Fall Begins to Creep into the DMV
Fall is coming! School is about to start back up on Monday for some area kids and the Maryland Renaissance Festival returns for its 43rd season, with kids 15 and younger admitted free this weekend. The last Jazz in the Garden performance at the National Gallery of Art’s sculpture garden and Yard Park’s Friday night concert series was postponed because of Friday’s rain. We will get a peek at fall this weekend with temperatures right around 80.
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. On the Blue Line, shuttle buses 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 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. Red Line trains single track between Van Ness and Friendship Heights with trains running every 18 minutes. Trains will run every 9 minutes between Glenmont and Farragut North between 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Orange, Silver and Green Line trains will operate on regular weekend schedules.
The Maryland Renaissance Festival opens near Annapolis on Saturday. (Photo: Keith Heffner)
Maryland Renaissance Festival
The Maryland Renaissance Festival opens its 43rd season at Revel Grove on Saturday. Travel back to 1532 as King Henry VIII visits the village having banished his first wife, Kathrine of Aragon, so he can woo the betwitching Anne Boleyn, who is traveling with the king. Check out this unique festival that takes place every year outside Annapolis, roughly 50 minutes from downtown D.C. Take along the entire family and celebrate olde times with more than 140 Renaissance-themed artisans, dazzling performances, including dancers and musicians, and plenty of plate-filling food, like giant turkey legs. You can also dress up in your own costume, if ye so wish, or rent one there. There is also reduced admission through Sept. 8.
Weekends and Labor Day through Oct. 20 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 62 and older and $9 for children ages 7-15 through Sept. 8 and $27, $23 and $12, respectively, beginning Sept. 15. Children 6 and younger are FREE!
DCBX 11
DCBX 11, the D.C. Bachta Congress, hosts its 11th conference, with all things bachta — sexier-than-salsa dancing style from the Dominican Republic. (Photo: DCBX)
Ranked the number one Latin dance festival in the U.S. the last four years, DCBX 11 takes over the nation’s capital from Thursday through Monday. Veterans and newbies of dancing bachata, the sexier-than-salsa dancing style from the Dominican Republic, will have plenty of chances to strut their stuff, from concerts to contests to more than 200 workshops. In addition to its dance events, the corresponding Global Impact Film Festival celebrates different cultures and raises awareness about important worldwide issues.
Aug. 23-26 from 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday a the Renaissance Washington, 999 Ninth St. NW. Tickets are $169-$499.
Truckeroo
Truckeroo brings about a dozen food trucks together with music, drinks and games at The Bullpen near Nat’s Statdium on Friday night. (Photo; The Bullpen)
Truckeroo brings local food trucks to The Bullpen near Nationals Stadium to dish out everything from Korean barbeque to lobster rolls to pizza to smoothies. More than a dozen wheeled food sellers show up, and there are picnic tables and shade to keep things cool. Among this week’s food trucks are Tamo Smoothies, Korean BBQ Taco Box, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Capital Chicken & Waffles, BBQ Bus and Hungry Panda. There will also be games, cold beverages and live music from Sol Roots and Practically Einstein.
Aug. 23 from 4-11 p.m. at The Bullpen, 1201 Half St. SE. Admission is FREE! Food and beverages are sold separately.
Assassins
Assassins at the Signature Theatre bring nine would be or successful presidential assissins together on one stage.
(Photo: Signature Theatre)
Signature Theatre kicks off its 30th season with its 30th Sondheim musical, the darkly funny, Tony Award-winning Assassins. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, nine would-be and successful presidential assassins inspire each other to pull the trigger and change their worlds in a perverse, wry and entertaining vaudeville.
Through Sept. 29 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, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$110.
Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine
Mosaic Theater Co. presents Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine at the Atlas Performing Arts Center beginning this weekend. (Photo: Mosaic Theater Co.)
Written by Lynn Nottage, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Award, Mosaic Theatre Co. presents Fabulations, or the Re-Education of Undine. The satire follows Undine, a successful African-American publicist who sees her life ruined when her husband steals her fortune. Without money and carrying a child, Undine returns to her childhood home in the projects and is forced to face her past and an uncertain future.
Aug. 21-Sept. 22at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (except. Aug. 28, and Sept. 11, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday except Aug. 25, Sept. 1 and Sept. 22) plus Aug. 26 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$65.
The British Invasion
Signature Theatre’s cabaret series features songs from British musicians. (Photo: Signature Theatre)
The Cabaret Series at Signature Theatre presents dynamic musical performances that riff on the past, with The British Invasion as its main subject this time around. Prepare to be possessed by rock and roll energy through songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who, Tom Jones and more. Have fun trying to control those dancing feet.
Through Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $38.
Fairfax Comic Con
The Fairfax Comic Con returns to the Dulles Expo Center this Saturday and Sunday. (Graphic: Fairfax Comic Con)
Fairfax Comic Con returns to the Dulles Expo Center for its second year. The convention will feature guests from the world of comics including Jae Lee, Jamal Igle and Chris Giarrusso; the weekend will also have actors including Randy Havens from Stranger Things, Samantha Neward from Jem and the Holograms, Jason Marsden from A Goofy Movie, Hocus Pocus and Fairly Odd Parents, and Monica Rial from Dragonball Z and My Hero Academia. In addition to the trivia challenges, Q&As and cosplay events on the schedule, there will be a long list of exhibitors.
Aug. 24 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Aug. 25 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly. Tickets are $20 for Saturday, $15 for Sunday or $30 for a weekend pass. Children 10 and younger are FREE!
The Ubiquitous Women’s Expo
The Ubiquitous Women’s Expo, focused on beauty, health and wellness, returns to the Washington convention center this weekend. (Photo: The Ubiquitous Women’s Expo)
The Ubiquitous Women’s Expo, dedicated to beauty, wellness and health, returns to D.C. for its sixth edition. The two-day event features entertainment, beauty workshops, product demonstrations, panel discussions and a range of health and wellness exhibitors, all dedicated to improving the minds, bodies and souls of women. Guest speakers include Pastor Keith Battle and Dr. Celeste Owens.
Aug. 24 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Aug. 25 from noon-6 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Tickets are $15 for one day or $28.50 for both days.
17th Street Festival
The 16th Street Festival takes place on Saturday.
(Photo: 17th Street Festival)
Seventeenth Street has so much to see and do, it needs its own day-long festival for you to take in all its wonder. Live entertainment will be present throughout the 10th annual 17th Street Festival including Deon Clean Cutt, Chinese drummers and lion dancers, the Riverside Carnival Band, Flamenco con Magdalena, Mariachi Ay-Ay-Ay and the Tony Ade Band, providing a soundtrack as you browse through roughly 100 vendors, including more than 60 artists displaying fine art, crafts and jewelry. There is even a kid’s zone, where the little ones can enjoy a large slide, soccer, snow cones, face painting and games.
Aug. 24 from noon-6 p.m. along 17th Street from P to R Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Community Day at Arena State
Free music, entertainment, kids activies and props from old productions are waiting at this year’s Arena Stage Community Day. (Photo: Arena Stage)
Arena Stage’s Community Day is a public festival that is more about being a good neighbor than pushing tickets for its upcoming season. The six-hour-long party at the Southwest theater includes music from jazz, Americana and children’s performers; aerialists and acrobats; dance ensembles; storytellers; a “Taste of Southwest” with local restaurants; and pony-rides and face-painting for kids. Props from last season’s performances will also be on sale beginning at $1. And the rooftop terrace hosts a wine and beer garden with live music, cocktails and games including shuffleboard, mini-golf and more.
Aug. 25 from 1-6 p.m. at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Admission is FREE!
Taste of Barbados
The Embassy of Barbados hosts A Taste of Barbados on Saturday. (Photo: Embassy of Barbados)
Earlier this year, Barbadians celebrated Crop Over, a centuries-old carnival that includes parades, concerts and street parties. If you didn’t make it to the Caribbean island during the six-week festival, you can still get a taste of the culture at Taste of Barbados, an annual gathering at the Embassy of Barbados. Get a taste of traditional food and drink — including a rum punch made by Plantation Rum ambassador Dameain Williams — while listing to DJs spin soca and other Bajan music to raise money for nonprofits in Barbados.
Aug. 24 from 2-7 p.m. at the Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing events
6.13.89: The Cancelling of the Mapplethorpe Exhibition from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 9 at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, 500 17th St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Aladdin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 7 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $39-$179.
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!
American Myths & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Oct. 14 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets 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.
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!
By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs from the 1850s to Apollo 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 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!
Capitol Riverfront Friday Night Concert Series from 7-9 p.m. through Sept. 6 at Yards Park, 355 Water Street SE. 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!
DinoRoars from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 2 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut 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!
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 Dinosaur Zoo Live Show at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through Sept. 2 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!
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!
Fridays at Fort Totten outdoor concert from 6-8 p.m. through Aug. 30 at the corner of South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! https://www.nps.gov/fodu/planyourvisit/summer-theatre.htm Fort Dupont Summer Concert Series
at 7 p.m. Saturday Sept. 24 at Fort Dupont Park Amphitheatre, 3600 F St. SE. 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!
Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. 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!
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.
I Am . . . Contemporary Women Artists of Africa from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 5 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Infinite Space from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5:30-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Sept. 2 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $8-$16 online and $10-$20 at the door.
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!
Manifesto: Art x Agency from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 5 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Michael Sherrill Retrospective from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisentaedt from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Jan. 12 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!
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!
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!
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!
One Life: Marian Anderson from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 17 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!
Pageantry and Pyrotechnics in the European Fete Book from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday through Sept. 6 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 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!
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!
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!
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!
Seriously Funny: From the Desk of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $12.71-$21.21 in online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through September 2020 at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
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!
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!
The Warmth of Other Suns from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 5-8:30 p.m. Thursday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 14 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and children 18 and younger are FREE!
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!
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!
Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through May 31 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. 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.
