Fall Festivities on Tap in the DMV
In spite of unseasonably hot temperatures this week, it is fall in the DMV. That means Halloween and fall festivals are on tap this weekend including Boo at the Zoo, Fall Harvest Days at Mount Vernon, the Hirshhorn Fall Fest, the Fall Festival & Craft Beer Showcase at Cathedral Commons and Pumpkin Palooza at The Wharf. The Swedish Embassy also celebrates its 10th anniversary of being on Georgetown’s waterfront with a free festivals. And there is a whole lot more on tap this weekend.
On Metro, trains will single track on the Orange Line between Vienna and West Falls Church as part of SafeTrack. Trains will run every 24 minutes between Vienna and West Falls Church and every 20 minutes between West Falls Church and New Carrollton. Blue Line trains will single track between Pentagon City and Arlington Cemetery and run every 20 minutes. Yellow Line trains will single track between Pentagon city and L’Enfant Plaza, with trains every 20 minutes. Red LIne trains will operate on a regular weekend schedule. Silver Line trains will operate every 20 minutes. Green Line trains will run every 20 minutes.
Boo at the Zoo
The National Zoo’s annual family-oriented Halloween evening event Boo at the Zoo is now an essential part of the holiday in DMV. Geared towards wholesome fun, the three-day celebration that begins Friday will feature over 40 treat stations for both kids (including candy and chips) and adults (like craft beer and food tastings), after-hours access to animal houses and exhibits and live entertainment. Halloween-themed trails will be fun for a stroll, and the whole crew can get creative during the pumpkin decorating competition. Entertainment include magicians, jugglers and a DJ spinning Halloween favorites. Make sure to go in costume.
Oct. 21-23 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Admission is $30 in advance and $35 at the gate for non-members and $20 in advance and $25 at the gate for members. Saturday is sold out!
Twelve Years That Shook and Shaped Washington
This weekend is your last chance to see Twelve Years That Shook and Shaped Washington: 1963-1975, a snapshot of what life was like in the nation’s capital during the transformative years during which Washingtonians experienced their first meaningful presidential vote, elected a city council and may for the first time in a century and became the largest majority African American city in the country. New public housing accompanied the nation’s most ambitious urban renewal effort, and thousands of residents were displaced in the effort to build a modernist vision of the city. While new trends in music, theater, art and dance transformed popular culture. The exhibition examines the District from a local and national level amid the backdrop of anti-war protests, the Black Power and feminist movements, and emerging gay rights.
Oct. 21-23 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE. Admission is FREE!
Steadfast Supply
Check out Steadfast Supply housed inside the Arris, a new apartment complex near The Yards in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. This 4,000-square-foot space connects local retailers and brands to you. A rotating cast of 15-20 vendors will inhabit the space in the coming weeks, allowing you to view their latest offerings. Steadfast Supply also hosts weekly events — you can get an intro to screenprinting this weekend — and features a communal work space.
Oct. 21-23 from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Arris, 1331 Fourth St. SE. Admission is FREE!
REI’s D.C. Flagship Grand Opening Block Party
Celebrate the opening of REI’s flagship location in the District with this weekend-long block party. The outdoor gear and clothing retailer embraces locals with three days of live music, beer gardens, screen printing stations, a climbing wall and much more. Friday kicks off with the Ballou Majestic Marching Band followed by Little Bacon Bear and local DJs, Saturday features Yellow Dubmarine, a Beatles cover band, and Biz Markie at 3 p.m., while Sunday includes the incorporates the Afro-Brazilian rhythms of the Batala Marching Band, War & Treaty and Banana Express along with local DJs. There will be breakfast and coffee each morning, and the first 500 people in line all three days receive a custom D.C. Camelbak bottle with a gift card.
Oct. 21 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oct.-22 from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at REI, 201 M St. NE. Admission is FREE!
International Yardfest
After a three-year absence, the International Yardfest, part of Howard University’s homecoming celebration, is back with live performers representing a diverse lineup representing a variety of genres including hip-hop artist Common, R&B singer Faith Evans and rapper Fabolous. There will also be vendors, food, games, a children’s pavilion and more.
Oct. 21 from noon-6 p.m. on Howard University’s main yard, 2400 Sixth St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Fall Harvest Days
‘Tis the season at Mount Vernon, where fall truly shines across the estate’s beautiful grounds. Head to George Washington’s former abode for Fall Harvest Family Days. Among the activities: wagon rides, wheat treading in a 16th-century barn, 18th-century dancing, blacksmithing and corn husk doll demos, a straw bale maze and early-American games and music. At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, a replica of one of Washington’s boats launches into the Potomac River with a costumed crew.
Oct. 22 and 23 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va. Tickets are $17 for adults online and $20 at the gate, while children 6-11 are $9 online and $10 at the gate and seniors are $16 online or $19 at the gate.
From Royal Mail to Public Post
Royal Mail celebrates its 500th anniversary as the United Kingdom’s postal service this year, and the National Postal Museum presents From Royal Mail to Public Post, a display of original documents dated from 1635 to 1840 in honor of the milestone. During the period at hand, the Royal Mail developed extensively, and you will be able to view important artifacts that chronicle the postal reform of the time, which saw the system go from one available only to high-ranking officials to one available to the public.
Through Jan. 16, 2017, from 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
American Fine Craft Show
Dozens of jury-selected artists and designers will showcase eye-catching work at the American Fine Craft Show. Expect to be wowed by handmade furniture, jewelry, pottery, art glass, paintings, weaving, basketry, sculpture, leather, mixed media and all kinds of wearable art during this three-day celebration.
Oct. 21 from 4:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 22 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the D.C. Armory, 2001 East Capitol St. SE. Admission is $8 on Friday and $15 Saturday and Sunday for adults, $14 for seniors and $8 for students cash at the door. Children younger than 12 are FREE!
Hirshhorn Fall Fest
Head to the Hirshhorn Fall Fest for a celebration of the approaching fall season and the museum’s new immersive exhibit, Ragnar Kjartansson. Local bands including Cinema Hearts, Lighthouse Row, More AM than FM, Lonely Ocean, Magnus Lush, Tattiana Aqeel and Yusef Kelliebrew, Illusion Travels, Small Axe and The Plums that have been featured in Kjartansson’s live performance piece Woman in E will perform outdoors while you enjoy complimentary beer tastings, music-making tours of the exhibit and a special screening of Kjartansson’s A Lot of Sorrow.
Oct. 22 from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 700 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sweden Festival
Celebrate the Swedish Embassy’s 10 years in House of Sweden with a Sweden Festival featuring two stages with concerts, artist talks, dance lessons and more. There will be a rooftop cafe, interactive family fun, Swedish food, games, face painting, Swedish brands, exhibits and more.
Oct. 22 from noon-4:30 p.m. at House of Sweden, 2900 K St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Fall Festival & Craft Beer Showcase
Cathedral Commons mixed-use development located on Wisconsin Avenue hosts its second annual Fall Festival & Craft Beer Showcase. It features live entertainment from country-rock band Scott Kurt & Memphis 59 and Top 40 band Lovely Rita, craft beer tastings and food from neighborhood restaurants including the Grilled Oyster Co., Barcelona, Raku and Cafe Deluxe. There will also be fall activities for the kids including a pumpkin patch, pumpkin decorating, face painting and an inflatable slide.
Oct. 22 from noon-4 p.m. at Cathedral Commons, 3401 Idaho Ave. NW. Admission is FREE! Beer tasting is $5 and includes a glass.
Pumpkin Palooza
Fall is here, so head to The Wharf for Pumpkin Palooza with a seasonal beer garden, pumpkin bowling, a 17-foot video wall, a pumpkin-pie eating contest and a pet costume contest. All contests feature cash prizes, and there will be live music from the Wil Gravatt Band as well!
Oct. 21 from 1–4 p.m. at Gangplank Park, 600 Water St. SW. Admission is FREE!
Mosaic International Showcase
Experience worldly-inspired activities, dance performances, food samplings and more at the annual Mosaic International Showcase. Submerge into various cultures with food samples, live musical performances from area dance groups, arts and crafts and more. Featured countries include Bolivia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Lao, Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam. After dancing the afternoon away, refuel with authentic bites from local eateries. Mall stores will also have specials.
Oct. 22 and 23 from noon-5 p.m. at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Metro Level, 1100 S. Hayes St., Arlington. Admission is FREE!
Taste of Tudor Place
Your ticket to Taste of Tudor Place, the final bicentennial event at the historic Georgetown estate, gives you the run of the place, so you can tour the 200-year-old home and gardens, play games and participate in crafts, and sip and taste your way through the afternoon. The food and drinks from such locals as Mason Dixie Biscuit Co., Chaia, Rocklands Barbeque, Copper Fox Distillery, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Zivaara, Georgetown Olive Oil Co., Lyon Distilling Co. and One Eight Distilling have historic ties to the estate.
Oct. 22 from 1-4 p.m. at Tudor Place, 1644 31st St. NW. All-inclusive admission is $60.
Brewers on the Block
More than 25 of the region’s finest breweries, cideries and meaderies in the region including 3 Stars Brewing Co., Three Notch’d Brewing Co., BadWolf Brewing Co., Bluejacket, Calvert Brewing Co., D.C. Brau, RAR Brewing, Union Brewing and others will be on hand for the third annual Brewers on the Block. You will have a chance to sample the latest and greatest concoctions from vendors, as well as D.C.’s first hyper-local beer brewed by 3 Stars using hops grown at Neal Place Tap & Garden, a limited brew that will not be distributed throughout the city. There will also be beer brats from Buffalo & Bergen, oysters from S.S. Shucking and Salt N’ Pepper Burgers.
Oct. 22 from 2–5 p.m. at Neal Place Tap & Garden, 1300 Fourth St. NE. Tickets are $60 for VIP (entry at 1 p.m. and commemorative glass) and $35 for general admission.
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.