on activations, visit an entire stage dedicated to children’s programming, check out popular brands including DreamWorks, SpinMaster, KIND Snacks, Detective Pikachu, and more!
Awesome Con Jr. Workshops
These 45-minute to one-hour workshops are for kids who have an interest in drawing and sketching and want to learn techniques from some of the best cartoonists and professional artists in the business. With 18 workshops throughout the weekend, your child can learn to draw their very own Pokemon and werewolves, or create their very own superhero symbol. There’s also a Fan Art Design Contest presented by Art Way Alliance Artists & Craftsman Supply.
Dedicated Kids Stage & Programming – Expanded for 2019!
Over the course of the weekend, there will be 18 dedicated programs on the Awesome Con Jr. Kids Stage. Guests can experience imaginative play sessions, from Super Art Fight Jr to Saber Guild Corellia’s Live Lightsaber Performance and Intro to Spells for Young Witches and Wizards to Saber Guild Padawan Training, and so much more. Check out the full Awesome Con Jr. Stage Schedule.
Character Appearances
Your child will be delighted to meet their favorite characters including: Goku from Dragon Ball Z, Pikachu, Ranger Rick, Luna from Let’s Go Luna, Super Why, Daniel Tiger, and Disney Princess Cosplayers.
Free Custom Sketches
Comics artists Ron Chan, Amy Mebberson, Ron Randall, and James Silvani will each have a one-hour session doing free, custom sketches for kids in the character meet & greet areas.
DreamWorks Screenings
At 11am each day, the Kids Stage is the spot to watch some favorite shows from DreamWorks.
National Wildlife Federation Animal Show
An opportunity to see and learn more about some very cool animals as Naturalist David Mizejewski presents an animal “show and tell” for kids! An opossum, alligator, coati, arctic fox, porcupine, cavy, and python will all make appearances.
Awesome Con Arcade by MagFest & Table Top Games by Foam Brain
This is the spot to let kids be kids and get their video game time in — they’ll find all types of vintage arcade games to play. Parents will enjoy the nostalgia, too!
Kids Costume Parade
Kid who love to dress up as their favorite characters can can show it off at the Kids Costume Parade, held Saturday and Sunday at 12pm. This is only open to the first 30 registrants, so get there early!
Awesome Con 2019 is an event to put on your family’s calendar! It runs April 26-28, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Admission starts at $40/adult, $15/child. More information and a full schedule of events and activities is available on the Awesome Con website.
This post is sponsored by Awesome Con, however, I only promote events, programs, and places that I genuinely believe in and think will appeal to KFDC readers.
Got milk and then some at South Mountain Creamery’s annual spring festival.
Have you had a look at the forecast for the next few days? If so, then you know the big list of outdoor pursuits is a must-view along with the picks below. Happy Weekend!
Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival
Where: Kingman Island
When: Saturday 1-9pm
Admission: $10 suggested donation
The 4th Annual Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival will feature seven bluegrass bands and plenty more revelry. The celebration of local music, food, and culture as well as the revitalization of the Anacostia River includes seven hours of performances by local bluegrass acts, DC’s favorite food trucks, Sierra Nevada beer, bike giveaways from BicycleSPACE and tours of the island, local music busking stages, and a children’s area with crafts and games. The $10 suggested donations helps support Living Classrooms’ environmental education programming for DC youth on Kingman Island. Tickets can be purchased ahead online, and all advance purchased tix include a free beer. Kingman Island is located on the Anacostia River at 575 Oklahoma Avenue NE (at the entrance to RFK Stadium).
Don’t Fear the Turtle
Where: University of Maryland
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
The Maryland Day celebration in College Park gets a giant thumbs-up from me, and not just because it’s my alma mater. This is a fantastic event for families, and I know from experience. The University is hosting a huge open house for, well, everybody. “Explore Our World” is the theme of the annual fair, and guests will be able to do that and then some. There are loads of activities for kids, including learning games; a kids carnival with moonbounces, bungee runs, climbing walls, and more; a hip hop orchestra; arts & crafts; farm animal visits; puppet shows and singalongs; face painting; fossil digs; insect and instrument petting zoos; and much, much, MUCH more. It’s spread out all over campus, and it’s a big campus. Be prepared for lots of walking (worth every step!) and be sure to bring a stroller for little ones.
South Mountain Creamery Spring Festival
Where: South Mountain Creamery
When: Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm
Admission: Free
You don’t have to be a customer to experience farm fresh hospitality at South Mountain Creamery’s annual festival. (We’re not and had a great time there last year!) Take a ride out to the country in Middleton, Md, to enjoy farm fun for all ages — go on a hayride, visit the animals and feed a calf, sample SMC products, listen to Bluegrass, and more. BBQ, ice cream, drinks, and other concessions are available for purchase.
Ciné Teens: La guerre des boutons
Where: Alliance Francais – Dupont
When: Friday, 6pm
Admission: Free
The Alliance’s Movie Hour for Children series kicks off with “La guerre des boutons,” the tale of two warring towns in rural France. Every summer, the boys of the villages terrorize each other in the tradition of their fathers and their fathers before them: throwing rotten fruit, wooden sword fights, and the like. When one wily warrior steals all of a prisoner’s buttons, boyhood insanity promises to follow. For kids ages 8+. RSVP to www.francedc.org.
National Hairball Awareness Day
Where: National Museum of Health & Medicine
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Something you probably didn’t know (and I didn’t either until I heard about this event): The last Friday in April is National Hairball Awareness Day. (Like I even needed a special day when my two cats make me aware on a regular basis.) The National Museum of Health & Medicine invites you to celebrate the occasion tomorrow — among the museum’s collections are 24 veterinary and three human hairballs or “trichobezoars.” You can see one of the human hairballs and explore the myths and realities behind these medical curiosities. If you’re thinking of going, read this post about our experience at the museum first! While hairball awareness sounds fun, some of the other exhibits at the museum might not sit so well with the young children or the faint of heart.
Nationals vs. Reds
Where: Nationals Park
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Tickets start at $13
Catch the Nats in this weekend’s series against the Reds. Tickets are available for all of the games, and there are some special promos going on including Harris Teeter Family Fun Days, Signature Sundays, Kids Run the Bases. Game times are 7:05pm on Friday, 1:05pm on Saturday, and 1:35pm on Sunday.
Visit (& Vote for) George’s Place!
Where: Mount Vernon Estate
When: Saturday & Sunday, 8am – 5pm
Admission: $17/adults, $8 ages 6-11, free for 5 and under
Spend a day at Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of first POTUS George Washington. Tour the mansion and other buildings, take a wagon ride, and stroll the sprawling grounds. While you’re there, be sure to use social media to help the historic site gain points to win a $1 million grant for preservation. Read more about the initiative from Partners in Preservation. And even if you don’t make it to Mount Vernon, you can still cast your vote for the site.
Healthy Kids Day
Where: National Capital YMCA
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington is celebrating YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day® with free community events to get more families moving, learning, and living healthier. Healthy Kids Day, a national initiative of the Y, takes place at 1,900 Ys and features fun, educational activities such as cooking and group exercise demos, arts and crafts, games and much more. Join us and jumpstart a journey that lasts kids a day, a summer, and, we hope, their entire future. Visit the YMCA website for information about events taking place at Y’s in other parts of the area.
Park It
Where: National Parks
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
It’s National Park Week through Sunday, so celebrate it by visiting one of our local national parks. These include spectacular natural areas, historic homes, battlefields, seashores, and archaeological sites, and we have many of them throughout the region. Get a nature fix at Rock Creek, tour the monuments and memorials on the National Mall, bike along the C&O Canal, see living history at Claude Moore Colonial Farm, take in the views at Great Falls, hike at Roosevelt Island. These are just a few suggestions; search for many, many more national park pursuits on the NPS website.
Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
Here’s the live entertainment on local stages this weekend:
– The Magic Finger & James and the Giant Peach are on the Imagination Stage.
– See the marionette version of Cinderella during the first weekend of The Puppet Co. latest production.
– Go classical with the kids at “Viva Violins: From Baby Talk to Mozart,” the NSO Kinderkonzert at The Kennedy Center.
– Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players are playing the Saturday 10:30am and 2:30pm shows at Jammin’ Java, and Beethoven’s Wig will be there on Sunday at 2pm.
– Uno, Dos, Tres, con Andrés! is this week’s Saturday morning at the National performance. Hello Dolly! is the latest Ford’s Theatre production.
Get details on all of these productions in this post about entertainment this season.
Child Fest 2013
Where: Reservoir High School, Fulton, Md
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
The Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc., (CCF), a local non-profit that awards grants to fight childhood cancer, hosts its fun-filled Child-Fest this weekend. Now in its 6th year, Child-Fest is a day of valuable information, entertainment, food, games, an inflatable zone, and activities for children of all ages. Entertainment includes Grammy award-winning acts, fencing, dance teams, and an appearance by the Raven’s mascot, Poe. Look out for a giant Peep and more costumed characters and strolling entertainers.
Move Me Festival
Where: Kenmore Middle School in Arlington
When: Saturday, 2-5pm
Admission: Free
Bowen McCauley Dance (BMD) presents the 4th Annual Move Me Festival on Saturday. The free, family-friendly celebration of the arts and culture promotes healthy lifestyles through movement and the arts and will feature performances and artistic activities by local arts partners. This year, the festival focuses on the need to “Get Active, Get Creative, Get Involved.” More than a dozen arts partners will provide an afternoon of exciting performances and activities, including Latin dance, clogging, theater workshops, orchestra performances, an instrument petting zoo, yoga, face painting, magic tricks, arts and crafts, and much more.
ABC’s of Family Biking
Where: Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan (215 G Street NE)
When: Sunday 11am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Want to get the family two wheelin’ together? Kidical Mass DC, WABA and DDOT Safe Routes to School is bringing back the “ABC’s of Family Biking” to help interested families learn more about the tools and resources available to help them bike together and offer fun activities for all ages. There will be a special class on biketrains and group riding, a display of bikes and equipment used to transport kids, a “swap or sell” for secondhand kids’ bikes and gear, and a chance to get tips and tricks from other biking parents.
Portrait Story Days
Where: National Portrait Gallery
When: Saturday, 1-4pm & Sunday, 2-5pm
Admission: Free
Drop in to listen to a story about a person who has influenced American history and culture and to create a special piece of art. This weekend, learn about poet William Carlos Williams.
