Get Out and Take in Spring
It’s spring in the DMV, and there’s plenty to do this weekend. The Earth Day rally and concert takes place on the National Mall Saturday with plenty of big names including My Morning Jacket, Train, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Usher and No Doubt. It is also the start of National Parks Week and admission to all national parks that normally charge admission are free this weekend. And the Arlington Festival of the Arts is back in Clarendon. But there’s plenty of inside events too including the 29th Filmfest DC, the first National Math Festival at several of the Smithsonians, Record Store Day and William Shakespeare’s birthday party on Sunday at the Folger.
This weekend, Orange, Silver, Blue and Yellow line trains will operate at regular intervals. On Saturday, the Greenbelt Station will be closed; however, Green Line trains will operate at regular intervals between the College Park and Branch Avenue stations. Shuttle buses will run between Greenbelt and College Park on Saturday adding an extra 15 minutes of travel time. Green Line trains will operate at regular intervals on Sunday. Red Line trains will operate every 15 minutes with trains running every 8-10 minutes between Grosvenor and Silver Spring from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. both days.
FilmFest DC
Filmfest DC returns for its 29th year, though with a smaller slate of movies and fewer bells and whistles. But that still leaves time for more than 70 films, including They Die by Dawn, a Western starring Erykah Badu, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington and Giancarlo Esposito, on Sunday at AMC Mazza Gallerie. On Friday at the same theater, get an early look at Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, which was Australia’s highest-grossing movie last year.
Apr. 17-26 at various times at AMC Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW; Brixton, 901 U St. NW; Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road NW; Geothe-Institut, 812 7th St. NW; E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; and Lincoln Theater, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $13 except for the opening night film The Water Diviner and reception, which is $15, and closing night, which is $25. A package of 10 tickets is also available for $100. Online tickets are available until the day before the show then will be available at the box office starting 1 hour before the screening.
Roseanne Cash
Roseanne Cash will always be known as the daughter of Johnny Cash, but her prolific country music career deserves its own recognitions. She’s put out 13 studio albums including last year’s critically acclaimed The River & The Thread. Don’t be surprised, though, if she covers one of her father’s songs.
Apr. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $27-$58 online or at the box office.
National Park Week
To kick off National Park Week, the National Park Service is waiving fees at its more than 400 parks on Saturday and Sunday. Take the opportunity to check out the nearby battlefields in Manassas or Antietam or admire the rapids at Great Falls Park. You could also head out to Shenandoah National Park for a cruise on Skyline Drive or go for a bike ride along the 184.5 mile C&O Canal, which runs from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md.
Apr. 18 and 19 at national parks across the country. Admission is FREE!
National Math Festival
Experience mathematics like never before when the first-of-its-kind National Math Festival comes to D.C. As the country’s first national festival dedicated to discovering the delight and power of mathematics, this public celebration will feature dozens of activities for every age – from hand-on magic and Houdini-like getaways to lectures with some of the most influential mathematicians of our time. Kids and adults can build a 10-foot-tall polyhedron out of 3,000 coat hangers or ride a tricycle with square wheels on a specially designed track.
Apr. 18 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Smithsonian Ripley Center, Freer and Sackler Galleries, National History Museum and Haupt Garden along the National Mall. Admission is FREE!
Arlington Festival of the Arts
The third annual Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon this weekend. More than 100 artists will showcase their works including glass, mixed media, paintings, jewelry and pottery.
Apr. 18 and 19 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the corner of N. Highland Street and Washington Boulevard, Clarendon. Admission is FREE!
Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally
Organizers expect 250,000 for this year’s Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally. The main event is a concert which will feature My Morning Jacket, Train, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Usher and No Doubt. Will.i.am and Soledad O’Brien are hosting the program, which runs rain or shine. The day’s speakers include Don Cheadle, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim. Vendors will be selling food and drink.
Apr. 18 starting from 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on the National Mall. The stage is between the Ellipse and the Washington Monument, just south of Constitution Avenue. Gate, located at Jefferson Drive and 15th Street SW, 17th Street and Independence Avenue SW and 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, open at 10 a.m.. There will be five screens set up for viewers away from the stage. Parking is limited so the best bet is to take Metro to the Federal Triangle or Smithsonian stations. Admission is FREE! The show will stream live at youtube.com/globalcitizen/live.
Record Store Day
Founded in 2007 as a way to boost business for struggling independent record stores, Record Store Day has turned into a twice-annual affair, packed with limited releases and crowded stores, proving that the vinyl resurgence is here to stay. It’s the perfect excuse to browse the bins at your local shop. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the U.S. and countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records and vary by location.
Apr. 18 during regular store hours. Participating D.C. stores include CD Warehouse, Crooked Beat Records, Hill & Dale, Joint Custody, Red Onion Records, Smash! Records and Som Records. Area stores in Maryland include CDepot in College Park; Memory Land CDS & Records in District Heights; and Joe’s Record Paradise and The Record Exchange in Silver Spring. Virginia participants include Blue Groove Soundz in Arlington; Mobius Records and Record & Tape Exchange in Fairfax; and CD Cellar in Falls Church; and Vienna Music Exchange in Vienna. Admission is FREE!
William Shakespeare’s Birthday
This year, the Folger Shakespeare Library honors William Shakespeare’s birthday with a day of activities including stage combat demonstrations, five-minute versions of his plays, music by the WETA Classical Players, a scavenger hunt and, naturally, birthday cake.
Apr. 19 from noon-4 p.m. at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 291 E Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Rick Springfield
There are iconic ‘80s pop songs and then there’s Jesse’s Girl, which is perhaps the most enduring of all cuts about romantic jealously. The 65-year-old Rick Springfield has sold 25 million records and had 17 top-40 hits and made 15 studio albums. He’s also an actor and best-selling author.
Apr. 19 at 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $35-$85 online or at the box office.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.