The Last Weekend of Summer Is Here
It is Labor Day weekend, the last hurrah of the summer. And there is no shortage of ways to spend the unofficial last weekend of summer. Swimming pools close after this weekend, and kids who haven’t already returned to class will on Tuesday. Check out these must-try activities to make the weekend a memorable one.
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, Orange, Silver and Green Line trains will operate on regular weekend schedules. Metro will operate from 8 a.m.-11 p.m. on Monday.
Lawn
This is the last weekend for the National Building Museum’s Summer Block Party installation is always a highlight of the season, and this year’s edition is no different. Lawn recreates summertime experiences in the museum’s Great Hall, offering a green expanse and interactive hammocks with built-in speakers that play summertime stories from celebrities, a scaffolding tower that provides amazing views of the museum and communal areas for lounging. The exhibit’s final day is Labor Day, so don’t miss your last chance to enjoy it.
Through Labor Day from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m Sunday at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $16 for adults, $13 for youth 3-17, students with ID and seniors 60+ and $10 for AARP members and Blue Star Military.
Legoland New York Resort on the Road
Next spring, the largest Legoland in the world is scheduled to open in Goshen, N.Y., with at least 50 interactive rides and shows. Lego fiends who can’t wait that long can get a taste of what Legoland New York will offer during a four-day preview at National Harbor. Examine models created by the Danish company’s “master builders,” check out the cars used at Legoland’s driving schools or pose with large sculptures made of plastic bricks. Legoland New York Resort on the Road reaches its zenith on Sunday, when The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part screens on the massive movie screen along the Potomac River.
Aug. 30-Sept. 2 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at National Harbor, 165 Waterfront St., Oxen Hill, Md. Admission is FREE!
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions features more than 25 works of art acquired by the Hirshhorn over the last five years. The display, which includes a variety of media by artists from a dozen countries, fills the museum’s lower-level galleries. Recent pieces sit alongside avant-garde works from the 1960s and 70s, illuminating similar themes of the poetic, the cosmic and the intuitive. Visitors will see many of these masterpieces for the first time, including notable works from Tatiana Trouvé, Alicja Kwade and John Giorno, as well as images from major Japanese photographers such as Minoru Hirata, Takashi Arai and Miyako Ishiuchi.
Aug. 24 through February 2020 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting
In medieval times, before the Bible was widely available, the visual arts were used by the church to enlighten and encourage the illiterate towards religion. Art and religious images essentially acted as “picture books,” as paintings helped the citizenry learn theological concepts, parables, biblical content and sets of beliefs. Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting features 64 paintings from the 14th to the 19th century, highlighting trends and diverse cultures and showcasing a visual language.
Aug. 24 through Sept. 30, 2020, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at the Museum of the Bible, 400 Fouth St. SW. Advance tickets are $19.99 for adults, $9.99 for children 7-17 and children and younger are FREE. Tickets at the door at $24.99 for adults, $19.99 for seniors, military, first responders and students, $14.99 for children 7-17 and children 6 and younger are FREE!
Greenbelt Labor Day Festival
To visit the 65-year-old Greenbelt Labor Day Festival is to take a trip back in time. The high school honor society sells tickets for games and midway rides. Sports and civic groups run concession stands. Kids can participate in scavenger hunts and sports tournaments, get their faces painted or join in a talent shows. Live music comes from bands covering the Beach Boys, Motown classics, 1950s rock and swing. Everyone can try roller skating, play board games or browse arts and crafts. Everything is capped off at 10 a.m. Monday with a parade through downtown with marching bands and floats sponsored by local businesses.
Aug. 30 from 6-11 p.m., Aug. 31 from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sept. 1 from noon-10 p.m. and Sept. 2 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Roosevelt Center, 101 Centerway, Greenbelt. Admission is FREE!
Sunset Tour
Frederick Douglass’ hilltop Anacostia home boasts one of the most amazing views of Washington, and it is even more spectacular at sunset. See for yourself at this special after-hours talk and Sunset Tour, hosted by the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Park Ranger Steve Phan discusses Douglass’ life in Washington and his contributions during the Civil War before leading a walking tour. The tour begins on the grass area adjacent to the cottage, which is the Douglass home.
Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. (gates open at 6 p.m.) at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1411 W St. SE. Admission is FREE!
National Book Festival
The Library of Congress’ National Book Festival returns this weekend. This annual celebration of books of all kinds, from children’s stories to epic novels, includes authors speaking and answering questions about their work throughout the day, with the main stage featuring marquee names like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, chef José Andrés, graphic novelist Raina Telgemeir, Barbara Kingsolver and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Aug. 31 from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Admission is FREE!
Page-to-Stage New Play Festival
The Kennedy Center hosts the Page-to-Stage New Play Festival this weekend. You can catch scores of free performances from more than 70 DMV theater companies on stages throughout the venue. You will see a wide range of plays being workshopped and rehearsed, including musicals and dramas. But because everything is free and open to the public, it is easy to just take a chance on something with a promising description, whether Dance and Bmore’s musical version of Carmen set in a Baltimore high school; Adventure Theatre’s family-friendly reboot of The Velveteen Rabbit; or Synetic Theater’s dialog-free take on The Tempest” the latest in the troupe’s Wordless Shakespeare series. Seating begins 30 minutes before each play, but it is a good idea to arrive early. Make sure to check the schedule.
Aug. 31 from 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sept. 1 from 6-7 p.m. and Sept. 2 from 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Labor Day Weekend Music Festival
For four years running, D.C.’s arts council has put on a Labor Day Weekend Music Festival that highlights the wonderful variety of genres found within the District. Saturday night brings go-go and funk bands alongside Kokayi, one of the area’s preeminent MCs, to the historic U Street theater. Sunday’s trio of artists provides a dash of jazz tunes mixed with the soulful stylings of Akua Allrich and the Tribe.
Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Alexandria Murals Bike Ride
Enjoying culture and exercise at the same time is a bonus in our book. The Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has organized the Alexandria Murals Bike Ride, a 15-mile cycling tour of Old Town, Del Ray and the West End that shows off the city’s more artistic side, with murals depicting former resident Jim Morrison, a colorful beaded curtain and a long-vanished racetrack. Joining the ride is free and easy — all you need is a bike, a helmet and a water bottle
Sept. 1 from 9 a.m.-noon beginning at Misha’s, 917 King St., Alexandria. Admission is FREE!
Labor Day Capitol Concert
Say so long to summer with D.C.’s free Labor Day Capitol Concert. The annual performance featuring the National Symphony Orchestra is a majestic holiday tradition, complete with stunning scenery of the city’s monuments in the background. The concert features vocalists Mykal Kilgore and Nova Payton in a program of popular songs by R&B hitmakers including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and others. Music lovers can pack a picnic and enjoy a serene Sunday evening on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. For those who like to arrive early: gates open at 3 p.m., with an open rehearsal held at 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, East Capitol Street NE and First Street SE. In case of rain, the concert will be at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. 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!
Assassins 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 Sept. 29 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$110.
LAST CHANCE! The British Invasion at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $38.
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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
Fabulations, or the Re-Education of Undine at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (except Sept. 11), 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday (except Sept. 1 and 22) through Sept. 22 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$65.
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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
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. 15 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!
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!
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!
Maryland Renaissance Festival from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends and Labor Day through Oct. 20 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!
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!
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!
LAST CHANCE! Nature’s Best Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September 3 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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 March 2020 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.