Happy Weekend!
Quick links to ongoing DC fun:
* Swim Spots
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* The Great Indoors
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Baltimore with Kids
* Bike Rides
* Paddling Options
* Stunning Spaces
* Peaceful Places
Happy (Official) Summer!
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Summer officially begins this weekend, so enjoy some activities that are quintessentially exclusive to this time of year. Catch an outdoor concert or movie under the stars. Enjoy some water fun at an outdoor pool, sprayground, or water park. Check out a special seasonal exhibit. Do some crabbing (the feasting kind). Take a spin on a carousel or mini train. And so much more. Some activities are highlighted here, but see the 2026 KFDC Guide to Summer Around the DC Area for even more summer faves.
Clipper Race Fleet Week
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Ten Clipper 70 ocean racing yachts are docked at The Wharf through the weekend, and there are fun festivities to celebrate it. Step aboard the yachts on public tours, meet international crews, and hear firsthand stories from sailors who have spent months racing across the world’s oceans. You can also explore interactive exhibits about the race and a Fleet Week Fan Zone with cultural activations, live art, family-friendly experiences, and more!
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Where: Anacostia Community Museum | Anacostia, DC
When: Friday,10am – 10pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate freedom, culture, and community at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum’s Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, a full day honoring history, creativity, wellness, music, and tradition. Juneteenth serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of coming together as a community to reflect, celebrate freedom, preserve cultural traditions, and create joyful spaces rooted in connection, resilience, and collective healing. This family-friendly celebration invites guests of all ages to gather in joy and reflection.
Solstice Celebration
Where: Smithsonian Museums | National Mall, DC
When: Friday & Saturday, 10am – 11pm
Admission: Free
The Smithsonian is marking the start summer by staying open late and hosting parties, special programs, performances, and more. All of the National Mall museums will have extended hours, open until 11pm. This is a quintessential DC way to ring in the season! Go here for details and schedules and note that some events may require free tickets.
Futbol Fun
Where: Around the DC Area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by place
The World Cup is heading into its second weekend, and the excitent just keep building! If you want to share in it with other fútbol fans, there are a bunch of family-friendly places and events around DC where you can do that. This post has a round-up of where you can view the matches, from small pubs to patios and biergartens to large outdoor watch parties. (FYI: USA plays Australia Friday at 3pm!)
United in Play (Navy Yard)
Where: Tinghey Plaza | Navy Yard
When: Friday – Sunday
Admission: Free
A World Cup watch that’s happening this weekend only, the Navy Yard BID and DC United are hosting a soccer celebration at Tinghey Plaza. The all ages fun includes live match broadcasts, youth soccer activities, local food vendors, music, and more activities for soccer-obsessed fans.
Celebrate Pride
Where: Throughout DC
When: Saturday, 3-7:30pm & Sunday, 12-10pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate Capital Pride at several events around the city this weekend! The annual parade that always draws thousands of spectators starts at 14th & T NW and rolls right down 14th to Pennsylvania Ave. It’s sure to be a spectacular extravaganza of ornate floats, street performers, music and dancing, glitter and beads, and plenty of reveling. Sunday’s family-friendly festival on Pennsylvania Avenue from 3rd to 7th Streets NW will have multiple stages of live entertainment and host loads of exhibitors, including local and community groups, national sponsors, local businesses, food vendors, restaurants, and businesses looking to promote their services. It’s all a fun and fabulous opportunity to show support for the LGBTQ+ community and join the celebration!
Celebrate Dad
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
It’s a special day for the dads this weekend, and there are a bunch of great ways for the whole fam to celebrate if you’re still looking for ideas, from ballgames to big feasts to outdoor recreation and more. See a whole round-up of them in this post, some of which are included below.
Juneteenth Literary Jubilee
Where: Planet Word | Downtown DC
WHen: Saturday, 10am –
Admission: Free (donation encouraged!)
The 4th annual Juneteenth Literary Jubilee & Black Author Book Fest celebrates a rich community of authors and language arts! Enjoy Juneteenth-inspired arts and crafts, delicious bites and refreshments from SoFull Eats, and a live performance by local West African Drum Ensemble Versatile Soundzz! Award-winning poet, author, and Hip-Hop educator Tony Keith, Jr. returns as guest MC, who will spotlight local authors exhibiting their works, selling books, and offering personalized signings, then will wrap up the book fest with a dynamic reading and performance. See more about the amazing 9Planet Word here9.
Littles Ride
Where: Eastern Market Metro Plaza | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 10:30am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Join Hill Family Biking for a Littles Ride — similar to their standard monthly rides, but catered to riders ages 3-6 on trikes, balance bikes, training wheel, and first pedal bikes with a shorter route, approximately .5 mile for non-pedal bikers and 1.3 miles for pedal bikers starting and ending at Eastern Market Metro Plaza. After the ride, enjoy live music from Mr. Rob and treats. Event sponsor Woom Bikes will be on site with giveaways including a bike!
Fête de la Musique – Make Music Day
Where: Around Georgetown, DC
When: Saturday, 4-11:30pm
Admission: Free
Every year, over 1,000 cities worldwide celebrate the summer solstice with citywide music events. It all began 44 years ago in France when the Ministry of Culture envisioned a day where free, live music would fill the streets. In DC, it will take pace it Georgetown as musical acts perform in 10+ locations throughout the neighborhood’s commercial district (4-8pm), or at one of two stages at the French Embassy (7:30-11:30pm).
Capital Pride Family Fun Festival
Where: Stead Park |1625 P Street NW, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Head to Stead Park for a vibrant celebration of community, creativity, and pride! This FREE, inclusive and joyful event is designed for families and children to enjoy a day of fun, connection, and laughter. Explore a variety of activities, including games, crafts, glitter tattoos, story time, an inflatable obstacle course, photo ops, and more! Best for ages 2-10, but all ages welcome. RSVP here.
Sleeping Beauty: The Time Traveler
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11am & 2pm
Admission: $28
It’s opening weekend for Adventure Theatre’s new show… Rolly’s ordinary summer takes an extraordinary twist when he’s whisked back in time to the Age of Charlemagne! There, he meets Aurora, a bold 12-year-old princess with dreams of knighthood and adventure beyond her castle walls. But her overprotective royal parents have other plans—thanks to a mysterious curse that threatens to plunge her into a century-long sleep. As Rolly and Aurora plot a daring escape to the modern world, secrets are revealed, destinies collide, and the past and present merge in an epic journey filled with courage, friendship, and a dash of magic. Can they outsmart fate and find their happily ever after?
Pete the Cat: A Live Rock Musical
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: Saturday, 11am | Sunday, 1pm & 4pm
Admission: $45-55
It’s also opening weekend for the newest show at Imagination Stage… Life is a really, really, really big adventure as Pete the Cat and the Biddle family rock out in a fast-paced, globe-trotting musical based on the smash hit book series. When Jimmy Biddle is anxious about finishing second grade, Pete takes him to Paris in his VW bus and Jimmy connects with his inner artist.
Summer Celebration
Where: National Law Enforcement Museum | Judiciary Square, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $18-0/adult, free/age 17 & under
Join the National Law Enforcement Museum to celebrate the Nation’s 250th Anniversary all summer long with discounted admission, museum store discounts, a NEW digital exhibit honoring the history of American law enforcement, and access to their two exclusive simulators to test your decision making and tactical driving skills.
Hike the Underground Railroad Experience Trail
Where: Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park | Sandy Spring, MD
When: Daily, sunrise to sunset
Admission: Free
A great outing anytime, but particularly meaningful for Juneteenth, this hike offers insight into the experience of enslaved peoples’ escape to freedom. The walk through woods and along edges of fields (with a map and explanation of the hike) is interesting and enlightening as well as an active way to spend time outdoors.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Have you been to the St. James in Springfield? The mega sports complex has SO much to offer families, including an active entertainment center and indoor waterpark for kids!
* Just a few more weeks to visit the delightful Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work at the AmericanArt Museum.
* “Summer” books for kids
* Gap has a 50% off your whole purchase promo through the weekend. I can vouch these linen shirts are great and just ordered these to go with. And the kids’ summer clothes (girls and boys) are really good. You can score World Cup gear, too!
* I keep hearing that these are the best flip flops.
* Such sweet, touching read (by a local mom and KFDC reader!)
