12 Things To Do In the DMV This Weekend
If you don’t have plans for this weekend, do not despair! There are almost too many events to choose from around the DMV. And lucky for you, a few of them are happening all weekend, giving you a couple of options on when to attend. Indulge your inner nerd at MAGFest, a four-day event celebrating all things gaming. Get ready for the Oscars next weekend, with multiple screenings of award-winning short films presented by local film festival D.C. Shorts. Brighten up these dreary days by exploring tropical travel destinations at the D.C. Travel &Adventure Show happening all weekend at the Washington Convention Center. And for the politically inclined, you have two options to attend Art Soiree’s annual political cartoon exhibit. With all of these options, how will you choose?!
Double-check your travel plans this weekend, there’s plenty of Metro track work. On the Red Line, trains will single-track between Friendship Heights and Grosvenor, and Forest Glen and Wheaton. Trains will run every 24 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, and every 12-13 minutes between Farragut North and Silver from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. On the Blue and Orange lines, trains will single-track between Smithsonian and Federal Center SW. Trains will operate every 20 minutes. On the Silver Line, trains will continue to run every 10 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston ONLY. On the Yellow Line, trains will operate every 20 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square rather than Fort Totten. Customers should use the Green Line if you are traveling farther north, but be aware that single-tracking will take place between L’Enfant Plaza and Navy Yard every 20 minutes.
MAGFest
Does four straight days of gaming sound like your thing? Then head down to the Music and Gaming Festival, or MAGFest for short! Put on by the gaming community’s biggest, this convention runs 24-hours a day for four days and is dedicated to all things gaming. On the convention center floor you’ll find gaming consoles, vendors and performances from video game cover bands. If you’re not too busy playing games, check out some breakout sessions on gaming podcast production, using video games for empirical research and military representation in video games.
Feb. 19-21 at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., Oxon Hill. Tickets are $75 in advance and $80 at the door.
Chocolate Tasting with Harper Macaw
Satisfy your sweet tooth at this month’s Chocolate Tasting with Harper Macaw. Educate yourself on the difference between milk and dark chocolate while tasting samples from local chocolate makers.
Feb. 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Alliance Française de Washington D.C., 2142 Wyoming Ave. NW. Tickets are $15-$20.
D.C. Shorts WINS
Get in the mood for next weekend’s Academy Awards at D.C. Shorts Wins: Oscar-Nominated Shorts. This selection of 14 short films are not only critically-acclaimed, they’re award winners — some of them have even received the golden statue itself. Grab a drink from the bar and enjoy this winning group of films from the dramatic to the comedic.
>Feb. 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the U.S Navy Memorial Heritage Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $15. Save $10 when you purchase a double-header.
Art Soiree’s 6th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit
Election year is in full swing! Step away from the constant news coverage and take in a more creative side to the horse race at Art Soiree’s 6th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit: The Road to the White House 2016. Political cartoons are a time-honored tradition, offering satirical political commentary for more than 500 years. Learn more about this unique art form as you browse pieces from this year’s maniacal race to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Feb. 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, 3100 South St. NW. Tickets are $20.
Yoga at the U.S. Botanical Garden
Breathe in, breathe out and smell the rose while your’e at it! It’s time to stretch with Practice with Love Yoga at the U.S. Botanical Garden. Join WithLoveDC and fellow yogis for this chance to practice at an offbeat location. After you’re done with your sun salutations, check out the garden’s latest exhibit “Flora of the National Parks,” an art exhibit celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service.
Feb. 20 from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. at the U.S. Botanical Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE! Mats and water will not be provided.
D.C. Travel & Adventure Show
Start planning your next adventure at the D.C. Travel & Adventure Show. The 12th annual show is your chance to connect with travel experts and fellow adventurers. Explore travel options in China, Samoa, Aruba and many many more destinations. Exhibitors will be available for expert travel advice and keynote speakers such as 1,000 Places to See Before You Die author Patricia Shultz and Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan will offer their insight into the wanderlust in all of us.
Feb. 20 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Feb. 21 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center, Hall C, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Tickets are $12-$18, in advance and $16-$25 at the door. Children age 16 and under are FREE with a paying adult.
Annual Mardi Gras Family Festival
Celebrate a family-friendly version of Mardi Gras at the Annual Mardi Gras Family Festival. Grab the kids and enjoy an afternoon of live entertainment from The Hard Way Connection, face painting, mask making, storytelling, coconut art, parasol painting, shields, balloon art and a “Parasols on Parade” second-line parade. Artist Januwa Moja-Nelson will host an Art of Adornment workshop on her exotic designs and those who are interested will need to sign-up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Feb. 20 at noon at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE. Admission is FREE!
Screening of A Will for the Woods
Unearth the layered concept of green burials at a screening of the documentary A Will for the Woods. Facing his inevitable death, artist and psychiatrist Clark Wang has decided to look into green burials as a way to thank the planet for all that it has given him. With the help of his partner and a local cemetarian who is using green burials to save local land, Carl takes audiences through his final days and explores the ideas mortality, environmentalism and community.
Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Historic Congressional Cemetery Gatehouse, 1801 E St. SE. Admission is FREE! RSVP requests should be sent to mpuglisi@congressionalcemetery.org
Play in a Day
What happens when you are only given 24 hours to write and rehearse a play before performing it for an audience? Find out at Play in a Day. Tasked with this 24-hour challenge, six local theatre companies will gather on Friday evening to receive their assignments and come Saturday night they will hopefully be set to perform their original creations for an audience. Come see the result of their 24-hours of madness! Please be aware that some material might not be suitable for children.
Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. Tickets are $15.
Chinese Menu Comedy
Laugh out loud at the Chinese Menu Comedy show. Join a group of local comedians for a night of improv, deemed “a party in three acts.” This event sounds like the perfect way to cap off a night of dinner and drinks in Adams Morgan!
Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. at the D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $10.
Mother Tongue Film Festival
Bringing awareness to its Recovering Voices Initiative, the Smithsonian’s Mother Tongue Film Festival begins this weekend with a screening of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope dubbed in the Navajo language. This is first time a major film has been dubbed in the Navajo language. For a full list of screenings at the festival, which centers around the issue of studying and preserving indigenous languages, click here.
Feb. 21 at noon at the Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Rhett Miller at Jammin’ Java
Alternative country crooner Tickets are $20-$28.
Born in D.C., raised in Maryland and currently residing in Northern Virginia — Janessa is a DMV girl through and through. As a film enthusiast and Netflix’s number one fan, she willingly spends the majority of her time in front theater and computer screens. When she isn’t watching her latest binge, Janessa can be seen around town searching for the perfect cup of coffee or instagramming strangers on the metro for her hashtag #metrogramdc.