Ring in the Lunar New Year This Weekend
Ring in the 4718 Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, this weekend. There are many events happening around the DMV including the D.C. annual parade on Sunday. The Kennedy Center’s new Reach annex is also celebrating with 100 winter lanterns made of 10,000 colored LED lights outside and its Chinese New Year Family Day on Saturday. And on Sunday, the National Museum of Asian Art (comprised of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) hosts its Lunar New Year celebration on Sunday. Monster Truck Jam and Jurassic Quest are also back in the area, and the Washington Auto Show kicks off its eight-day run on Friday at the convention center.
The Vienna and Dun Loring Metro stations are closed this weekend. Shuttle buses replace trains between Vienna and West Falls Church. Orange Line trains operate on regular weekend schedules between West Falls Church and New Carrollton. Red Line trains single track between Grosvenor-Strathmore and Twinbrook every 18 minutes with additional trains running every 9 minutes between Medical Center and Glenmont from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Blue, Silver, Yellow and Green lines will operate on normal weekend schedules.
D.C. Chinese New Year Parade
The annual D.C. Chinese New Year Parade is one of the area’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.
Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. in Chinatown. The parade starts at Sixth and I Streets NW, proceeds to Eighth Street then south to G Street, north on Seventh Street and ends at Sixth and H Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Washington Auto Show
The Washington Auto Show, one of the nation’s largest auto shows, rolls back into town and the 2020 edition will be quite the spectacle. Car lovers will be dazzled by hundreds of makes and models from more than 35 manufacturers. Local sports stars and mascots will be on hand weeknights from 6:30-8 p.m. including the Nationals’ Juan Soto on Monday, the Capitals’ Nick Jensen on Tuesday, the Wizards’ Isaiah Thomas on Wednesday and the Redskins’ Derrius Guice on Thursday. Visit the Art-of-Motion exhibit where artists will be painting murals on vehicles or take a VIP tour led by leading automotive writers. You can also Ride ‘N Drive vehicles at the show. Don’t miss Camp Jeep where you can ride in 2020 Jeep flagship vehicles on an off-road obstacle course. Then head over to Jaguar and ride in a new Jaguar with a stunt driver.
Jan. 24-Feb. 2 from noon-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday and noon-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Square NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for children 6-12 and children 5 and younger are FREE! Students get $7 off on Jan. 27 and $4 off other weekdays with ID, active and veteran military get in FREE on Jan. 28 and $4 off other weekdays and $2 off weekends; government employees and first responders get $7 off on Jan. 29, anyone gets $2 off weekdays with a Metro SmartTrip card; and seniors get $4 off weekdays and $2 off weekends
Jurassic Quest
Walk through the Cretaceous period, Jurassic Period and Triassic Period at America’s largest and most realistic dinosaur event and experience what it was like to be among dinosaurs of all kinds. Jurassic Quest has more than 80 true-to-life size dinosaurs, from the very small to the gigantic, sky-scraping dinosaurs, each painstakingly replicated in every detail in collaboration with leading paleontologists. There are also attractions and activities of all kinds of dino fans — dig up fossils, do some crafts, explore science stations, ride on the back of a prehistoric beast and enjoy more dino-themed rides. Guests, big and little, are in for a dino-mite time!
Jan. 24 from 3-8 p.m., Jan. 25 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Jan. 26 from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Dulles Expo Center, 4230 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va. Tickets are $22-$36.
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures: Swan Lake
After bringing his acclaimed take on Cinderella to the Kennedy Center last year, Matthew Bourne now offers his award-winning interpretation of Swan Lake to DMV audiences. All the unforgettable elements of the story are in place, while Bourne’s use of an all-male ensemble upends viewer expectations and makes for a truly innovative update of Tchaikovsky’s classic.
Jan. 24 and 25 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m.at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $29-$109.
Winter Lanterns
The Kennedy Center’s new Reach annex will celebrate its first winter season and the Chinese New Year with weeks of programming and an installation of stunning Winter Lanterns. Approximately 100 winter lanterns made with 10,000 colored LED lights including the Chinese Four Symbols, 12 zodiac signs, panda grove and mushroom garden will live at The Reach, showcasing the incredible work of Chinese artists. Supporting festivities include musical performances, artisan demonstrations, food trucks, cultural activities like Korean calligraphy, sugar painting and more.
Jan. 22 through Feb. 2 beginning at 5:30 p.m. except Sunday when it begings at 4 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. Admission is FREE!
Silent Sky
Before women were granted the right to vote, astronomer Henrietta Leavitt worked at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s as a “computer” working to calculate the brightness of stars. She found 2,400 new variable stars and her work changed how we understand and measure the Milky Way. The work of Leavitt and her fellow female computers is captured in the drama Silent Sky. Audiences will be riveted by the inspiring and determined women chronicled in this highly anticipated production.
Jan. 24 through Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Jan. 25 and 26) at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$70.
Recent Tragic Events
Prologue Theatre takes audiences to Minneapolis on Sept. 12, 2001 in Recent Tragic Events, where ad exec Waverly is all set to head out on a blind date in the midst of coverage of the previous day’s tragedy. Waverly then discovers that her twin sister, Wendy, a student in New York City, has not been heard from. While reassuring herself that nothing is wrong, Waverly embarks on a strange adventure with her date, Andrew. The two are connected in odd ways, and things only get weirder when neighbors and Joyce Carol Oates (in puppet form) show up. Is Wendy alright? What does Waverly and Andrew’s connection mean?
Jan. 23 through Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$35.
Age Old Cities: A Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul
Age Old Cities: A Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul will take visitors to Palmyra and Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. All three are among the oldest settlements in the world and have recently been ravaged by war. The exhibition, which opens Saturday, features large-scale projections and digital reconstructions of monuments and ancient structures, underlining the importance of cultural heritage and the preservation of the past.
Jan. 25 through Oct. 25 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Winter Blast: A Family Day of Native Games
This free family-friendly Family Day of Native Games celebrates Indigenous games from the Arctic to Argentina. Visitors can meet Talibah Begay (Navajo) as she shares a traditional Navajo shoe guessing game. Leihua Stewart (Native Hawaiian) teaches traditional Hawaiian games. Participants can learn to play Bolivian games with Julia Garcia (Aymara). The day features hands-on activities and “make-and-takes.”
Jan. 25 from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Monster Jam
Monster Jam, the world’s largest and most famous monster truck tour featuring the biggest names in monster trucks, will thunder its way into D.C. this weekend. Alien Invasion, El Toro Loco, Grave Digger, Max-D, Megalodon, Monster Mutt, Soldier Fortune and Zombie are among the vehicular beasts you will see tearing up the indoor terrain. ATVs and speedsters also get into the action at this one-of-a-kind event. Vehicles will partake in an array of competitions, from donuts to the two-wheel skills challenge to racing.
Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. Tickets are $20-$205.
Chinese New Year Family Day
The Kennedy Center welcomes you and your family to this free Chinese New Year Family Day in honor of the Year of the Rat. Activities include sugar painting and wood block printing demonstrations, face painting, a dress-up photo booth featuring outfits from Cantonese opera, shadow puppets, a Shenzhen magician, a yo-yo performance and red lantern-making. Guests will also be able to enjoy traditional Cantonese music demonstrations and an opera costume exhibit.
Jan. 25 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Lunar New Year Celebration
The Smithsonian’s National Museum Asian Art (better known as the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), known for an extensive collection of vibrant and colorful Asian art, will ring in the Year of the Rat with its annual Lunar New Year Celebration featuring New Year traditions in China, Korea and Mongolia. There will be live musical performances, shadow puppets, dough figurines, sugar and finger painting, dance lessons, a magic show, a ribbon dance, a chance to sample spicy dishes and the opportunity to view Chinese art exhibitions.
Jan. 26 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the National Museum of Asian Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
D.C. Record Fair
The annual D.C. Record Fair is as great for veteran crate diggers as for someone who might have just picked up their first record player over the holidays. More than 40 merchants take over the cavernous Penn Quarter bar to hawk used and new vinyl. Every hour features a different DJ spinning tunes, and for those looking to get first dibs on rare and collectible records, early-bird admission is available from 11 a.m. to noon
Jan. 26 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Penn Social, 801 E St. NW. Admission is $5 for early bird admission at 11 a.m. and $2 for regular admission beginning at noon.
Ongoing events
All Work, No Pay from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through February at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Alonso Berruguete: First Sculpture of Renaissance Spain from 10 a.m.-5 p.m Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
CLOSED UNTIL MARCH! 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!
American’s First Veterans from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 5 at Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Becoming Jane from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through summer 2020 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $10-$15.
LAST CHANCE! Bonnard to Vuillard: The Intimate Poetry of Everyday Life from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 62+, and children 18 and younger are FREE!
Calling Down the Spirits from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 19 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students older than 18. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Elephants and Us: Considering Extinction from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 13 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution 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 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through February at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Future Sketches from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily and 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Mar. 1 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets online are $16 for adults, $13 for students, seniors and military and $8 for children ages 2-14 and $20 for adults, $15 for students, senior and military and $10 for children at the door.
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!
Heroes: Principles of African Greatness, from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Dec. 31 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Hokusai: Mad About Paintting from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 8 at the Freer Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
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!
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!
Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Oct. 12 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
The Merry Wives of Windsor 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 Mar. 1 at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $25-$95.
Now Showing: Posters from African American Movies from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 20 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed entry passes are required on Saturdays and Sundays.
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!
The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 30 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Pat Steir: Color Wheel from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 7 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 30 at the Museum of the Bible, 400 Fourth 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!
Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Apr. 12 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 30 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. Jan. 23 and Feb. 13 through Feb. 16 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$65.
Pipeline at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 16 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $60-$111.
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!
Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Mar. 22 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974-1985 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through June 6 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 Feb. 17 at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through September at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Sheltered through Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Jan. 24, 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 18 and Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays, and noon Jan 22 and 29 at the Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $29-$69.
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!
A Thousand Splendid Suns at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Mar. 1 and noon on Jan. 29, Feb. 4 and Feb. 12 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $41-$115.
LAST CHANCE! The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through March at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue 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.