Smithsonian Dinosaur Exhibit Reopens
It is a busy weekend in the DMV. The Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s Hall of Fossils with the dinosaur skeletons reopen after being closed for five years during a complete renovation. The 10-day D.C. Jazzfest also kicks off this weekend, and Capital Pride wraps up with its annual parade on Saturday and festival on Sunday. And Saturday looks like a great day to get out with no rain in the forecast and temperatures in the low-80s. Sunday, on the other hand, has a 70 percent chance of rain with temperatures about 75.
Major Metro disruptions continue this weekend with all six Blue and Yellow Line stations south of Reagan National Airport including Braddock Road, King Street, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington closed through Sept. 8. The Wiehle-Reston East station will also be closed. On the Blue Line, shuttle buses will operate between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street, King Street and National Airport, but not Braddock Road. There will be also be an express shuttle between Franconia-Springfield and the Pentagon Station. On the Yellow Line, buses will operate between Huntington, Eisenhower Avenue, King Street, Braddock Road and Crystal City, but not National Airport. There will also be an express bus between Huntington and Pentagon. Blue and Yellow Line trains on the remainder of the route will run on regular weekend schedules, with Yellow Line trains now running to and from Greenbelt. On the Silver Line, buses replace trains between Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East. Red, Orange, Silver and Green Line trains operate on a regular weekend schedule.
Deep Time
After a five-year renovation, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History will reopen its David H. Koch Hall of Fossils on Saturday with some 700 fossil specimens, including the dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus and the wooly mammoth. The $110 million, 31,000-square-foot exhibit’s theme is Deep Time, borrowed from a scientific phrase that illustrates how Earth’s history has played out over billions of years – what we think of as history is just a small fraction of our planet’s past. Prepare to be amazed, overwhelmed, engaged, dazzled and more. Deep Time is one of the biggest exhibitions to come to D.C. in years and should be at the top of your summer to-do list.
Reopening June 8 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote
The seven-decade struggle for women’s suffrage is the focus of the new Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote at the Library of Congress. The campaign for women’s voting rights, considered the largest reform movement in U.S. history, culminated 100 years ago in the 19th Amendment. Visitors can retrace stories of diverse women who changed America. The exhibition draws from the collections of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Mary Church Terrell and other suffragists – in their own words. Photographs, film footage and rare manuscripts transport visitors back in time as women took their place in the public square.
June 4 through September 2020 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs
David Levinthal uses photographs of toy cowboys and cavalry, Barbie Dolls, baseball players and other iconic American archetypes to showcase myths and stereotypes that have been prevalent in post-World War II American society. American Myths & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs highlights six of Levinthal’s best-known series of photographs, all created between 1984 and 2018. More than 70 images ask you to consider what it means to be strong, beautiful, masculine, feminine and ultimately, American.
June 7-Oct. 14 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
D.C. Jazz Festival
The District’s star-studded jazz history reigns on with the D.C. Jazz Festival, an annual showcase of national and local musicians which commemorates its 15th anniversary this year. The citywide celebration invites guests to venues including The Wharf and the Kennedy Center, as well as some of D.C.’s most intimate jazz clubs. Concerts are both ticketed and offered free of charge. Can’t-miss performers this year include Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Joshua Redman, Brass-a-holics and many more. This weekend’s highlights include Shannon Gunn & The Bullettes performing at Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden from 5-8:30 Friday and the Kelly Green Trio’s Nat King Cole Centennial Celebration at 6 p.m. Sunday on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Both are FREE! You can check the full schedule online.
June 7-16 at times and various locations citywide. Tickets are FREE-$450.
Capitol Riverfront Friday Night Concert Series
Take in river views, food, brews and tunes during the Friday Night Concert Series at Yards Park, which begins this Friday and runs through Aug. 30. There is plenty of green space to stretch out as you groove to music and savor summer-time vibes. Expect a wide range of musical acts, from jazz to country to folk rock to reggae. The series kicks off with Pebble to Pearl on June 7, the Shane Gamble Band on June 14, Driven to Clarity on June 1, Justin Trawick & Navy Band Country Current on June 28, Party Like It’s on July 5, Jah Works on July 12, the Ninth Street Band on July 19, The Jarreau Williams Xperience on July 26, Seven Deadlies on Aug. 2, Aztec sun on Aug. 9, Brent & Co. on Aug. 16, La Unica on Aug. 23 and Trailer Grass Orchestra on Aug. 30.
June 7 through Aug. 30 from 7-9 p.m. at Yards Park, 355 Water Street SE. Admission is FREE!
Hello, Dolly!
Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in this acclaimed edition of Hello, Dolly!, of one of the greatest American musicals. After breaking box office records in New York and earning four Tony Awards, this uproarious take on director/choreographer Gower Champion’s classic play promises to be a summer smash inside the Kennedy Center’s Opera House.
June 4 through July 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$159.
Byhalia, Mississippi
Winner of Chicago’s illustrious Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work in 2016, this masterpiece from playwright Evan Linder receives a new production at the Kennedy Center. Byhalia, Mississippi is about the young, poor and in love couple of Jim and Laurel. It explores race, infidelity and family. When Laurel gives birth to a biracial baby, Jim is shocked, and their small southern town is rattled to its core.
June 7-July 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $25-$89.
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt
One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century is given an in-depth retrospective with Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisentaedt. Visitors will see 50 of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photographs, which will display the photojournalist’s incredible artistry, especially in his work for LIFE magazine from 1936-1972. Eisenstaedt also famously photographed Marjorie Merriweather Post, who formerly lived in the mansion, thus beginning a friendship that is chronicled in the exhibit.
June 8-Jan. 12 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for college students, $5 for children ages 6-18 and children younger than 6 are FREE!
Pride on the Pier
Celebrate the DMV’s diversity at the second annual Pride on the Pier on The Wharf’s District Pier. Activities include a waterfront beer garden featuring specialty cocktails, beer and wine with DJ Rosie from 2-4:45 p.m., the Brothers Brau from 5-7 p/m. and DJ Drew G from 7-9 p.m., dancing and other entertainment. The Transit Pier will feature a family-friendly kid’s zone. Fireworks will close out the event at 9 p.m.
June 8 from 2-9 p.m. at The Wharf, 101 District Square SW. Admission is FREE!
Step Afrika! 25th Anniversary
D.C. dance company Step Afrika! celebrates its 25th anniversary with a series of performances at the Hartke Theatre at Catholic University. Attendees will be able to experience the company’s most celebrated choreography and witness a touching homage to South African dance, music and culture. Step Afrika! will also debut its new contemporary stepping piece, Thula
June 8 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., June 9 at 4 pm, June 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., June 15 at 2 p.m. and June 16 at 4 p.m. at Hartke Theatre at Catholic University, 3801 Harewood Road NE. Tickets are $45 and $60.
Capital Pride Parade
Join the LGBTQ+ community in the historic Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods for the annual Capitol Pride Parade. More than 200 organizations will travel the 1.5 mile route expressing themselves with floats, vehicles, signs, banners and entertainment. The parade steps off at 21st and P Streets NW to Dupont Circle then north on New Hampshire Avenue, east on R Street, sound on 17th Street, east on P Street again then north on 14th Street the finish at R Street. Grand marshals are Earline Budd, a local transgender activist and social worker, Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub tragedy and Matt Easton, the 2019 political science valedictorian at Brigham Young University who came out during his commencement speech. There is a family area at Stead Park near 17th and P Streets NW and a block party at 15th and P Streets NW from 4-10 p.m. with DJs, a beer garden and food trucks.
June 8 from 4:30-8 p.m. in the Dupont and Logan Circle NW neighborhoods. Admission is FREE!
Rediscover Eastern Market
In 2007, an early morning fire at the 134-year-old Eastern Market caused $20 million in damage. It took two years for the landmark market to rebuild and reopen. To mark 10 years since its rejuvenation, the District’s Department of General Services hosts a weekend-long Rediscover Eastern Market celebration of the neighborhood. Sunday features architectural tours of the building and family-friendly games in the North Hall between 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and a ceremonial cake cutting at 2 p.m. The outdoor farmers market and flea market runs all day, as usual.
June 9 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Eastern Market, 225 Seventh St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Pride @ SAAM
Pride @ SAAM showcases artists using performance, music, media art and traditional painting to explore LGBTQ+ histories and futures. Stop by the Feminist Pride Media Art Gallery to see films by women and femme-identifying artists and play “zinester” video games that imagine queer relations in outer space. Participate in a Collection Highlights Gallery Talk, where every hour from noon-3 p.m. visitors can take a close look at a specific artwork by an LGBTQ+ artist. And be sure to check out American University’s “D.C. Humanities” truck that will be parked in the F Street Plaza from 2-7 p.m. to collect and share stories from people who identify as LGBTQ+. From 3-6 p.m., there will be a live performance by Brendan Fernandes, whose performance of Free Fall 49 takes over the Kogod Courtyard. This dance-based performance responds to the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando through a choreographed call and response between a live DJ and dancers. As the music suddenly stops and then slowly resumes forty-nine times, the performers’ synchronized collapsing and rising commemorate the forty-nine lost lives while asserting the community’s resilience under fire.
June 9 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and G Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Capital Pride Festival
The Capital Pride Festival is the capstone of local Pride celebrations, occupying four blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the Capitol. A full day of activities includes music, DJ and dance performances on three stages, multiple beer gardens, an area for sports and games, and a family-friendly section with face painters and a 30-foot waterslide. The evening ends with a concert. Headliners include Marshmello, Zara Larsson, Todrick Hall, Shea Diamond, Calum Scott, Nina West and Big Dipper.
June 9 from noon-10 p.m. along Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Third Street to Seventh Street. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing events
All Work, No Pay from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through February 2020 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Animals, Collected from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.6 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2020 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $7-$10.
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!
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!
Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 18 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Baseball Americana from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through July 27 at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Capital Harvest on the Plaza from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays through Nov. 22 at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. 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!
LAST CHANCE! The Children at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday through June 9 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$97.
Describe the Night at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday through June 23 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $20-$89.
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!
DinoRoars from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Aug. 31 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Enrico David: Gradations of Slow Release from 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 2 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue SW and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Erth’s Dinosar Zoo Live Show at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through Aug. 31 in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Visitor Center’s National Zoo Theater, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-12 and children younger than 2 are 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!
LAST CHANCE! Fame, the Musical at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through June 9 at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30-$80.
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!
Farragut Fridays from 9 a.m.-5p.m. through Sept. 20 at Farragut Square, 17th and K Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Gardens Across America from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 1 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 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!
Helen Zubhaib: Migrations from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday through July 28 at the Woodrow Wilson House, 2340 S St. NW. Tickets are $5-$10 at the door. Children younger than 12 are FREE!
Hoops from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-17, students with ID and seniors ages 60 and older.
In Mid-Sentence from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 8 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
In the Library: Frederick Douglass Family Materials from the Walter O. Evans Collection from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday) through June 14 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
The Life of Animals in Japanese Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 19 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!
Jazz in the Garden from 5-8:30 p.m. through Aug. 23 at the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden, Sixth and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Love’s Labor’s Lost at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday through June 16 at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42-$85.
More is More: Multiples from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 22 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for people 65 and older and students, and children 18 and younger are FREE!
National Geographic Photo Camp beginning at 10 a.m. daily through June 20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
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!
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!
LAST CHANCE! Perfume & Seduction from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through June 9 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for college students, $5 for children 6-18 and children younger than 6 are 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!
Queens of Egypt from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Sept. 2 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students and military, $10 for children 5-12 and children younger than 5 are 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!
Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 3, 2021, at the National Archives, 701 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Rirkrit Tiravanija: Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green, from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through June 24 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and 7th Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $12.71-$21.21 online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974-1985 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through June 6, 2020, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Sooner/Later at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through June 16 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$50.
Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 20 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is 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!
Section 14: The Other Palm Springs, California from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through January at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avnue SW. Admission is 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!
Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past Is Prologue from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Sept. 2 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
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.
The Way of the Kami from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Nov. 1 at the Freer Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
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!
Whistler in Watercolor from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Oct. 6 at Freer Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Ave. 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.