ALL CAPS (and summer ready) at CityCenter
I don’t even follow hockey, but am still excited about tonight’s game. Hence, the info for a Thursday evening viewing party included below. And there’s way more to be amped about over the next few days — Capital Pride, a festival full of 90’s faves, lots of other live music, awesome art, cycling races & cycle repairs, summer fun, the Nats, and more. So, Rock the Red along with a… Happy Weekend!
ALL CAPS
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Thursday, 8-10:30pm
Admission: Free
If you weren’t among the lucky thousands who scored tickets to the Game 5 watch party at Capital One Arena in the 10 minutes before they sold out, you can join another fun viewing party at The Wharf. They are rocking the red at the Southwest waterfront and showing the game on a large LED screen on Pearl Street. Grab a bite at one of the many restaurants, then watch the historic hockey game and cheer on the Caps! (FYI: You can also watch the game outside the Capitol One Arena on large screens located at G and 8th streets NW at 8pm. It’s guaranteed to be packed.)
Celebrate Fairfax
Where: Fairfax County Government Center | Fairfax, VA
When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Admission: $8-22/adult, $5/youth, free/2 & under
The annual Celebrate Fairfax! Festival has something for everyone — live music, carnival rides, children’s activities, art, food vendors, and much more to keep guests entertained throughout the weekend. And with Good Charlotte, Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, and Cracker headlining, you get a little time trip back to the 90’s, too! More details, along with the full musical line-up, see the Celebrate Fairfax website.
Celebrate Capital Pride
Where: Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, & Downtown DC
When: Saturday, 4:30-7:30pm & Sunday, 12-7pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate Capital Pride at the annual parade that’s expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators! The procession steps off at 4:30pm at 22nd & P Streets NW and will wind its way through Dupont, Logan, and other areas of NW. 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 feature three stages of live entertainment and host 300 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 LGBTA community and join the celebration!
Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival
Where: Kingman Island | Hill East, DC
When: Saturday 12-9pm
Admission: $35, free for ages 10 & under
The 9th Annual Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival will feature great entertainment and plenty more revelry. The celebration of local music, food, and culture as well as the revitalization of the Anacostia River features a whole day and evening of performances by local bluegrass and folk acts on multiple stages. Fuel up with DC’s favorite food trucks and beer from Sierra Nevada and Atlas Brew Works. For kiddos, Living Classrooms and a Kids Zone will have activities just for them. Kingman Island is located on the Anacostia River at 575 Oklahoma Avenue NE (at the entrance to RFK Stadium). Read more about Kingman & Heritage Islands in this KFDC post.
Joys of Summer
Where: Throughout the DMV
When: All weekend long
Admission: Varies by activity
Free concerts in the open air, outdoor swimming, movies under the stars, sprayground fun, and SO much more! Activities exclusive to the season can be enjoyed this weekend, and the 2018 KFDC Guide to the Best of Summer in DC has the whole scoop on all of them.
To Future Women
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, 10am – 5:30pm
Admission: Free
Be part of a twenty-year-long art project! Part art and part time-capsule, Georgia Saxelby’s To Future Women invites you — and thousands from across the globe — to write a letter to women of future generations in this pop-up interactive installation. Archived for 20 years, the letters will be re-exhibited in 2037 on the 20th anniversary of the Women’s March. (I love this so much!) Plan to stay for the children’s Check It Out program, and on Sunday for a Rosie Revere, Engineer STORYTIME.
Maryland Faerie Festival
Where: Darlington, MD
When: Saturday, 10am – 6pm & Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: $5/ages 3-12, $15/ages 13-99
Indulge little faerie dreams at the annual festival inspired by faerie folklore and literature. Apparently, it’s kind of like Renn Fest on a much smaller scale with facets that will delight children, especially those who believe in faeries. Treasure hunts, craft projects, nature walks, and acrobats are some of the activities kids (and adults) will enjoy. Art, crafts, musical performances, and jewelry vendors will appeal to the bigger faeries in the crowd.
Solo Sensory-Friendly Screening
Where: Regal Rockville Center Stadium | Rockville, MD
When: Saturday, 10:30am
Admission: $6.50
Join the Rebellion with a Sensory-Friendly Screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The newest My Way Matinee from Regal gives everyone the opportunity to experience a movie once a month with the sound turned down and the lights turned up. Watch the trailer for the movie here.
Armed Forces Cycling Classic
Where: Throughout Clarendon & Crystal City, VA
When: Saturday, 11:30am & Sunday, 11:15am
Admission: Free
The official race is for adults, but kids ages 9 and under can get in on the cycling, too – there are special races just for them along with the main event. The Saturday kids races will take place in Clarendon at 11:30am, and Sunday’s will be held in Crystal City also around 11:30am. Multiple heats for different age groups will vary in distance; the older the kids, the further they ride. Participants must bring their own helmets and bikes, and trikes are welcome, too. Online registration has ended, but you can still sign up kids day of.
DC Jazz Fest
Where: Venues around DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by show
The first weekend of the annual DC Jazz Festival presents a selection of the jazz genre’s most acclaimed artists as well as emerging artists at venues all around the city. Bring the kids for some afternoon jazz or make it a date night at a show in the evening. See the full schedule of concerts on the website to help you plan.
Tinner Hill Blues Festival
Where: Various locales | Falls Church, VA
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Starts at $25/adult, kids are free
From blues in restaurants to Cherry Hill Park, and gospel on Tinner Hill, it’s three days of music and blues-related events for all ages all over the City of Falls Church. The 25th Annual Tinner Hill Blues Festival will bring loads of activities along with the live music, including fun for young festival-goers. Kids can enjoy a blues reading, films, and an instrument petting zoo. See the website for details on all of it.
Free Bike Repair
Where: Anacostia Neighborhood Library | Anacostia, DC
When: Saturday, 12-2:30pm
Admission: Free
Need a two-wheel fix? Volunteers from The Bike House, Gearin’ Up Bicycles, Phoenix Bikes, and Velocity Coop will provide bike repair services at no cost to the public outside of Anacostia Neighborhood Library on Saturday. This program will take place n select Saturdays this summer, so look out for other dates if you can’t make this one!
Nats vs. Giants
Where: Nationals Park | Capitol Riverfront, DC
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Tickets prices vary
It’s a weekend of home games for the Nats as they host the Giants. There are games Friday (7:05pm), Saturday (12:05pm), and Sunday (4:05pm). Check for special promos here. And before you go, get some KFDC tips on doing Nats game without breaking the bank.
As the Wheel Turns
Where: Peirce Mill | Rock Creek Park, DC
When: Saturday, 10a – 4pm
Admission: Free
Learn about the power of water and its connection to food on a mill tour with Friends of Peirce Mill or a National Park Service Ranger at this historic site in Rock Creek Park. Ages are welcome to drop in. Read more about Peirce Mill in this KFDC post.
Shows on Strings
Where: The Puppet Co.
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $10 & $6
Sleeping Beauty is the Main Stage production at the puppet theatre in Glen Echo. Told with rod puppets and wonderful special effects, the show is a real treat for princesses and princes, big and small. And little ones will enjoy Teddy Bear’s Picnic, this weekend’s featured Tiny Tots show on Saturday — the lights stay on, doors remain open, and performances are short for newbie theatre-goers.
Ever in the Glades
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Tickets: $20
This show for the T(w)een Scene is recommended for ages 12+. On an isolated island deep in the heart of the Everglades, five teenagers struggle to survive in a land where the adults are as dangerous as the gators. When one of the kids returns from juvenile detention to help the rest escape to the mainland, it seems their prayers have been answered. There’s only one problem: they need a boat, and they need it before the adults catch wind of their plan and end it—or end them.
Alice
Where: Theatre on the Run | Arlington, VA 22206
When: Saturday, 3pm & 7pm & Sunday, 3pm
Admission: $20/adult, $10/child
Why does a girl need to create a Wonderland, and what happens there? This family dance and theater show, starring the young performers of Momentum Dance Theatre’s Jazz Hip Hop Academy, will tell the tale through this production. Running time in 2 hours.
Kennedy Street Festival
Where: Kennedy & 3rd-8th Streets | Northwest DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate new and old businesses, buildings, and more on Kennedy Street NW. Now in its 5th year, this year’s festival is sure to be their best yet. The street will not be closed for the event, but they’ll have a whole host of vendors, entertainment, and activities available to enjoy on sidewalks, at storefronts, and in parking lots. Especially for kids will be a scavenger hunt, crafts, face painting, balloon animals, and more.
Planetary Pendant Shrinky Dink Craft
Where: American Visionary Art Museum | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday, 1-4pm
Admission: $5
Join the museum for the months Weekend Walk-in, a hands-on, drop-in, art-making workshop in the AVAM classroom! During this session, design and draw your own planets on magical Shrinky-Dink plastic. Supplies & boundless inspiration provided.
Books in Bloom
Where: Downtown Columbia Lakefront | Columbia, MD
When: Sunday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
The 2nd annual Books in Bloom festival will feature a world-class lineup of children’s authors and activities for families to enjoy, including roaming interactive flower carts, glitter tattoos, face painting, balloon artists, story time, and a puppet show. The event will also bring together some of the country’s best and brightest writers for a daylong festival celebrating the joy of books and reading.
End-of-Year Bash
Where: Julia Bindeman Suburban Center | Potomac, MD
When: Sunday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: $15-20/child, free for parents
This fundraiser for Washington Hebrew Congregation focuses on ages 1-6. Families can enjoy rides, inflatables, games, entertainment, face painters, food, and much more! Wristbands are $15 each until Friday, June 8 at 4pm. Regular price is $20.
El Reto Descubre el Bosque
Where: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens | Northeast DC
When: Saturday, 2:30-5:30pm
Admission: Free
Join Corazón Latino, an organization that hosts outdoors events for multicultural families in the DMV, for an afternoon of activities for kids and adults — be ready to observe, learn, dance, eat, and make new friends! Learn from Entomologists (scientists who study insects!) and engage in civic science using iNaturalist and iTree. Together with scientists and educators, Descubre el Bosque (Discover the Forest) and talk about ways to address issues around an invasive beetle known as the emerald ash borer. Take action as civic scientists to help protect our trees and our communities and learn how to take part in forest restoration. End the day with a boat tour along the Anacostia river with the support of the Anacostia Riverkeeper and Hispanic Access Foundation.
Take Your Pick
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Strawberries, cherries, even spinach are ripe and ready for harvest, and many area farms welcome guests to come PYO. It’s always a good idea to check websites or call ahead to confirm availability the day you plan to go. Sunscreen and hat also recommended.
Out in DC
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Capital Pride isn’t the only thing bringing peops out this weekend. The area is full of great places to enjoy being outside. You can read about them in The Best Places in the DC Area to Enjoy a Beautiful Day Outdoors with the Kids. (But if weather has you seeking shelter, check out The Great Indoors post instead.)
***MORE GOOD STUFF TO KNOW***
* Capitol Hill Cooperative Nursery School welcomes the community to the 2nd Annual Family Night at the Miracle Theatre on Monday, June 11! Watch the movie SING and enjoy tacos from Santa Rosa Taqueria plus more treats & surprises! Doors open at 5:30pm, show begins at 6:15pm. Single tickets are $15, a family package is $48.
* See a rainbow in Penn Quarter as the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum celebrate Pride Week with a lighting display on their F, G, and 7th Streets NW building facades this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening.
* Saturday, apparently, is National Rosé Day. (And if some random person designates a random day as a national holiday, then it’s practically our duty to celebrate, right?? 😉 )
* Some info that may be of interest to many.
