The weather is looking a bit iffy for outdoor plans this weekend with 40 percent chance of rain Saturday and Sunday with temperatures in the mid-80s. The Preakness is in Baltimore while D.C. is serving up sheep with Lamb Jam. Luckily, there are indoor and outdoor events and several new movies in case plans get washed out.

It’s a bad weekend for Metro riders. There’s construction on every line. This weekend, Orange, Silver and Blue line trains will operate every 18 minutes. Yellow and Green line trains will operate every 20 minutes with Yellow line trains operating between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square only. Red Line trains will operate every 24 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont and every 12-14 minutes between Grosvenor and Judiciary Square from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Opera in the Outfield presents Rossini’s Cinderella on the scoreboard at Nationals Park on Saturday. (Photo: Scott Suchman)

Opera in the Outfield

Rossini’s Cinderella is this year’s featured presentation for the Washington National Opera’s Opera in the Outfield. It is the eighth season of free live opera simulcast from the Kennedy Center at the Nationals Park. Preshow activities include a royal parade with kids of all ages in costume around the lower concourse, photos with characters from Cinderella, performances by local artists, a screening of What’s Opera, Doc? starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and more.

May 16 at 7 pm. At Nationals Park, 1500 S. Capitol St. SE. Gates open at 5 p.m. Admission is FREE, but those wishing to sit in the outfield will need to obtain wristbands on a first-come, first-served basis inside the center field gate. No chairs are allowed on the grass, only blankets. Parking is available in Lots B and C for $10.

Lamb Jam

Lamb Jam in D.C. takes place Friday and Saturday. (Graphic: Lamb Jam)

Lamb Jam may be the most DIY cook-off ever. Rather than just offering the opportunity to feast on some delicious lamb made by talented chefs, you’ll have the chance to learn how to prepare your own dishes – just in time for BBQ season. This year’s Lamb Jam includes a VIP seminar from 6-9 p.m. today at Occidental Grill with last year’s champions with dinner, a panel discussion, h’orderves and cocktails and one pound of lamb to take home. On Saturday, there will be a grand tasting from 4-7 p.m. at Uninon Market with 16 area chefs, beer and wine, a DIY lamb spice rub station and butcher demonstration. Awards include Best of Show, People Choice Award and first place awards for shoulder, leg of lamb, shank and loin.

May 15 from 6-9 p.m. at Occidental Grill, 1475 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, and May 16 from 4-7 p.m. at Union Market, 1309 Fifth St. NE. Tickets for Friday are $100, Saturday’s are $60 and tickets to both events are $150.

InfieldFest at the Preakness

Head up to Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore for the Preakness and InfieldFest. (Photo: Pimlico)

The actual Preakness Stakes race lasts only a few minutes, but with InfieldFest at the Preakness, the fun and excitement is an all-day affair. This year’s lineup for the concert portion of the festivities includes hip-hop prankster Childish Gambino, EDM artist Armin van Buuren and indie-pop act Trampled by Turtles. Go for the horses, stay for the music.

May 16 starting at 8 a.m. at Pimlico Race Course, 5201 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore. Tickets are $50-$140.

Neon Drink On

Wear neon to The Fairgrounds at the center field entrance to Nationals Park and get your drink on. (Photo: Project D.C. Events)

The Neon Drink On summer beer fest offers festival-goers unlimited tasting of more than 80 craft beers. Grab your souvenir tasting glass and neon sunglasses and navigate your way through more than 45 breweries while sipping on the first summer brews, playing games such as cornhole, beer pong, bocce and other lawn games, and enjoying live entertainment featuring Split Decision and DJs. There will also be food trucks if you get hungry. Prepare yourself for a full day of fun, neon and beer.

May 16 from 1-4 p.m. or 7-10 p.m. at The Fairgrounds, 1299 Half St. SE. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $55 VIP, with an extra hour before the general admission, a glass holding lanyard and private restrooms, are $55. Use the code SAVE10NEON and save $10. General Admission tickets are available on Groupon for $25 and VIP for $35.

Taste of Arlington

The streets around Ballston Common Mall will be filled with food booths on Sunday. (Photo: Ballston BID)

Ballston Business Improvement District’s 28th annual Taste of Arlington covers all the basics needed for a successful street fair: a diverse roster of more than 50 restaurants and breweries, entertainment for kids and 90s music with D.C.-based cover band White Ford Bronco, who round out a lineup of live acts that also includes Burnt Sienna and Jumpin Jupiter. New this year is a KidZone Family Expo featuring tables for budding entreprenuers to showcase their talents and skills.

May 17 from noon-6 p.m. along Wilson Boulevard from North Glebe Road to North Quincy Street and along Wilson from North Stuart Street to the Metro outside Ballston Common Mall, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Admission is FREE! A coupon book with 10 tasting tickets is available online for $35, through the BallstonConnect mobile app for $30 (including at the event) or $40 at the door.

Concert in the Park

Visitors to last year’s Concerts in the Park enjoy free music in a Georgetown Park. (Photo: Citizens’ Association of Georgetown)

Concerts in the Parks, Georgetown’s free summer concert series, is back in Volta and Rose Parks. The family-friendly events take place on Sunday through the summer and feature music, family fun activities, free cupcakes from Sprinkles, free ice cream from Haagen Dazs and food trucks. The 2015 concerts will take place on Sunday in Volta Park, June 21 in Volta Park and July 12 in Rose Park. The series kicks off with singer-songwriter Rebecca McCabe accompanied by the Human Country Jukebox band including Jack Gregori, who was on “Team Adam” on NBC’s The Voice. There will be a singalong of Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off at the end.

May 17 from 5:30-7 p.m. in Volta Park, 34th Street and Volta Place NW in Georgetown. Admission is FREE!

G.I. Film Festival

Land of the Sun kicks off the G.I. Film Festival on Tuesday at the Embassy of Canada. (Photo: Melissa Flagg)

Now in its ninth year, the G.I. Film Festival returns with features, shorts and documentaries that either have a main character who is current or former military, or the writer, director or producer is current or former military. The slate of movies this year reflects the diversity of veterans’ experience. Festival organizers hope that a person walks away after viewing a film with a greater appreciation of what a service person goes through.

May 18-24 at the Angelika Film Center, 2911 District Ave. in the Mosaic District in Fairfax except the opening night films and reception, which are at the Embassy of Canada, 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. There is a free shuttle from the Dunn-Loring Metro station to Mosaic District that runs with the last bus leaving the station at 7:18 p.m. Tickets range from $300 for an all access pass to $85 for a weekend pass, $40 for films with receptions and $12 for general admission movies. Tickets are available online or at the box office.

This weekend’s forecast is great with the vegans set to take on bacon in the DMV. (The D.C. VegFest is Saturday at The Yards while 500 feet away the Capitol Bacon Festival is on at the Half Street Fairgronds). There will be plenty of drinking to go along with Talk Like a Pirate Day, Oktoberfest at Heurich House and a local beerfest and concert at the Fillmore. Saturday is also the D.C. State Fair, the Bluebirds Blues Festival in Largo, The Big Build at the National Building Museum and comedian Wanda Sykes at Strathmore.

Silver and Yellow line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals, with Yellow Line trains running between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square only. Green Line trains will run every 20 minutes, and Orange and Blue line trains will run every 24 minutes. Red Line trains will operate every 15 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont and every 8-10 minutes between Grosvenor and NoMa-Gallaudet from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Yearbook won outstanding animated short this year at the D.C. Shorts Film Festival. (Photo: The Borscht Corp.)

D.C. Shorts Film Festival

If you missed the first week of the annual D.C. Shorts Film Festival, don’t fret: The final weekend brings out the Best of DC Shorts. Host venues the U.S. Navy Memorial theater and the Angelika Film Center will each screen two different 90-minute showcases of the festival’s award winners and audience favorites, including outstanding animated short Yearbook, about a man tasked with writing the final pages of human history before the world ends.

Through Sept. 21 at the U.S. Navy Memorial theater, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and Angelika Film Center, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax, Va. at various times. Tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door.

Talk Like a Pirate Day in Arrrrrlington

It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day in Arrrlington. (Graphic: Wikipedia)

In celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day the Arlington outpost of Baltimore brewery Heavy Seas Ale will offer pirate-themed specials and swag leading up to its taking part in breaking the Guinness Book of World Records’ record for largest number of casks tapped at the same time. Heavy Seas and the other participating alehouses will tap Loose Cannon IPA, a first time release cask ale with grapefruit zest at 6 p.m. sharp. Diners get $1 off the Arrrrrlington Burger and can enjoy pirate-inspired menu items such as giant turkey legs.

Sept. 19 beginning at 11 a.m. at Heave Seas Alehouse, 1501 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Admission is FREE!

Local Brews, Local Grooves

Local beers and bands are on tap at the Fillmore. (Graphic: Fillmore)

This first-of-its-kind festival celebrated the best of D.C., Maryland and Virginia with its finest breweries, hottest bands and tastiest food. Sample 20 craft beers from nine area breweries including Brewer’s Art, D.C. Brau, Devil’s Backbone and Dominion at Local Brews, Local Grooves, while rocking out to six local bands including Pasadena, Md.’s aptly named Pasadena, Bumpin’ Uglies, Billy Lyve, Mr. Mighty!, Knolly Moles and more.

Sept.19 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Admission is $19 for admission only or $38 for admission and beer sampling online or at the door.

The Big Build

Kids can be a build at the National Building Museum’s Big Build. (Photo: Roarbots)

Be a builder for a day at The Build Build. Amateur builders young and old can discover what it’s like to build a brick wall, carve stone, hammer nails and much more as they work side by side with designers, builders and artisans demonstrating their skills. Meet plumbers, electricians, ironworkers, landscape architects, woodworkers and experts in many other fields to learn about their professions and hobbies. Help construct the World’s Tallest Toy out of Superstructs in the Great Hall and visit the truck “petting zoo” with a firetruck, garbage/recycling truck, cement mixer, cranes and more!

Sept. 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!

Arlington Festival of the Arts

The 2nd annual Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon. (Photo: Howard Alan Events/Facebook)

The 2nd annual Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon. Enjoy a weekend of true visual inspiration, as over 100 artists showcase their works including glass, mixed media, paintings, jewelry and pottery; providing all sorts of opportunities to appreciate – and purchase- art. The show is located on North Highland Street, which runs over Clarendon Blvd & Wilson Blvd.

Sept. 20 and 21 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. along North Highland Street, which runs over Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards, in Clarendon. Admission is FREE!
 

D.C. VegFest at The Yards include animal-free cooking demonstrations. (Photo: Compassion Over Killing)

D.C. VegFest

Vegetarians and vegans rejoice – there’s a festival just for you. With free admission and free samples of local vegetarian and vegan food, D.C. VegFest is for those interested in eliminating animals from their diet. The first 1,000 attendees receive a free tote bag full of samples and coupons. There will be more than 100 vendors, a beer garden, live music, cooking demonstrations, presentations from authors and celebrities including Robin Quivers, Howard Stern’s smart and sassy sidekick, and a kids’ activity area.

Sept. 20 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Yards Park, N and First Streets SE. Admission is FREE!

D.C. State Fair

The D.C. State Fair features fruits and vegetables among other contests. (Photo: D.C. State Fair)

Who says you need to be a state to have a state fair? Not the organizers of the D.C. State Fair, which is entering its fifth year. Expect all the staples you’d expect at a fair, but with a D.C. spin. Contests include photography, kids’ art, honey, pie, ice cream, mason jar flower arrangements, funkiest –looking vegetable, longest vegetable, heaviest vegetable, heaviest fruit, pickled fruits, jam & jelly and ferment vegetable. There will also be a bevy of District-based baker, crafters and more. For the first time, there will be a biergarten at the fairgrounds from 3-7 p.m.selling D.C. Brau beer as well as Bourbon & Byrd, bourbon mixed with Runningbyrd Tea crafted at Union Kitchen, and other specialty cocktails/mocktails.

Sept. 20 from noon-7 p.m. at Old City Farm and Guild, 925 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!

The 22nd annual Bluebird Blues Festival returns to Prince George’s Community College. (Graphic: Prince George’s Community College)

Bluebird Blues Festival

The 22nd annual Bluebird Blues Festival is back featuring Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark and his Allstars, Fast Eddie and the Slowpokes, Hardway Connection, The Holms Brothers, The Jewels, Mahajibee Blue, Nadine Rae and the Allstars, Jeff Scott and Jesi Terrell performing on two stages. Children can participate in face painting, roving artists, tattoo art and many other events in Hallam Theatre. Food and craft vendors offer an array of unique items and cultural delicacies from around the world. Take your chairs and celebrate the blues!

Sept. 20 from noon-6 p.m. at Prince Georges’s Community College, 301 Largo Road, Largo Md. Admission is FREE!

Capitol Bacon Festival

The Capitol Bacon Festival features over 40,000 bacon dishes. (Graphic: Capitol Bacon Festival/Facebook)

OK, so you like meat. In a twist of irony, you can walk a half block from D.C. VegFest and end up at the Capitol Bacon Festival, where vegetables are those wrapped in bacon or dipped in bacon grease. Dozens of the area’s top restaurants, food trucks and specialty vendors will be on hand featuring bacon sampling and full sized bacon cuisine, bacon confectionary delights, bacon eating contests, bacon cooking demonstrations, live music from some of the area’s top bands (who also love bacon), bacon cooking competitions, full service bars with beer, wine and liquor, a vendor village featuring various non-food bacon themed vendors and much more.

Sept. 20 from 1-7 p.m. at the Half Street Fairgrounds, 1299 Half St. SE. General admission tickets with three bacon sample tickets are $25 and VIP tickets, which include 10 bacon samples, early access, a VIP tent and VIP bar, official T-shirt and poster, are $65 online.
 
 

The D.C. Brewer’s Guild celebrates Oktoberfest at Heurich House on Saturday. (Photo: Infobus)

Oktoberfest at Heurich House

Celebrate Oktoberfest with the D.C. Brewer’s Guild – a total of eight District breweries – at this authentic party in the historic Heurich House. Entry includes unlimited Oktoberfest-inspired beer from guild members in a souvenir mug, soft pretzels, German sausages and traditional Oktoberfest from Die Zwei.

Sept. 20 from 1-4 p.m. at Heurich House, 1307 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Admission is $60.
 
 

Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash

Dachshunds prepare to race at the 2013 Wiener 500. (Photo: ontaponline)

it’s time for the 3rd annual Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash to benefit the Washington Humane Society. Germany’s short legged canine ambassadors will help kick off Oktoberfest at the annual fundraiser. Over $500 in cash and prizes will be awarded. In addition to the races, there will be beer and bratwursts, music and contests for all breeds for best trick and best costume.

Sept. 20 from 1-4 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center’s Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes brings her comedy to Strathmore. (Photo: Strathmore)

Comedian Wanda Sykes brings her stand-routine to Bethesda. Sykes began her stand-up career at a talent showcase in 1987 in the District. Since then, she went on to appear on popular shows Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine and two HBO stand-up specials. Sykes has also starred in her own television shows Wanda at Large and Wanda Does It as well as appearing in films such as Evan Almighty.

Sept. 20 starting at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. Tickets range from $49-$129.

The Festicle

The Festicle is a testicle carnival. (Photo: travel.uk)

Come one, come all – step right up and have a ball (literally). Ladies and gentlemen, spectators of all drinking ages … behold the Festicle. Presented by Spike Mendelsohn’s new Spike’d Events. Mendelshon will be competing against Maple Ave’s Tim Ma and Toki Underground’s Erik Bruner-Yang in a testicle cook off. Live music will be provided by White Ford Bronco, Black Masala, Supreme Commander and Tennis System. Carnival fun includes micro (midget) wrestling, fire dancers, aerial acrobats and more.

Sept. 21 from 1-9 p.m. at The Bullpen, 20 M St. SE. Tickets are $17 online and $25 at the gate.