There Is Plenty to Do Indoors and Out
Despite the high temperatures this past week, temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will be back in the mid-70s, but a 60-70 percent of rain both days may put a damper on any outside plans. But there are still plenty of indoor events to fill your weekend including celebrating the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo at one of the many bars offering specials.
It seems like the only break we get from weekend maintenance on Metro is during the cherry blossoms. Since there are no cherry blossoms, you can expect work on all the lines except Orange, which will operate on a regular weekend schedule. Red Line trains single track between Farragut North and Union Station with trains running every 28 minutes. Blue Line trains single track between Addison Road and Morgan Boulevard with trains on a regular schedule. But because of the Blue Line construction, Silver Line trains will run between Wiehle-Reston East and New Carrollton on a regular weekend schedule instead. Yellow Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals between Huntington and Mount Vernon ONLY despite any lack of construction. And the Naylor Road, Suitland and Branch Avenue stations on the Green Line will be closed with buses replacing trains. Commuters using the shuttle buses should add an extra 15 minutes of travel time for each closed station. Green Line trains will run on a regular schedule between Southern Avenue and Greenbelt.
Flower Mart
Calling all garden enthusiasts! Enjoy one of spring’s most impressive showcases of colorful perennials, cutting-edge landscape exhibits and extraordinary floral arrangements produced by international floral designers from area embassies at the All Hallows Guild 79th annual Flower Mart. In addition to shopping for spring plants to fill your garden, the family-friendly festival includes garden tours and rides on the guild’s 1890 antique carousel manufactured by the U.S. Merry-Go-Round Crop. Visitors can also climb more than 300 steps to the cathedral’s towers and check out the gargoyles for $20 or eat in the Cathedral’s South Tower for $35 (reservation and advance purchase required). There will also be a used book sale in the parking garage lobby and food stands selling everything from barbecue and smoothies to funnel cakes and lobster rolls as well as a bake sale. There will be free entertainment, inside in case of rain, and children’s activities including games, carnival rides and a puppet show.
May 4 and 5 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora
The U.S. Botanic Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists have teamed up on Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora, a juried exhibition of artwork that depicts native plants. In the garden’s gallery space, you will can view 45 original pieces of art, which were juried from a selection of more than 200 entries. There will also be special programs on May 18 in honor of the Worldwide Day of Botanical Art. The exhibit closes on Oct. 15.
May 4 through Oct. 15 from 10 a.m-5 p.m. daily at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Postmen of the Skies: Celebrating 100 Years of Airmail Service
America’s fascination with airmail service in the early 20th century is the focus of Postmen of the Skies: Celebrating 100 Years of Airmail Service, a new exhibit at the National Postal Museum. Trace the beginnings of the service, which initially only covered D.C., Philadelphia and New York City, to its eventual privatization in 1927, when airlines began building their businesses on the postal route, infrastructure and pilots. Over the next decade, airmail contracts financed the fledgling airlines, helping to building the nation’s commercial aviation industry.
Through May 27, 2019 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Secret Cities
Discover how the famous Manhattan Project yielded three new cities featuring remarkable architecture at the new Secret Cities exhibit. The project began with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers covertly acquiring land on which to build the facilities to conduct the unprecedented effort of building the atomic bomb. By the end of the war, more than 125,000 people lived in these secret cities – now knows as Oak Ridge, Tenn., Los Alamos N.M. and Hanford/Richland, Wash. These cities reflected cutting-edge ideas about town planning, mass housing, civil and mechanical engineering, and modular construction. They became important proving grounds for large-scale suburban development that would dramatically alter the physical and cultural landscape of the nation in the post-war era. The exhibit showcases the innovative design and construction of these cities, as well as their evolution after the project was completed.
Daily through March 3, 2019, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 or older, students with ID and children 3-17. Children younger than 3 are FREE!
Spring Days of Design
Georgetown shows off its great fashion sense with three days (it began Thursday) of interior design-themed events at more than 15 stores and showrooms in the historic neighborhood during Spring Days of Design. Georgetown Design District’s celebration includes lunches, cocktails, art shows, a scholarship fundraiser with live jazz music, mimosas, pop-ups, brunch, classes and a spring art walk. Pick up a passport and collect at least five stamps for a chance to win prizes including a $500 gift certificate.Be sure to check out the brochure and map before you go to Georgetown’s incredible design world.
May 4 from noon-8 p.m. and May 5 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at more than 15 showrooms and shops in Georgetown. Admission is FREE!
Fridays at the Fountain
Crystal City is full of offices, but it isn’t much of an after-work destination. Enter Fridays at the Fountain, a weekly outdoor happy hour at the Crystal City Water Park. Relax in a hammock or dip your feet in the fountain while listening to local bands and sipping beer and wine, or purchase dinner from food trucks and restaurants. Blues-rock band Revelator Hill opens the event for the season.
May 4-Oct. 19 from 5-9 p.m. Fridays at the Crystal City Water Park, 1601 Crystal Drive, Arlington. Admission is FREE!
Hamlet
The UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company brings its innovative take on Hamlet to the Kennedy Center for its North American premier. The Bard’s classic play has been modernized and heavily inspired by the traditions of west Africa, with rising star Paapa Essiedu playing the title role with aplomb. Prepare to be dazzled by this imaginative re-telling of one of the stage’s greatest tragedies.
May 4 at 7:30 p.m., May 5 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and May 6 at 1 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$139.
Girlfriend
Power pop brings two young men on the verge of adulthood together in the musical Girlfriend. It is 1993 in small-town Nebraska and Alliance’s popular high school football player Mike is about to head to college, while Will has no idea what the future holds. The two become infatuated with each other, bonding over Matthew Sweet’s alternative rock album, Girlfriend. A coming-of-age story of passion and confusion then unfolds, set to an awesome 1990s soundtrack that you won’t be able to get out of your head.
Through June 10 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Signature Theatre Company, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$98.
Around the World Embassy Tour
Visit more than 50 embassies during the annual Around the World Embassy Tour. Embassies that span five continents including Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, China, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey will open their doors, with programming and activities including food, art, dance, fashion and music for visitors on-site. Check out the list of participating embassies and plan your multicultural excursion through the streets of D.C.! The 28 European Union member embassies will hold their open houses on May 12.
May 5 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at participating embassies. Admission is FREE! Many embassies require photo ID.
Washington Jewish Film Festival
The 28th Washington Jewish Film Festival shows films from around the world and is one of the most revered Jewish film festivals in North America. Across its 11 days, Jewish history, culture and experiences are celebrated with more than 80 screenings at several area theaters, many of which are regional, U.S. or world premieres. This year’s theme include Arab citizens of Israel, trailblazing women and LGBTQ films. There will also be discussions with filmmakers and experts after screenings. Check out the full film roster to plan your movie-going experience.
Through May 13 at various times at the Edlavitch D.C. JCC, 1529 16th St. NW; the AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; Bethesda Row Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda; and E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Regular tickets are $13.50 in advance and $15 at the door, while “spotlight” screenings with parties or other events Q&As are $23 in advance and $25 at the door. Closing night is $35 at the door only. Note that screenings before 6:15 p.m. on Saturdays are advance sales only due to Shabbat and tickets are not available at the door.
Running of the Chihuahuas
Forget the Run for the Roses. It is all about the seventh annual Running of the Chihuahuas. The festival features up to 128 chihuahuas running down a 60-foot track in a series of heats. There is also a costume contest open to all breeds. While registration for chihuhuas is sold out, you can still watch the little pups run their way to glory while shown on an 18-foot video wall. You will also be able to enjoy Coronas and live music from Jeff From Accounting throughout the afternoon along, play mini-golf and other games or shop pet-friendly vendors.
May 5 (in case of rain, it will be May 6) from 1-5 p.m. on The Wharf’s District Pier, 600 Water St. SW. Admission is FREE!
Candide
As part of the Leonard Bernstein at 100 celebration, the Washington National Opera stages Bernstein’s Candide, a hilarious take on the satire of Voltaire. When Candide proposes to a baron’s daughter, all goes to hell, and Candide is thrust into a journey that turns his optimism into cynicism as he encounters slavery, disease, war and natural disaster along the way. It includes classic tunes such as Make our Garden Grow and Glitter and Be Gay.
May 5, 12, 14 and 26 at 7 p.m., May 9, 18, 22 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and May 20 at noon at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $45-$275.
Sundress Fest
You know good weather has finally returned when you see hundreds of men and women in sundresses milling around in Columbia Heights. The Wonderland Ballroom’s 14th annual Sundress Fest is one of the neighborhood’s most unusual and riotous seasonal celebrations. Kenyon Street is blocked off between 11th and 13th Streets NW to make room for a giant 250-foot-long beer garden with happy hour prices for anyone in a sundress and live music by Bob Perilla’s Big Hillbilly Bluegrass, Casual Encounters and cover band Party Like It’s.. in addition to DJ Lemz from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A coed sundress fashion show and dance party begins at 3 p.m. and last until the wee hours. Guys who don’t have a sundress can purchase a thrift-store outfit there in exchange for a donation to D.C. Central Kitchen. Food trucks will be available on site.
May 6 from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. at Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St. NW. A $5 donation for D.C. Central Kitchen is requested at the door.
Fiesta Asia
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Fiesta Asia street festival brings a full day of culture to Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. Previous years have featured Filipino hip-hop, hula dance performances, martial arts demonstrations and Bollywood dance lessons, plus a marketplace and food vendors.
May 6 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Downtown Silver Spring, 918 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing Events
1968: Civil Rights at 50 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 2 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $21.21 for adults, $16.96 for seniors 65 and older, and $12.71 for children ages 7-18 in advance or $24.95, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively, at the door.
Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday through May 16 at Anderson House, 2119 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Americans from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2022 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
The Artistic Table from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through June 10 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for college students, $5 for children 6-18 and free for children younger than 6. Adults and seniors get $3 off weekdays and $1 on weekend if purchased online.
The Barber of Seville at 7:30 p.m. May 4, 11 and 17, 7 p.m. May 7 and 19 and 2 p.m. on May 13 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $45-$150.
Beautiful Blooms: Flowering Plants on Stamps from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 14 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 13 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Cézanne Portraits from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through July 1 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Community Policing in the Nation’s Capital from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 15 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 and older, students with valid ID and youth ages 3-17 Children are FREE!
Diane Arbus: A Box of Ten Photographs from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Do Ho Suh: Almost Home from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through Aug 5 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 20 at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 29, 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Evicted from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through May 19, 2019 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Heavenly Earth: Images of Saint Francis at La Verna from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through July 8 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Hung Liu in Print from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through July 8 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older or students and free for children 18 and younger.
LAST CHANCE! In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through May 8 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Making Room: Housing for a Changing American from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 16 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 or older, students, and children ages 3-17.
The Marines and Tet: The Battle That Changed the Vietnam War from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through July 8 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $21.21 for adults, $16.96 for seniors 65 and older, and $12.71 for children ages 7-18 in advance or $24.95, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively, at the door.
Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 12 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter at the Courts of Renaissance Europe from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays through May 13 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Mural from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 11 a.m-6 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 28 at the National Gallery of Art East Building, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Outliers and American Vanguard Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays through May 13 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Pictures of the Year: 75 Years of the World’s Best Photography from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors 65 and older, $14.95 for your 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger.
Portraits of the World: Switzerland from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 12 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
The Prince and the Shah: Royal Portraits from Qajar Iran from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 5 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 4 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Remembering Vietnam from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 6, at the National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Sakura Yume/Cherry Blossom Dream from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (21+) through May 6 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older or military, and $8 for children 8 and younger.
Sally Mann: A Thousand tg ybbygby` `Crossings from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through May 28 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!!
Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through June 10 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sharing Images: Renaissance Prints Into Maiolica and Bronze from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Snow Child at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through May 20 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $41-$120.
Subodh Gupta: Terminal from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Sept. 3 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Ten Americans: After Paul Klee from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sundays through May 6 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and visitors 62 and older and children 18 and younger are FREE!
To Dye For: Ikats from Central Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 29 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Tomb of Christ from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Aug. 15 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students/military and $10 for children 5-12.
Tony Lewis: Anthology 2014-2016 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through May 28 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Two Trains Running at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 pm. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through May 6 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $50-$111.
UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 6 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Vietgone at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through May 20 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$76.
Waiting for Godot at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through May 20 at Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. Tickets are $38-$118.
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through the summer of 2019 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
The Wiz at 7:30 p.m. most nights with noon matinees on Friday and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday through May 12 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $27-$71.
Women House from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through May 28 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students and free for children 18 and younger.
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.