Hurry, the Cherry Blossoms Won’t Last Long
The cherry blossoms are in peak bloom, but with messy weather expected this weekend, Friday may be your best bet to see them this year and large crowds are expected at the Tidal Basin. The weather is forecast to go from a windy, partly cloudy 69 degrees on Friday to a wintery mix with little to no accumulation on Saturday with temperatures near freezing and struggling to get into the mid-40s. Sunday is expected to be dry and mostly sunny, near 50 degrees. But no matter the weather, there is plenty to do this weekend in the DMV – inside and out!
The cherry blossoms will be at peak bloom, so Metro will be operating all subway lines at regular weekend levels during the day. After 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Red, Orange and Silver Lines will operate every 20-25 minutes with Red Line trains single tracking between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square, Orange Line trains single tracking between Clarendon and Ballston and Silver Line trains operating between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston ONLY. After 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Blue and Yellow Line trains will single track between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road with trains every 20-25 minutes. And after 10 p.m. Sunday, Green Line trains will single track between Southern Avenue and Naylor Road every 20-25 minutes.
Petalpalooza
One of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s signature events has a new name, Petalpalooza (instead of the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival) and a location at the new Wharf development, but it is still packed with activities. Entertainment includes eight hours of music by bands such as Aztec sun, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Handsome Hound and Lexi Jackson on three stages including one in the channel, a beer garden, free roller skating rink, bike spin art, Japanese calligraphy, Gyotaku fish prints, plein air artists and selfie opportunities such as an interactive “flower-by-numbers” wall. The day ends with a fireworks show at 8:30 p.m.
Apr. 7 from 1-9:30 p.m. at The Wharf, 1100 Main Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Pictures of the Year: 75 Years of the World’s Best Photography
Pictures of the Year: 75 Years of the World’s Best Photography showcases some of the most striking images from the past 75 years, drawn from the more than 40,000 photos in the archives of the Pictures of the Year International photojournalism competition. Walk through the show and take in seven decades of history through the eyes of award-winning photographers, capturing people and events from World War II to the present.
Through Jan. 20 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors 65 and older, $14.95 for your 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger.
Community Policing in the Nation’s Capital
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death, the National Building Museum hosts Community Policing in the Nation’s Capital, an exhibit with a local angle. After King’s assassination and the ensuing riots, neighborhood policing was a popular topic across the nation. The exhibit examines the Pilot District Project (PDP), founded in response to the civil unrest in the spring of 1968 and centered on several African American residential and business neighborhoods hardest hit by fires, looting and other civil disturbances in the spring of 1968. Numerous materials from the effort are showcased including posters, maps and others, as are the successes and failures of PDP, which lasted through 1973.
Through Jan. 15 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 and older, students with valid ID and youth ages 3-17 Children are FREE!
Diane Arbus: A Box of Ten Photographs
Diane Arbus has long been credited with ushering photography into newfound prominence within the art world. Late in life, she began work on her portfolio, A Box of Ten Photographs. At the time of her death in 1971, she had completed the printing for eight known sets of a planned edition of 50, only four of which she sold during her lifetime. The exhibit centers on the history of the portfolio, particularly one sold to Bea Feitler, art director at Harper’s Bazaar, and its significance in the evolution of photography as art. The story is crucial because it was the portfolio that established the foundation of Arbus’ career, ushering in photography’s acceptance to the realm of “serious” art.
Apr. 6-Jan. 21 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Shakespeare has been interpreted in many, many ways, but the Chicago-based The Improvised Shakespeare Company has come up with one of the most intriguing approaches yet. With one audience suggestion (a title of a play not yet written), the company creates a Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes, totally improvised. Nothing has been planned out, rehearsed or written. All the dialogue is spoken for the first time, the characters are created as you watch and if you’re you are wondering where the story is going…so are they. Equipped with language and themes from all the Bard’s classics, the talented players could unveil a comedy or a tragedy – you will have to go to find out.
Apr. 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Apr. 8 at 7 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $29-$49.
Bethesda Film Fest
It isn’t often that you can knock out an entire film festival in one sitting. The sixth annual Bethesda Film Fest makes it possible. Five short documentaries, all by local filmmakers, cover a range of subjects, among them Aiven about Joseph Sheppard Rogers, an artist from Landover, Md.; Mama Rwanda, about how working mothers in Rwanda are transforming the nation into one of the world’s fastest growing economies just two decades after genocide; Pot of Gold about the bidet’s surprising popularity in Japan; Sisterly is about the filmmaker and her sister, who is autistic and cannot talk, destined to be the best of friends; and Two Steps Back about why Derrick Bell, the first black tenured professor at Harvard law School, opposed the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. Each screening includes all five films and a Q&A session afterwards with the filmmakers.
Apr. 6 at 7 p.m. and Apr. 7 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. Tickets are $10.
Nederlands Dans Theater
Nederlands Dan Theater embraces the avant-garde through progressive productions that showcase the company’s incredibly talented dancers. The company appears at the Kennedy Center for the first time with performances of three compositions, including one featuring music by Philip Glass. Expect cutting-edge, boundary-pushing dance theater inside the Opera House.
Apr. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $19-$69.
Underground Railroad Game
The 2017 Obie Award Winner for Best New American Theatre Work comes to the Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Underground Railroad Game confronts racial prejudice and violence as it follows two teachers who get a bit carried away with a lesson on sex, race and power, going deep into U.S. history through brash comedy. The production will also incorporate the audience, so prepare for a wild evening full of historical connotations and belly laughs.
Apr 6-29 at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $20-$84.
Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk
Lace up your sneakers for the 20th annual Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk, which commemorates Japanese Americans and their experience during World War II and encourages the continued defense of civil liberties for all Americans. This year, the walk celebrates its 20th anniversary, as well as the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. followed by the Nen Daiko Japanese Taiko Drummer at 9:30 a.m. and a keynote speaker at 10 a.m. The short, non-competitive walk begins at 11 a.m.
Apr. 7 from 9:30 a.m.-noon starting and ending at the National Japanese American Memorial, Louisiana Avenue, New Jersey Avenue and D Street NW. Admission is FREE!
USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo
The USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo, the nation’s largest celebration of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) returns for its fifth year to celebrate innovation. Pavilions focusing on such topics as aviation, health and medicine, oceans and technology feature interactive exhibits and opportunities to talk with scientists. The expo also includes more than 30 live stage shows and more than 3,000 demonstrations.
Apr. 7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Apr. 8 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, .801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Admission is FREE, but preregistration is required.
Union Market District Street Fest
Union Market celebrates spring with the Union Market district Street Fest that welcomes the entire family. There will be live music all day, a pop-up bookshop from Politics & Prose, a youth soccer workshop featuring D.C. United players, an outdoor flower market from Trader Joe’s, plenty of opportunities for great Instagram shots and much more. Free fitness classes at Dock 5 include Cut Seven bootcamp at 9:30 a.m., Flybarre at 1 p.m. and Yoga with Nya at 3 p.m. You can also try sushi from the soon-to-open O-Ku, hit a pig roast at the Cotton & Reed distillery and sample craft beers at the Bruery. Fill your Saturday with creativity and community at this fair that will take up the entire Union Market District from Florida Avenue to Penn Street and from Fourth to Sixth Streets.
Apr. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Union Market, 1309 Fifth St. NE. Admission is FREE!
Japanese Culture Day
Watch Japanese culture come to life at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building. Children and adults will be introduced to Japanese life and culture through hands-on activities like origami, kimono-wearing and a book reading and signing with best-selling author Tad Hills will read How Rocket Learned to Read. Japanese Culture Day will also feature “Japan-in-a-Suitcase” from the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., covering Japanese life and culture, as well as Japanese cuisine. Past National Cherry Blossom Festival princesses will also attend, teaching children the art of tiara-making.
Apr. 7 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Library of Congress’ Young Readers Center, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run & 5K Run-Walk
Thousands of runners participate in the annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mike Run & 5K Run-Walk that honors spring, the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the beautiful scenery of Washington, D.C. Watch for free as participants weave their way around the Tidal Basin and the city’s monuments, and if you have a child who would like to take part, there’s a Kids’ Run on Saturday for children 4-10 starting at 9:30 a.m. at the National Building Museum There is also a health and fitness expo and clinics from 3-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the museum.
Apr. 8 starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Washington Monument grounds, 15th Street NW. Admission for spectators is FREE!
Tony Lewis: Anthology 2014-2016
Innovative artist Tony Lewis deconstructed and refashioned hundreds of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips to create this enthralling collection of 34 original collage-poems. To create Anthology 2014-2016, Chicago-based Lewis deconstructed hundreds of the comic strips, reordered them and ultimately shaped them into poems through a process of erasing, editing and rearranging dialogue. Each poem is assembled as a collage of individual drawings that explores the collaborative nature of creativity and authorship, leaving meaning open to a range of interpretations. This is the first time that the black-and-white works have been exhibited in their entirety.
Through May 28 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Japanese Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony
Jointly sponsored since 1954 by the National Conference of State Societies (NCSS) and the National Park Service National Capital Region, the official Japanese Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony opens the NCSS Cherry Blossom Princess festivities. The ceremony features traditional Japanese music by the Toho Koto Society of Washington, D.C. and songs by the Washington D.C. Choral Society. The ceremony includes the presentation of the United States and Japan Cherry Blossom Queens and remarks by a number of dignitaries. The Japanese Stone Lantern was carved nearly four centuries ago to honor the Third Shogun of the Tokugawa period. It stands 8.5 feet tall and weighs 4,000 pounds. In 1954, the lantern was moved from Japan and presented to Washington D.C. as a gift commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first treaty between the two countries. Since then, the Stone Lantern has been lit once each year by the Cherry Blossom Princess representing the Embassy of Japan — and only during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Apr. 8 from 3-4:30 pm. At the Japanese Stone Lantern, Independence Avenue and Seventh St. SW. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing Events
1968: Civil Rights at 50 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 2 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $21.21 for adults, $16.96 for seniors 65 and older, and $12.71 for children ages 7-18 in advance or $24.95, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively, at the door.
Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday through May 16 at Anderson House, 2119 Massachusetts 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!
The Artistic Table from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through June 10 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for college students, $5 for children 6-18 and free for children younger than 6. Adults and seniors get $3 off weekdays and $1 on weekend if purchased online.
Beautiful Blooms: Flowering Plants on Stamps from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 14 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 13 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Cézanne Portraits from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through July 1 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Day to Night: In the Field with Stephen Wilkes from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Apr. 22 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students, seniors 62 or older and military, $10 for children ages 5-12 and FREE for kids younger than 5.
Do Ho Suh: Almost Home from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through Aug 5 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 20 at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. 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!
The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Apr. 29 at the National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Heavenly Earth: Images of Saint Francis at La Verna from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through July 8 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Hold These Truths at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $91-$111.
Hung Liu in Print from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through July 8 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older or students and free for children 18 and younger.
In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through May 8 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Making Room: Housing for a Changing American from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 16 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 or older, students, and children ages 3-17.
The Marines and Tet: The Battle That Changed the Vietnam War from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through July 8 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $21.21 for adults, $16.96 for seniors 65 and older, and $12.71 for children ages 7-18 in advance or $24.95, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively, at the door.
Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 12 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Apr. 15 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter at the Courts of Renaissance Europe from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays through May 13 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Mural from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 11 a.m-6 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 28 at the National Gallery of Art East Building, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Outliers and American Vanguard Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays through May 13 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Portraits of the World: Switzerland from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 12 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
The Prince and the Shah: Royal Portraits from Qajar Iran from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 5 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 4 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Remembering Vietnam from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 6, at the National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Sakura Yume/Cherry Blossom Dream from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (21+) through May 6 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older or military, and $8 for children 8 and younger.
Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through May 28 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!!
Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through June 10 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sharing Images: Renaissance Prints Into Maiolica and Bronze from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 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!
The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Sept. 3 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Ten Americans: After Paul Klee from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sundays through May 6 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and visitors 62 and older and children 18 and younger are FREE!
Tomb of Christ from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Aug. 15 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students/military and $10 for children 5-12.
To Dye For: Ikats from Central Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 29 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Translations at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 22 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$106.
Two Trains Running at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 pm. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Apr. 29 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $50-$111.
UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 6 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. 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!
The Winter’s Tale 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 Apr. 22 at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35-$79.
The Wiz at 7:30 p.m. most nights with noon matinees on Friday and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday through May 12 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $27-$71.
Women House from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through May 28 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students and free for children 18 and younger.
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.