Ring in the Lunar New Year This Weekend
Just in time for the weekend, look for cold temperatures to return to the DMV with highs about 38 degrees on Saturday, so it will be a bit nippy if you are participating in Cupid’s Undie Run. Sunday will warm slightly to 42 degrees for the annual Chinese New Year parade and festival in Chinatown. Temperatures after Friday won’t warm back up until mid-week. If you planned on celebrating Valentine’s Day early, you better move your plans indoors.
Red isn’t only the color or love this weekend, it is also the color of major commuter inconvenience as Metro closes the Farragut North, Metro Center upper level and Gallery Place upper level stations this weekend. Buses replace trains on the Red Line between Dupont Circle and Union Station this weekend with trains running every 8 minutes between Shady Grove and Dupont Circle and every 10 minutes between Judiciary Square and Glenmont. On Sunday until 2 p.m., the Dupont Circle shuttle stop will be at Connecticut Avenue and Q Street NW and the Gallery Place stop will be at F and Seventh Streets NW until 6 p.m. Blue Line trains single track between Stadium Armory and Addison Road every 20 minutes. Because of that work, Silver Line trains will operate every 20 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and New Carrollton. Due to rebuilding on other lines, Orange Line trains will run every 20-24 minutes. Green Line trains will single track between Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza after 10 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, but trains will operate at regular intervals. However, after 10 p.m. both nights, Yellow Line trains will run between Huntington and Georgia Avenue-Petworth ONLY, but on a regular schedule.
D.C. Chinese New Year Parade
Celebrate 4717, the Year of the Pig, at the annual D.C. Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, one of D.C.’s signature Chinese New Year celebrations. With dozens of entries, this year’s parade promises to be the largest and most diverse yet. Expect Chinese folk dancers, beauty queens, firecrackers, kung fu demonstrations, floats (including lions and dragons) and plenty of pageantry as the procession winds through Chinatown. The parade starts at Sixth and I Streets NW and proceeds down I Street to Eighth Street then turns south and continues to F Street, turns east to Seventh Street, marches north to H Street and finished in front of the Chinatown Cultural Community Center.
Feb 10 starting at 2 p.m. in Chinatown with activities centered around Seventh and H Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Lunar New Year: Guangdong Arts Troupe
Millennium Stage’s celebration of the Lunar New Year continues with Lunar New Year: Guangdong Arts Troupe full of Chinese culture. Award-winning artists from the Guangdong province, including Guangzhou Song & Dance, Guangdong Puppet Theater, Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe and Guangzhou Cantonese Theater, will present a program full of wonder. Expect to see dance, stunning acrobatics, puppetry and live music during this special event.
Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The preeminent modern dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to the Kennedy Center with a program that celebrates the company’s 60th anniversary and aims to bring audiences together in joy. The production will feature some of Ailey’s most famous compositions, as well as programming from artists around the world. Get ready to be united by the power of dance. Friday evening’s performance of Lazarus includes a free post performance discussion with choreographer Rennie Harris.
Feb. 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Lazarus and Revelations and Saturday (Lazarus and Revelations, sold out) and 1:30 p.m. Saturday Timeless Ailey) and Sunday (Kairos, The Call, Juba and Revelations, sold out) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $59-$219.
Once
Set in contemporary Dublin, a street guitarist is about to give up on his dreams when he meets a curious woman who wants to know all about him. Captivated by her optimism, the two embark on a remarkable music-making journey that includes a cadre of unlikely companions — immigrants, oddballs and lonely hearts. Along the way, can the two of them find love? Based on the 2006 film which won an Oscar for Best Original Song, Once ponders the mysteries of music and love.
Feb. 6 through Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except. Feb. 9) and 2 p.m. Feb. 12 and 27 at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. Tickets are $54-$89.
Richard the Third
Shakespeare’s famous tale of Richard of Gloucester gets a modernized, hardcore update in this production of Richard the Third from director David Muse. Richard’s endless ambition means he will stop at nothing to seize the throne, exposing a deep villainy and society’s addiction to the resulting exploits. As he climbs ever higher, Richard bends the world to his will until even his mother can’t bear to own him. Shakespeare’s mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac’s rampage to the throne remains an irresistible study of villainy and of our alarming addiction to its exploits.
Feb. 5 through Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Feb. 10), 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at The Shakespeare Theatre Co.’s Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $44-$118.
The Heiress
In The Heiress, Catherine Sloper has spent her life under the cruel gaze of her overbearing father, low on self-esteem and marital prospects. One day, a suitor arrives, full of devotion and love, allowing Catherine to believe she may finally wrestle free from the vice of her father. However, betrayal follows, awakening the fight inside of our heroine as she takes command of her own destiny.
Feb. 8 through Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and noon on Feb. 20, 26 and Mar. 6 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $40-$95.
Chocolate Festival
Learn how the Mayans developed chocolate from the blossoms of the cacao tree at the National Museum of the American Indian’s annual Chocolate Festival. Throughout the weekend, you can learn about indigenous symbols and images representing cacao and make a culturally and historically informed piece of bark paper art. Or join Grupo Los Tecuanes as they share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. In the the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, make a pendant using the Mayan glyph for chocolate. Mitsitam (the museum’s restaurant) executive chef Freddie Bitsoie demonstrates recipes inspired by chocolate, including Mexican hot chocolate, cacao-rubbed pork loin and a rich chocolate mousse at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. Limited tastings are offered during the program, and the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe will have a special menu available for purchase based on the demonstrations. Also, Marimba AWAL performs short programs of traditional Guatemalan marimba music at 11:30 a.m., 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m.
Feb. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Chinese New Year Family Day
Join the Kennedy Center to celebrate the Year of the Pig with a Chinese New Year Family Day. The annual celebration includes activities showcasing the arts and culture of China’s Guangdong Province, which according to the Kennedy Center, is the place to find the “best mooncakes in China.” You can also brush up on your Mandarin by joining a guided tour of the building conducted in Mandarin. The day’s schedule of events includes calligraphy demonstrations, marionette puppets, face painting, traditional Cantonese music, live contortionist shows, a traditional Cantonese opera costume photo booth, red lantern making, paper opera masks decorating, coloring, and more.
Feb. 9 from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space
Celebrate Black History Month with African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space at the National Air and Space Museum. Meet African American pioneers and enjoy puppet shows and hands-on activities that will challenge families to be pioneers in space and aviation. The family day program includes a talk from Tuskegee Airman Col. Charles McGee and book signing at 2 p.m.
Feb. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Independence Avenue at Sixth Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Cupid’s Undie Run
Revel in running like never before, and help a great cause. The mile(ish) Cupid’s Undie Run has helped raise millions of dollars for the Children’s Tumor Foundation since 2010. If you are 21 or older, strut your stuff in skimpy attire as part of a team or solo (or break out your long underwear), and enjoy pre- and post-run fun. If you are in a charitable mood, tack on a donation after you register to assist in stopping neurofibromatosis, a genetic tumor disorder that affects 1 in 3,000 births.
Feb. 9 from noon-4 p.m. with the run scheduled from 2-2:15 p.m. at Penn Social, 801 E St. NW. Registration is $45 in advance or $50 at the door.
Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival
The Chinatown Community Cultural Center hosts its Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival featuring live cultural performances, family-oriented events and educational activities at its facility in Chinatown. There will be tai chi and kung fu demonstrations, live music, Chinese games and a lion dance ($3 at the door). There will also be kids’ crafts, face painting, mahjong, weiqi and ping pong. You can stop in to enjoy the festivities before or after you enjoy the D.C. Chinese New Year Parade.
Feb. 10 from noon-5 p.m. at the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, 616 H St. NW #201. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing events
Admissions at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 3 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$111.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ 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 through Mar. 10 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$114.
Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Mar. 3 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
The American Revolution: A World War from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 9 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Ambreen Butt — Mark My Words from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 14 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. https://secure3.convio.net/nmwa/site/Ticketing?view=Tickets&id=101821 Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and youth 18 and younger are 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!
Baseball Americana from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through June at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 17 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through Mar. 10 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Celebrating New American Gardens from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 15 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Daguerreotypes: Five Decades of Collecting from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through June 2 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Disrupting Craft from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 5 at the Renwick Gallery, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 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!
Everything in Existence from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Monday and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (over 21 after 5 p.m.) through Mar. 10 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $8-$15 online or $10-$20 at the door.
Evicted from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through May 19 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 18 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
First Chefs: Fame and Foodways from Britain to the Americas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 31 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Flickering Treasures from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 14 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors ages 60 and older, youth ages 3-17 and students. Children 2 and younger are FREE!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, 2020, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 18 at the Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 29 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 18 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
It’s Hip to Be Square: The Mint Family from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Nov. 31 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Kleptocracy at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through Feb. 24 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $56-$115.
Nature’s Best Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Nell Gwynn at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday (except Feb. 12) through Mar. 10 at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42-$79.
One Year: 1968, An America Odyssey from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 19 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Outbreak from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Playball and the National Pastime from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday through Apr. 30 at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Building 76, 736 Sicard St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Portraits of the World: Korea from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Postmen of the Skies: Celebrating 100 Years of Airmail Service from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 27 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Apr. 28 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street & Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 3 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Represent: Hip-Hop Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 5 at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE. Timed tickets are required on weekends and for groups of 10 or more.
A Revolution in Arms: Weapons in the War for Independence from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday through Mar. 24 at Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Rodarte from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 10 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors 65 and older. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through 2020 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Secret Cities from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 3 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!
Shaping Clay in Ancient Iran from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
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!
Superheroes from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Sept. 2 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Washington Dollar Days from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 28 at Tudor Place, 1644 31st St. NW. Admission is $1.
Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through June at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed passes are required.
Welcome to the New World from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2019 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors 65 years and older, $14.95 for youth from 7-18 at the door with a 15 percent discount when purchased online. Children 6 and younger are FREE!
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!
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.