Mixed Weekend Weather on Tap in the DMV
Sunday looks like it will be the best day of the weekend with partly sunny skies and no chance of rain according to the forecast. Saturday has a 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms. Both days will have highs about 84 degrees. But no matter the weather, there is plenty to do inside and out in the DMV this weekend.
Work on Metro’s Green Line continues this weekend with the Branch Avenue, Suitland and Naylor Road stations closed and buses replacing trains between Branch Avenue and Southern Avenue. Trains will operate on a regular weekend schedule between Southern Avenue and Greenbelt. On the Red Line, trains will single track between Farragut North and Judiciary Square with trains running every 20 minutes. Orange, Silver, Blue and Yellow Line trains will operate on normal weekend schedules.
Jazz in the Garden
August is here, college students are returning to town and that means you only have three more weeks to enjoy Jazz in the Garden after work on Fridays. Kick back and groove to the music with sangria in hand amid the art in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. An eclectic mix of DMV jazz musicians lend a soundtrack to one of the city’s most idyllic scenes set around the sculpture garden’s central fountain, wrapping up its 17th season. This week’s concert features Zili playing world soul. Next week features Davina and the Vagabonds with jazz and blues, and this year’s final concert is by Black Masala with its eclectic mix. Take your own picnic or purchase food from the museum’s Pavilion Café, which will offer a special menu of appetizers, salads and entrées, including a smoked brisket sandwich, pulled pork BBQ sandwich, sweet Italian sausage sandwich and chicken shawarma. Wine, sangria and beer are also available.
Friday nights through Aug. 25 from 5-8:30 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Otakon
Asian pop culture including anime, manga, music, movies and video games is the focus of Otakon, which takes fandom to a new level. After 18 years in Baltimore, one of America’s largest animae conventions is moving to D.C. It is a celebration of Japanese culture, from animae and manga to arcade games, karaoke and cosplay. Expect plenty Q&A panels with anime directors and voice actors, free video game sessions, movie screenings, art displays, dance parties, costume contests, workshops and celebrity appearances at this three-day celebration.
Aug. 11 and 12 from 9 a.m.-2 a.m. and Aug.-13 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Membership in Otakorp, which includes admission to the convention, is $100 at the door.
Yellow Dubmarine
Yellow Dubmarine takes the classic songs of The Beatles and turns them into danceable dub grooves. Featuring a horn section, tribal drums and Calypso rhythms, this group will showcase renditions of Here Comes the Sun and Come Together that you have never heard before and will probably never hear again.
Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. at AMP by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave., North Bethesda. Tickets are $23 for standing or $28 for seated.
Silver Screens on Veterans Plaza
Another free film series starts this week, because you can’t have too many free movies. Silver Screens on Veterans Plaza sponsored by AFI launches Friday with Back to the Future Part II on the very date that Marty McFly time-traveled to in this 1989 sequel, then continues on the next three Fridays with The Lego Batman Movie on Aug. 18, Purple Rain on Aug. 25 and School of Rock on Sept. 1. Take a blanket and a picnic and buy beer and wine from local vendors.
Aug. 11 and every Friday through Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. on Veterans Plaza, Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring. Admission is FREE!
Alexandria Sidewalk Sale
More than 50 shops in Old Town Alexandria and Del Ray will have specials this weekend during the Alexandria Sidewalk Sale, with discounts of up to 80 percent on new shoes, designer consignment, the latest books or vintage barware. The website has a map with a full list of merchants and deals. Parking is free all weekend!
Aug. 12 and 13 at stores in the Old Town and Del sections of Alexandria. Hours vary by location. Admission is FREE!
FestAfrica
FestAfrica, the largest area celebration of African culture, returns for at 15th year. The festival’s two days include music by both local and international African artists including Guinea’s Ismael & the Radiant Select and South Africa’s Lorraine Klassen. There will also be dance performances, fashion shows, kids games and traditional African food vendors.
Aug. 12 and 13 from 1-8 p.m. at Veterans Plaza, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring. Admission is FREE!
3 Stars Brewing Fifth Anniversary Monster Bash
The team at 3 Stars Brewing doesn’t do anything halfway. At their fifth anniversary monster bash, the upper Northwest brewery is unveiling four new brews, including collaborations with New York’s Interboro and Long Island City Beer Project, a double IP, and a barley wine made with Ohio maple syrup. That is just the beginning of the beer list, which will feature at least 30 taps, including selections for breweries that 3 Stars has previously collaborated with, such as Other Half, J. Wakefield and Graft Cider. Rappahannock Oyster will be shucking oysters on the half-shell, Chiko is roasting a pig, Jerkface is serving specialty jerky and Ice Cream Jubilee will dish up frozen treats. Entertainment comes from DJs Smudge and Keenan Orr, and a performance by the School of Rock.
Aug. 12 from 1-7 p.m. at 3 Stars Brewing, 6400 Chillum Place NW. Tickets are $20 for general admission with a glass and one beer or $50 for VIP, which includes admission at noon, additional drink tickets and a swag bag. There will be no door sales.
Mary Chapin Carpenter with Lucinda Williams
One of the most prominent artists in the history of country music, Mary Chapin Carpenter got her start in the DMV. She triumphantly returns to with a special concert in honor of her career reaching the 30-year milestone, which includes 14 albums and selling over 14 million records. She has won five Grammy Awards with 15 nominations, two CMA awards, two Academy of Country Music awards for her vocals and is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Carpenter has performed alongside the New York Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the London Concert Orchestra, the L.A. Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. She will be joined by fellow singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, who has an impressive career of her own, including penning one of Carpenter’s biggest hits, Passionate Kisses.
Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $28-$60.
Rum This Block
Rum Day D.C. rocks 14th Street NW with Rum This Block on the Whitman-Walker Health parking lot! Members of U.S. Bartenders Guild’s D.C. Chapter will be mixing up rum punches and offering samples from nine rum distilleries, while vendors offer sweet treats and swag. Rob Sonderman from Federalist Pig will be on the grill and Farrah Flosscett will be spinning tunes. Expect games, water gun battles and activities to keep the party going.
Aug. 13 from 2-7 p.m. at the Whitman-Walker Clinic parking lot, 1524 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30 and include unlimited drinks and barbecue.
The Roots
Questlove and crew’s main gig these days may be as Jimmy Fallon’s house band on The Tonight Show, but here’s a chance to catch The Roots cutting loose in the fairly intimate MGM National Harbor Theater. After all, their freewheeling live performances are what helped make this prolific hip-hop group famous, as opposed to drum-offs with Justin Bieber on late-night television. They will be joined by Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Rare Essence.
Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. at the MGM National Harbor, 101 MGM National Ave., Oxen Hill. Tickets are $31-$247.
On-Going Events
Ai Weiwei: Trace from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2018, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Architecture of an Asylum: St. Elizabeths 1852-2017 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 15, 2018, at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors, students and children.
Fancy Animal Carnival daily through Oct. 15 at CityCenterDC, 825 10th St. NW; Chinatown Park, Sixth Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW; and Herald Square, 13th Street and New York Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through April 2, 2018, at the National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
The Faces of Battle: Americans at War, 9/11 to Now from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 28, 2018, at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Apr. 15, 2018, at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Nicholas Party: Sunrise, Sunset from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 1 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Parallax Gap from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily through Feb. 11, 2018, at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Sharks from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Oct. 15 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and military and $10 for children ages 5-12.
Summer of Yoko Ono from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 17 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Trolley Car Mail from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 10 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Wright on the Walls from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 4 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors, students with ID and youth ages 3-17.
XYZT: Abstract Landscapes hands-on interactive experience from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. daily through Sept. 3 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Daytime admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children, students and seniors and evening admission (21+) is $25.
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.