Jumpin’ the day away ay Ticonderoga Farms
It’s a three-day weekend for many of us — four for DCPS kids! — so along with this round-up, be sure to check out the Everyday Play page, which is loaded with staples for area recreation. I also recommend this great list of secret spots that won’t be so under-the-radar anymore since Prince of Petworth shared them. Now, go start planning your fun. Happy Weekend!
Friday Night Drive-In
Where: Union Market
When: Friday 8-10pm
Admission: $10/car
Union Market is bringing back the UM Drive-In series that they presented over the summer, and this week’s screening is one the family can enjoy. Monsters University will be the featured film, and your brood can view it from the comfort of your car in the UM parking lot. And word has it the DC Roller Girls will be on their skates serving snacks, old-school drive-in style.
Art Safari
Where: Torpedo Factory
When: Saturday, 12-4pm
Admission: Free
Alexandria’s tradition, Art Safari, is returning for the 19th year with a day of hands-on craft activities for kids and families. Resident and visiting artists will lead young guests in creative activities across a variety of media, including clay, papier-mâché, fiber, and printmaking. Make sure the kids wear clothes that can get a little dirty. Activities are most appropriate for ages 5 – 11 with some activities requiring parental assistance.
Taste of DC
Where: Pennsylvania Ave., 9th – 14th Streets NW
When: October 11-12, 12-7pm
Admission: $10, $5/ages 6-12, free for 5 and under
The annual festival celebrating food, wine, and culture in the city will takes lace during Columbus Day weekend. Along with the obvious — tastings from more than 40 area restaurants — there will be cooking demos, a chili eating championship, live entertainment, and a Family Zone with fun especially for kids.
Columbia Heights Day
Where: Tubman Elementary Field
When: Saturday, 11am – 6pm
Admission: Free
Whether or not you live in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of DC, you are invited to help celebrate the community on Saturday. Columbia Heights Day is bringing together residents and businesses for a day of fun festivities–live music, a KidsZone with games arts & crafts and more activities especially for little ones, an adult tricycle race, dunk tank, food trucks, family field day and much more! Stay for an outdoor movie starting at 7pm. The Tubman Elementary field is located at 11th & Kenyon Streets NW.
Hispanic Heritage Day: Innovators in Air and Space
Where: National Air & Space Museum
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrates the contributions of Latinos to aviation and space exploration. Learn about early aviators from the last century who took great risks flying the first planes and breaking records, meet current Hispanic scientists and engineers, and more! Many of the activities and presentations are available in English and Spanish.
Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
* See a performance of The Night Fairy at Imagination Stage
* Groovy Nate is performing at Jammin’ Java on Saturday morning
* Doktor Kaboom’s LIVE WIRE! The Electricty Tour brings an explosive show to the Kennedy Center
* Catch Stuart Little at Adventure Theatre
* Watch Rapunzel let down her hair as The Puppet Co. presents the marionette version of the classic fairytale.
* Clowing Around and Tiny Tots Sing-a-Long are the featured Tiny Tots shows at The Puppet Co.
* Driving Miss Daisy is beginning its month-long run at Ford’s Theatre
* InterAct Story Theatre presents Not My Monkey at Gaithersburg Art Barn on Saturday
* Rocknoceros is playing a special Columbus Day show at Jammin’ Java
Fall Family Festival
Where: Smithsonian Art Museum
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Get set for fall with season-inspired crafts, including leaf rubbing and “monster-making,” a scavenger hunt to find autumn scenes in the museum’s galleries, live musical performances by “The Banjo Man,” stilt-walkers, ghost-stories, and face painting!
Taste of Bethesda
Where: Woodmont Triangle
When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free, but you pay for food samples
According to some stats, Bethesda has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the U.S. Accurate or not, DC’s suburban neighbor definitely has a food scene worth celebrating, and you can do just that this Saturday. The 25th year of Bethesda’s famous food and music festival will bring 60 restaurants and five stages of entertainment to the downtown’s Woodmont Triangle. Along with delicious food samples and live entertainment, there will be a kid’s corner for face painting, arts & crafts, and more fun for young ones. Admission is free, and taste tickets are sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5. Food servings cost one to four tickets. Ticket sales end at 3:30pm.
Get Merry at Ren Fest
Where: Revel’s Grove in Crownesville, Md
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $22/ages 16 and up, $10/ages 7-15, free for 6 and under
There are only a couple of weekends left to enjoy the bounty of merriment at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The annual faire recalls medieval times with a village full of fun and entertainment for the whole family. This is one of my very favorite events in the DC area, and it could very well become one of yours, too. Huzzah!
Dig-It! Open House
Where: Dig-It! Studio in Bethesda
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Dig-It! Games, local developer of one of the most popular educational apps for middle school students, is opening its doors to families, educators, game lovers during the Taste of Bethesda this weekend. The Open House will offer guests the chance to go behind-the-scenes in game development, learn about programming, try their hand at digital art, and win prizes—like an iPad mini. Stop by 7801 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda to check it out!
Russian Fall Bazaar
Where: St. Nicholas
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 7pm
Admission: Free
St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral is hosting its annual Fall Bazaar located at 3500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. Join them for Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, and Serbian food, plus a variety of Slavic folk music and dance performances. After trying some blini, pirozhki, golubsty, and poppy seed pastry, enjoy a folk music performance, start your Christmas shopping in the gift shop, and take a Cathedral tour. Activities for kids will include face painting and crafts.
International Day of the Girl Child
Where: Tenley-Friendship Library
When: Saturday, 11am – 12:30pm
Admission: Free
Join Arts for Global Development to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child with some creativity and inspiring stories that highlight the importance of investing in girls around the world. Celebrate love and respect for girls, educational equality, fair opportunity… a future free of violence and discrimination. Space is limited, so to rsvp(at)art4development.net
Centreville Day
Where: Historic Centreville Park
When: Saturday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free
The community festival features historical activities and tours as well as children’s rides and other fun, live entertainment, a great local marketplace with a trick or treat trail for the kids, a food court, a mini health fair, and more. Located in Historic Centreville Park in the Centreville Historic District, the setting is said to be lovely, green, and inviting. There will be free remote parking and shuttle to the main venue.
Baby, Bash, & Bling Expo
Where: Renaissance Dupont Circle Hotel
When: Saturday, 1-5pm
Admission: $23.99/adult, $5/ages 4-18
Baby Bash & Bling Expo and Show returns to Washington, DC, this week. Designed for expectant parents, fabulous moms, and their families, guests can look forward to loads of special features, including the “Bump the Runway”™ fashion show, the Beauty and Bump Bar and the Fashion and Style Lounge, and an interactive session showcasing wardrobe styling for new moms.
Celebrate the Season
Where: Throughout the area
When: All weekend long
Admission: Varies by locale
Enjoy autumn fun and then some at a number of farms around the area. Pick pumpkins, whiz down slides, visit animals, jump on giant inflatables, take pony rides, indulge in caramel apples, and much more. This guide to fall festivals has details on all of them.
Wicked Fun
Where: Around the DC Metro
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Get the Halloween party started early with activities and events that celebrate the spooky spirit throughout October. This post has details on where the tricks and treats are happening.
