Taking in the views from the Sugarloaf Mountain summit — a great place to hit the trail with kids
I hope you’ve got a little time to spare because you’ll need it to read about all of the excellent events happening around the area this weekend. Pop culture, folk music, jazz, trucks, wine, space, nature, live entertainment, and local communities are among the many things you can celebrate and enjoy. Details on all of the above are below. Happy Weekend!
Awesome Con
Where: Washington Convention Center
When: Saturday, 10am – 7pm & Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: $40-50
This celebration of popular culture is DC’s comic-con, embracing all aspects of geekdom and pop culture. Expect a wide assortment of comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay, a Kids Zone, and appearance from more than fifty movie and television celebrity guests throughout the weekend. Kids will love the chance to draw along with noted comic book artists, attend Superhero University and make Superhero symbols and capes, see a wizard magic show, and participate in a kid’s costume contest and puppetry class.
Summer Fun
Where: Throughout the area
When: All weekend long
Admission: Varies by activity
Free concerts al fresco, outdoor swimming, movies under the stars, sprayground fun, and much more! Activities exclusive to the season can be enjoyed all around the area, several taking place on Friday evening – a perfect way to kick off the weekend. The 2016 Summer Guide has the whole scoop on all of them.
Keep on Truckin’
Where: RFK Lot 7
When: Saturday, 8am – 1pm
Admission: Free
The Truck Touch event that easily takes the title as Mac Daddy of them all. This is the 9th year that the DC Department of Public Works welcomes guests to climb aboard, honk the horn, work the gears, and explore all kinds of neat vehicles that serve our city. There will also be opportunities to test ride Segways, spec out a helicopter, and sit atop police horses. Read more about it and see images from a past Truck Touch here (and be sure to note that it was posted a few years ago, so the dates don’t confuse you).
Washington Folk Festival
Where: Glen Echo Park
When: Saturday & Sunday, 12-7pm
Admission: Free
Get folksy at Glen Echo Park this weekend, as the 36th annual Washington Folk Festival showcases the diversity of traditional music in Washington. All of the artists hail from the DC area, but cultures from around the nation, as well as the world, will be represented through music, dance, crafts, and stories.
Jazz ‘n’ Families Fun Days
Where: The Phillips Collection
When: Saturday, 10am – 5pm & Sunday, 12-7pm
Admission: Free
Leading up to the DC Jazz Festival starting next week and part of The Phillips Collection’s Museum Walk events, there will be special performances and activities for guests, especially young ones. Enjoy both the art and live jazz throughout the museum, including musicians improvising to paintings in the galleries. Kids can join a scavenger hunt, visit an instrument petting zoo, create their own masterpieces to take home, and view the permanent collection, too. Read more about the event and museum in this post about our experience there last year.
Walk the Museum Walk
Where: Dupont-Kalorama Neighborhoods
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Get off the Mall and explore the many museums in the Dupont-Kalorama neighborhood during its 33rd annual Museum Walk Weekend. (You can also check out the Obama’s future neighborhood!) See the exhibits and enjoy special programs for free at seven diverse museums, including The Phillips Collection, Dumbarton House, Heurich House, and Woodrow Wilson House. If you don’t want to use the shoe leather express, there will be a free shuttle running between sites.
Imagination Bethesda
Where: Downtown Bethesda
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate children, art, and all things fun at the 22nd annual Imagination Bethesda. Where Woodmont Avenue meets Elm Street, activity tents will line the streets, face painters will bring butterflies and pirates to life, and a stage of live entertainment will have the whole street dancing. Activity details and the entertainment line-up are available on the website.
Acton Children’s Business Fair
Where: Cleveland Park – 3400 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: Saturday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Do some shopping at the Acton Children’s Business Fair an outdoor market where children ages 6 to 14 become entrepreneurs for a day, creating a business, selling to real customers for real money, and keeping the profits. Like Eastern Market run by kids! There will be over 30 children’s businesses with products/services such as jewelry, original art, cupcakes, bath soaps, pet treats, hair braiding, facepainting, and more. A cash prize of $50 for best business will be awarded in each of the four age groups (6-7, 8-10, 11-12, and 13-14). Rain or shine!
Space Day
Where: National Air & Space Museum
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
This annual favorite Family Day welcomes visitors to enjoy STEM-inspired hands-on activities, meet an astronaut, and learn about space from experts from the Museum and NASA. And all of it takes place amid the awe-inspiring collection of historic aviation and space artifacts in the much-loved museum on the National Mall.
World Ocean Day
Where: National Museum of Natural History
When: Saturday, 10am – 4:30pm
Admission: Free
Interactive activities throughout the museum will be open to explore ocean science in celebration of World Oceans Day. Appreciate the beauty of the sea and express yourself through art, njoy family activities in Q?rius Jr., talk with experts in the Ocean Hall and Q?rius and more!
Show Time
Where: Local theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
– Reserve your free seats for Monkey Tales, this week’s Saturday Morning at the National perfromance
– Catch a performance of Little Red Riding Hood and the 3 Little Pigs at The Puppet Co.
– And Old McDonald’s Farm is the featured Tiny Tots show
– It’s opening weekend for Creative Cauldron’s production of The Wind in the Willows
– Encore Stage & Studio presents Cul de Sac, theatre by kids for kids
– See the student show Collide-O-Scope at Imagination Stage
– Spend Saturday morning with the grandsons jr. at Jammin’ Java
– See the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance perform at Saturday’s free Millennium Stage show at the Kennedy Center
Community Day
Where: Kalorama Park
When: Saturday, 11am – 3:30pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate the re-opening of Kalorama Park with a big, old-fashioned Community Day. Enjoy new playgrounds, a beautifully re-designed plaza, and a healthier Rock Creek Watershed, thanks to a sustainable stormwater system installed by the City. While the kids test out the new equipment, grown-ups can listen to local Bluegrass band By and By, Mayor Bowser’s remarks, and the James Benson Jazz Quartet. In between, there’ll be classes for adults, face painting for kids, and more!
Saturday Family Jazz Session
Where: Strathmore
When: Saturday, 11am
Admission: $10
Jumpstart a love for jazz with classes that nurture talent and spark musicality! Junior jazz aficionados can spend Saturday mornings singing, playing, and preparing for a lifetime of jazz appreciation at this fun, creative, kid-friendly series featuring classes with multi-instrumentalist and local jazz legend Seth Kibel and renowned jazz singer Rochelle Rice. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. All attendees, regardless of age, must have a ticket.
Celebrate Petworth
Where: 800 block of Upshur Street NW
When: Saturday, 11am – 5pm
Admission: Free
Head to the heart of the Petworth neighborhood to celebrate creativity, diversity, culture, people, and quality of life, the core components of what make Petworth a vibrant and wonderful place to live.
Youth Fishing Day
Where: Blackwater Wildlife Refuge
When: Saturday, 9am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Kids can cast a line and then some at this free fishing event. Staff will be on hand to help young fishers learn the basics, plus a free hotdog lunch will be provided along with photos of participants with their catch. Bait and poles supplied, or feel free to BYO.
Vintage Virginia Wine & Food Festival
Where: Bull Run Park
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $30/adults, $10/kids
A wine fest might sound like a grown-ups-only event, but this one offers plenty of fun for kids, too. Chef demos, food truck fare, live music, and a whole family area with activities especially for children are among the festivities. Of course, there will be plenty of opportunity for wine tasting, too!
Please Do Touch the Art
Where: Torpedo Factory
When: Through July 17
Admission: Free
Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, encourages people to touch, feel, dine upon, and even lick the artwork in Please Touch, which opens Saturday for a six-week run. The all-media exhibition features 20 works with which audiences can get hands-on.
Happy Trails
Where: Around the area
When: Saturday
Admission: Free
Saturday is National Trails Day, and you can celebrate by taking part in one of many special events around the area. Take a hike, do some volunteer trail maintenance, go bird watching, and more. Find an event for your family on the National Trails Day website. Or if you just want to hit the trail for a hike, check out this post about great walks in the woods with kids.
Market Days
Where: North Bethesda Market
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free
North Bethesda Market has launched its first Home and Garden Market, an outdoor event for the entire family on Saturdays through June. Shop for plants and fresh cut flowers, find decor to refresh your home and garden, and enjoy live music and a fresh grilled lunch al fresco. Whole Foods will offer gardening items just for kids, and you can get tips on flower arranging and creating a succulent garden during free weekly seminars.
Kids Kandinsky Trees
Where: Art Jamz
When: Saturday, 1-2pm
Admission: $27-29
Jam on and paint a colorful tree in the style of Wassily Kandinsky. The session is the first in a series of Kids Summer Painting Classes. ArtJamz instructors will help participants create awesome original art work with all kinds of cool inspiration. Sign up in advance.
Savage Fest
Where: Baldwin Common and Carroll Baldwin Hall
When: Saturday, 10am – 6:30pn
Admission: Free
This 29th annual community festival will feature live music from local bands, pony rides, a petting zoo, jugglers, magic shows, local history reenactments and tours, dancing, demonstrations and other entertainment throughout the day. The venue is located at 9035 Baltimore Street in Savage, MD.
Occoquan Arts & Crafts Show
Where: Downtown Historic Occoquan
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free
Over 10,000 peple are expected to attend the Town of Occoquan’s 47th Annual Arts and Crafts Show. Along with the creative items for sale by more than 300 contemporary and country crafters, there will be live entertainment, a DJ, food, and a Kidz Corner.
Fiesta Asia Street Fair
Where: Pennsylvania Avenue, 3rd – 6th Streets, NW DC
When: Sunday, 10am – 7pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate Asian Heritage Month at the annual street fair presented by the Asia Heritage Foundation and Passport DC. This showcase of Asian art and culture will include music and dance performances, martial arts demos, food, hands-on activities, and more. Kids can enjoy activities like origami, sidewalk chalk, dragon making, story telling, and more. While admission is free, be prepared to spend on food and in the marketplace.
Falls Church Feeds the World
Where: Christ Crossman UMC
When: Sunday, 1-5pm
Admission: Free
The public is welcome to join other members of the community in working together to assemble and package 20,000+ meals to combat hunger around the world – and enjoy a children’s festival taking place outside. The free event features activities that teach children about food insecurity in our community and worldwide, and includes food at no cost.
WJMF in the Park
Where: Stead Park
When: Sunday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
Bring the whole family to the park for a day of free concerts, games, and fun! Part of the Washington Jewish Music Festival, this evnt will feature The Macaroons’ catchy pop-rock mixes with The Brothers Yares’ Middle Eastern-inflected Folk and Americana sound. Ari Jacobson is the musical master of ceremonies, and there will also be face painting, games, and workshops throughout the day. The Washington Animal Rescue League will join with adoptable puppies and when you’re ready for some grub, grab a falafel or grilled cheese nearby from DC Ballers and The Big Cheese.
Nature & Recreation in Annapolis
Where: Quiet Waters Park
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $6/car
Head east to explore a new park. We recently discovered Quiet Waters, kind of by accident, and it made for a fantastic outdoorsy Mother’s Day. Hike in the woods under a leafy canopy, paddle the South River, take in scenic vistas, and even view some art. Read more the locale in this new post.
