It’s spring in the DMV, and there’s plenty to do this weekend. The Earth Day rally and concert takes place on the National Mall Saturday with plenty of big names including My Morning Jacket, Train, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Usher and No Doubt. It is also the start of National Parks Week and admission to all national parks that normally charge admission are free this weekend. And the Arlington Festival of the Arts is back in Clarendon. But there’s plenty of inside events too including the 29th Filmfest DC, the first National Math Festival at several of the Smithsonians, Record Store Day and William Shakespeare’s birthday party on Sunday at the Folger.

This weekend, Orange, Silver, Blue and Yellow line trains will operate at regular intervals. On Saturday, the Greenbelt Station will be closed; however, Green Line trains will operate at regular intervals between the College Park and Branch Avenue stations. Shuttle buses will run between Greenbelt and College Park on Saturday adding an extra 15 minutes of travel time. Green Line trains will operate at regular intervals on Sunday. Red Line trains will operate every 15 minutes with trains running every 8-10 minutes between Grosvenor and Silver Spring from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. both days.

Russell Crowe directs and stars in The Water Diviner, which will be shown today at 6:30 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie.
(Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

FilmFest DC

Filmfest DC returns for its 29th year, though with a smaller slate of movies and fewer bells and whistles. But that still leaves time for more than 70 films, including They Die by Dawn, a Western starring Erykah Badu, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington and Giancarlo Esposito, on Sunday at AMC Mazza Gallerie. On Friday at the same theater, get an early look at Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, which was Australia’s highest-grossing movie last year.

Apr. 17-26 at various times at AMC Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW; Brixton, 901 U St. NW; Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road NW; Geothe-Institut, 812 7th St. NW; E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; and Lincoln Theater, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $13 except for the opening night film The Water Diviner and reception, which is $15, and closing night, which is $25. A package of 10 tickets is also available for $100. Online tickets are available until the day before the show then will be available at the box office starting 1 hour before the screening.

Roseanne Cash performs at Strathmore tonight. (Photo: Strathmore)

Roseanne Cash

Roseanne Cash will always be known as the daughter of Johnny Cash, but her prolific country music career deserves its own recognitions. She’s put out 13 studio albums including last year’s critically acclaimed The River & The Thread. Don’t be surprised, though, if she covers one of her father’s songs.

Apr. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $27-$58 online or at the box office.
 
 
 

National Park Week

Admission to Great Falls along with other national parks across the country is free this weekend. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

To kick off National Park Week, the National Park Service is waiving fees at its more than 400 parks on Saturday and Sunday. Take the opportunity to check out the nearby battlefields in Manassas or Antietam or admire the rapids at Great Falls Park. You could also head out to Shenandoah National Park for a cruise on Skyline Drive or go for a bike ride along the 184.5 mile C&O Canal, which runs from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md.

Apr. 18 and 19 at national parks across the country. Admission is FREE!

National Math Festival

The National Math Festival will bring all kids of mathematics-related events to the Smithsonian on Saturday including a squared wheeled bicycle. (Photo: National Museum of Mathematics)

Experience mathematics like never before when the first-of-its-kind National Math Festival comes to D.C. As the country’s first national festival dedicated to discovering the delight and power of mathematics, this public celebration will feature dozens of activities for every age – from hand-on magic and Houdini-like getaways to lectures with some of the most influential mathematicians of our time. Kids and adults can build a 10-foot-tall polyhedron out of 3,000 coat hangers or ride a tricycle with square wheels on a specially designed track.

Apr. 18 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Smithsonian Ripley Center, Freer and Sackler Galleries, National History Museum and Haupt Garden along the National Mall. Admission is FREE!

Arlington Festival of the Arts

More than 100 artisans will sell their wares in Clarendon this weekend. (Photo: Howard Alan Events)

The third annual Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon this weekend. More than 100 artists will showcase their works including glass, mixed media, paintings, jewelry and pottery.

Apr. 18 and 19 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the corner of N. Highland Street and Washington Boulevard, Clarendon. Admission is FREE!
 
 
 
 

Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally

Usher (left) and Will.i.am are among the featured performers at the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally on the National Mall on Saturday. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Organizers expect 250,000 for this year’s Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally. The main event is a concert which will feature My Morning Jacket, Train, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Usher and No Doubt. Will.i.am and Soledad O’Brien are hosting the program, which runs rain or shine. The day’s speakers include Don Cheadle, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim. Vendors will be selling food and drink.

Apr. 18 starting from 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on the National Mall. The stage is between the Ellipse and the Washington Monument, just south of Constitution Avenue. Gate, located at Jefferson Drive and 15th Street SW, 17th Street and Independence Avenue SW and 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, open at 10 a.m.. There will be five screens set up for viewers away from the stage. Parking is limited so the best bet is to take Metro to the Federal Triangle or Smithsonian stations. Admission is FREE! The show will stream live at youtube.com/globalcitizen/live.

Record Store Day

Record stores will have special releases for Record Store Day on Saturday. (Photo: Crooked Beat Records)

Founded in 2007 as a way to boost business for struggling independent record stores, Record Store Day has turned into a twice-annual affair, packed with limited releases and crowded stores, proving that the vinyl resurgence is here to stay. It’s the perfect excuse to browse the bins at your local shop. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the U.S. and countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records and vary by location.

Apr. 18 during regular store hours. Participating D.C. stores include CD Warehouse, Crooked Beat Records, Hill & Dale, Joint Custody, Red Onion Records, Smash! Records and Som Records. Area stores in Maryland include CDepot in College Park; Memory Land CDS & Records in District Heights; and Joe’s Record Paradise and The Record Exchange in Silver Spring. Virginia participants include Blue Groove Soundz in Arlington; Mobius Records and Record & Tape Exchange in Fairfax; and CD Cellar in Falls Church; and Vienna Music Exchange in Vienna. Admission is FREE!

The queen cuts William Shakespeare’s birthday cake at the Folger Library. (Photo: anastatiar/YouTube)

William Shakespeare’s Birthday

This year, the Folger Shakespeare Library honors William Shakespeare’s birthday with a day of activities including stage combat demonstrations, five-minute versions of his plays, music by the WETA Classical Players, a scavenger hunt and, naturally, birthday cake.

Apr. 19 from noon-4 p.m. at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 291 E Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
 

Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield performs solo at the Lincoln Theatre Sunday night. (Photo: Lincoln Theatre)

There are iconic ‘80s pop songs and then there’s Jesse’s Girl, which is perhaps the most enduring of all cuts about romantic jealously. The 65-year-old Rick Springfield has sold 25 million records and had 17 top-40 hits and made 15 studio albums. He’s also an actor and best-selling author.

Apr. 19 at 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $35-$85 online or at the box office.

Just like 14th Street NW was the hot new destination for trendy restaurants the last few years, it looks like the city’s Shaw neighborhood could be the next restaurant hot spot based on recent announcements.

Several new restaurants will open in the Shaw neighborhood over the next year. (Photo: Reishman Real Estate)

The Shay, a 268-unit apartment building on Florida Avenue between 8th and 9th Streets NW from the JBG Co., will be the new home of Freehand, a restaurant from chef Tim Ma, the owner of Arlington’s Water & Wall and Vienna’s Maple Ave, as well as the second location of Compass Coffee, the D.C.-based coffee roaster and café that opened on 7th Street NW last fall across from the City Market at O development in Shaw. Warby Parker, the maker of trendy eyewear, will join the two restaurants and other retailers at The Shay.

Two blocks away, JBG’s Atlantic Plumbing development will be the home to a new concept from Neighborhood Restauant Group, which also owns Birch & Barley and Bluejacket among other eateries. NRG’s restaurant will likely be Hazel from former Tallula chef Rob Rubba, although that lease hasn’t been signed yet. The owners of Chinatown’s ramen and izakaya restaurant Daikaya, will also open a yet-to-be-named restaurant that will be “a ramen dining room with more variety,” according to a press release from JBG. Atlantic Plumbing is a two-building, 375-apartment development at 8th and V Streets NW.

Atlantic Plumbing is also anchored by a new, six-screen cinema from Landmark theatres, a new version of the indie film-focused theater concept that is just one-fifth the size of a typical Landmark cinema. Other tenants include Declaration Pizza, a new pizzeria from the owners of Lincoln and Teddy & the Bully Bar; Tasty Burger, a Boston-based burger joint; and Bazaar Spices, an independently owned herbs and spice shop that has a stall in Union Market.

The Colonel, a residential development with 70 luxury units at 1250 Ninth St. NW, will include Espita Mezcalería, a Mexican restaurant and mezcal bar from master mezcalier Josh Phillips featuring the lesser-known Mexican spirits and cuisine from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. It will be Phillips’ first venture. Also coming to the building will be http://www.buttercreamdc.com/ Buttercream Bakeshop from pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac, as well as All Purpose, a pizza-focused restaurant from Red Hen owners Michael Friedman, Michael O’Malley and Sebastian Zutant in partnership with Boundary Stone owners Gareth Croke and Colin McDonough.

“As excited as I am to be opening my first mezcaleria, I’m even more excited that it will be a part of Shaw,” said Phillips in a press release. “The first time I saw the space at The Colonel, I knew it was a perfect fit for Espita. I think that this stretch of 9th Street and Blagden Alley will quickly become a top dining destination in DC.”

Belga Café and Van Honsebrouck Brewery pair up for beer dinner

Belga Café is teaming up with Van Honsebrouck Brewery for its weekly Tuesday Beer Dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Mar. 24.

Van Honsebrouck Brewery (Photo: Wikimedia)

The weekly event pairs chef Bart Vandaele’s dishes with a selected Belgium brewery to showcase the marriage of Belgium food and beer. The five-course meal is $59 per person.

The meal begins with an amuse-bouche paired with a draft B Too Ale followed by a cherry tomato salad with feta cheese, shallots, garden sorrel and arugula dressing paird with Kasteel Rouge. The next course is smoked duck breast with raspberries, frisee salad and yogurt vinaigrette paired with Kasteel Cuvee du Chateau followed by poached lobster with carmelized salsify, watercress puree and blood orange hollandaise paird with Kasteel Triple and draft Kasteel Blond. Dessert is Belgian profiteroles with bacon bourbon ice cream, Belgain chocolate sauce and whipped cream paide with Kasteel Donker.

Happy 67th birthday, Michel Richard

Central Michel Richard, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will celebrate Richard’s birthday from 5 p.m.-close on Mar. 24 with a meu of his favorites. The menu starts with a signature recipe, crab cake on a bed of leek tartare ($20); followed by prime rib au jus with horseradish, baked potato and green beans ($35). The meal will end with sparkling Celebration Cake for two ($15).

Central celebrate Michel Richard’s 67th birthday on Tuesday. (Photo: New York Times)

The three-courses are available either a la carte or as a $65 prix fixe menu. To toast, an optional wine pairing featuring the chef’s favorite, private label Cote du Rhone “Cuvee Michel Richard” will be offered for $35.

“I was inspired the first time I entered a professional kitchen when I was 8 years old”, says Richard. “I may get old, but I never want my food to get old.”

Also, from Mar. 23-29, Central’s sommelier, Andy Powell, will share some of his favorite bottles at special prices in partnership with the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s Spring Wine Fling.

First, diners can take 15 percent off bottles of French varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Central’s list of French Burgundies. Or, Powell will select a surprise bottle of red or white wine to pair with your dinner for $40 or $80.

Jack Rose celebrates 2,015 whiskey bottle unveiling

Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, has spent the last several months increasing their inventory, reaching the 2,000-bottle mark this winter. To celebrate its whiskey collection, it will commemorate the 2,015th bottle with a “2015 in 2015” celebration from 6-9 p.m. on Mar. 25 featuring the unveiling of an exclusively-bottled Jack Rose/Willett bourbon, complimentary whiskey toast and chance to meet Willett’s master distiller Drew Kulsveen along with bourbon historian and author Michael Veach and Flying Dog Brewery’s CEO Jim Caruso.

Jack Rose’s extensive whiskey collection includes several Willett bourbon. (Photo: Jack Rose Dining Saloon/Facebook)

Co-owner Bill Thomas has grown Jack Rose’s whiskies from 1,200 bottles when it opened more than three years ago to more than 2,000 bottles now. New additions include some of the rarest, hard-to-find bottles such as the 1964 Black Bowmore first edition, A.H. Hirsch Blue Wax, Ardbeg Provenance 1974, Old Rip Van Winkle Family Selection 23-year Decanter and some unique prohibition-era releases.

Jack Rose will unveil its 2,015th bottle, an exclusive, one-of-a-kind cask strength Willett bourbon, which will only be available at the bar. The self-named 11-year-old 125.2 proof bottling was hand-selected by Thomas for the celebration. Jack Rose has had a longstanding relationship with the distillery, boasting one of the largest selections of Willett in the region, and Kulsveen will come from Bardstown, Ky. to celebrate the special occasion and meet guests.

Patrons will receive a free taste of the special 2,015th whiskey during a whiskey toast. There will also be food and drink specials throughout the night, including $7 whiskeys, discounted Flying Dog brews and half-priced bar snacks, as well as complimentary hors d’oeuvres from 6-7:30 p.m.

The commemorative barrel will be given to Flying Dog Berwery, which will brew a special Jack Rose-exclusive beer. The Frederick brewery will age one of their craft brews in the used bourbon barrel, which will then be released with a future launch party at the bar.

Also, Veach will sign copies of his book Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage. The first 20 people to purchase his book will receive a special tasting of Veach’s favorite whiskeys.

BLT Steak holds Dad’s Hat Rye dinner

BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW, is partnering with Pennsylvania’s Dad’s Hat Rye distillery for a special whiskey pairing dinner at 7 p.m. on Mar. 26.

Dad’s Hat Dad’s Hat Rye finished in vermouth barrels, Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania White Rye and Dad’s Hat rye finished in port barrels. (Photo: Dad’s Hat)

Unveiling the restaurant’s new, exclusive BLT Steak-branded Dad’s Hat single-barrel, the dinner will also pair several of Dad’s Hat’s aged ryes with dishes prepared by executive chef Will Artley using wood from the oak barrel and spent grain and barley malt, bringing the whiskey-laden meal full-circle for a “whole barrel” dining experience. Diners will have the opportunity to be one of the first to taste BLT Steak’s recently-acquired and branded single-barrel, hand-picked by the restaurant’s staff while visiting the distillery last year, aged for almost seven months.

Guests will be greeted with a cocktail made with Dad’s Hat White Rye followed by a seated four-course dinner, prepared using ingredients from whiskey production, and paired with one of Dad’s Hat’s signature bottlings.

The menu includes a first course of Magret duck trio with foie gras paté, prosciutto and confit paired with Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania White Rye followed by seared Dayboat sea scallops with vanilla scented celeriac, pickled pear and spiced almond crumble paired with BLT’s exclusive Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania rye whiskey single barrel. The main course is a 60-day dry aged ribeye served with drunk blue cheese butter and paired with Dad’s Hat Rye finished in vermouth barrels. Dessert will be lavender crème brulee and citrus short cookies paired with Dad’s Hat rye finished in port barrels.

Tickets cost $100.

Chefs duel out colon-friendly cuisines at Eat4Life

On Mar. 31, seven area chefs will cook off for colon cancer awareness during the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation’s third annual Eat4Life chef challenge from 6-9 p.m. at Longview Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW.

Chef Scott Drewno from The Source will defend his 2013 and 2014 titles. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The chefs are given a list of approved colon-friendly ingredients to prepare cancer-friendly dishes, providing guests healthy meal options while helping raise funds and awareness for the foundation. Each chef will have a station where he or she can discuss preparation of the item being served and why they choose to cook their particular colon-friendly dish. Guests vote on the winning dish.

For the past two years, Scott Drewno, executive chef at The Source by Wolfgang Puck has won. He will return this year to take on Enrique Ayala, executive chef at Scion Dupont and Scion Silver Spring; Matt Baker, executive chef at City Perch Kitchen and Bar; Carlos Gonzales, chef du cuisine at Taco Bamba; Erick Jiron, executive chef at Crios Modern Mexican; Patrick Robinson, executive chef at Table; and Tyler Scholfield, executive chef at NaiNai’s Noodle and Dumpling Bar.

Nycci Nellis, host of the Foodie and the Beast radio program will be the evening’s emcee. Inspirational speaker Teri Griege, a stage IV colon cancer survivor, ironman tri-athlete and founder of the Power of Hope Foundation, who has been recognized as a leading expert on resilience, will also speak.

Tickets are $30 for food only, $50 for food and two cocktails or $75 for food and all-you-can drink with 10 raffle tickets through Mar. 23. Prices increase to $50, $75 and $100, respectively, from Mar. 24-31.

The first weekend of April has arrived, the daffodils are out, the tulips are sprouting and the cherry blossom buds have finally started opening. The peak blossoms are predicted to occur between next Tuesday and Saturday. Baseball returns to the city on Friday afternoon, when the Nationals take on the Braves and Cher performs at the Verizon Center. Fireworks will fill the sky on Saturday night at the Southwest Waterfront and there’s plenty of other events to fill your weekend. Saturday is supposed to be sunny and breezy around 64 degrees Fahrenheit and Sunday is supposed to be mostly sunny and 65 degrees.

Metrorail’s construction scheduled has been suspended through Apr. 13 so trains will run at regular weekend intervals of every 6 to 12 minutes on all lines during daytime hours. The subway will open two hours early, at 5 a.m., on Sunday for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run, which starts at 7:30 a.m. at 15th Street and Jefferson Drive.

National’s outfielder Bryce Harper hits a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves last August. (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports)

Take me out to the ballgame

It is opening day at Nationals Park as the Washington Nationals take on the Atlanta Braves. Coming of a three game sweep of the Mets, rookie right-hander David Hale is slated to pitch for the Mets. Jordan Zimmerman is expected to pitch for the Nats if he has recovered from flu-like symptoms that sidelined him against the Mets. If not, Taylor Jordan is expected to start. Navy Yard survivors will be honored and a Navy Yard survivor will through the first pitch. Fans are urged to take Metro to the Navy Yard station, Metrobus to the stadium or Circulator bus from Union Station to the Navy Yard metro station. Also, a water taxi will operate between Cameron and Union Streets in Old Town Alexandria and the stadium at 11 and 11:15 a.m.

Apr 4. at 1:05 p.m. at Nationals Park, 1500 S. Capitol St. SE. Tickets are limited and remaining tickets range from $60-$110. The series against the Braves continues Apr. 5 at 7:05 p.m. and Apr. 6 at 1:35 p.m.

Cher in a pharoh outfit for her opening song in the D2K tour, Women’s World. (Photo: cherstyle.com)

Cher comes to Verizon Center

On last year’s Closer to the Truth, Cher, 67, built on the dance-pop sound that revitalized her career. Her 49-city D2K (Dressed to Kill) “final” farewell tour with openers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, builds things up even more with lavish sets, piles of glitter, no less than 10 costume changes and colorful, plentiful wigs. The lavish costumes are designed by Hugh Durant instead of Bob Mackie, who has designed the diva’s costumes since 1972. During costume changes, fans will be entertained by video clips from her movies and footage of her and former husband the late Sonny Bono.

Apr. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. Tickets range from $29.50-$159.

Sugarloaf Crafts Festival returns to Gaithersburg

Festival goers watch a painter at work. (Photo Sugarloaf Arts Festival)

Lovers of fine crafts and art will find more than 250 artisans displaying and selling their unique creations in pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, home décor, furniture and home accessories, items for the garden, and photography at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. In addition to top national artists, the festival will also introduce new and emerging artists showcasing the latest trends in handmade fashion and accessories, statement jewelry and fine art. There will be live demonstrations, music from the 80s, 90s and today by Stan and LeeAnne, and singer/guitarist Chris Wilson. Children’s entertainment will be provided by Middle Earth. And of course there will be food for sampling and purchasing.

Apr. 4 & 5 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Apr. 6 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Montgomery Co. Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg. Tickets cost $8 online and $10 at the door. Children 12 & under along with parking are free.

Comedian Tim Meadows in Arlington

Tim Meadows (Photo: Tim Meadows)

One of Saturday Night Live’s longest running cast members, Tim Meadows, the former Ladies Man has filled his post SNL years with bit parts in Adam Sandler movies and numerous cartoons – all while performing stand-up across the country. This weekend he brings his comedy show to Arlington.

Apr. 4 & 5 at 7:30 & 10 p.m. at Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse, 2003 Columbia Park, Arlington. Tickets cost $26.
 
 
 

An untitled Chinese painting from the Library of Congress. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Learning Japanese Culture

Learning Japanese Culture introduces children and adults to Japanese culture through origami, trying on kimonos and other activities. The 2014 Cherry Blossom princesses will instruct children in the art of tiara-making. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., will present “Japan-In-A-Suitcase,” a program about Japanese life and culture. The Library’s Young Readers Center will provide an opportunity for children to explore the center’s library of current and classic books.

Apr. 5 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Library of Congress Young Readers Center, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
 
 
 

DC MEETMarket kicks off 2014 season

Shoppers at the DC MeetMarket. (Photo: DC MEETMarket)

The monthly Logan Circle street fair DC MEETMarket kicks off its 2014 season with more than 48 local vendors, live art from No Kings Collective and Kelly Towles, and music from D.C.-based indie bands Rock-N-Romp, American Hearts and Light Arms and DJ vANNIEty Kills. Vendors sell everything from clothing and food to art and crafts.

Saturdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. beginning Apr. 5 through December in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church parking lot, 1514 15th St. NW. Admission is FREE!

Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival

Fireworks explode over the Potomac River as part of the D.C. Waterfront’s celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival. (Photo: Alex McVeigh/U.S. Army)

The Southwest Waterfront community, home of the cherry blossoms, is the perfect place to enjoy more than eight celebratory hours of free music, family friendly water-related activities, cultural experiences, live entertainment and delicious foods at multiple outdoor venues. The Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival includes Very Cherry Marketplace with fine arts & crafts, a waterfront beer garden by Kirin Brewery, a food truck rally and the Cherry Blossom Beach with games and activities. Make a Japanese fishing flag or model boat. There will also be face painting and balloon art. There will also be dragon boat excursions. The day culminates with fireworks.

Apr. 5 from 1-9 p.m. at the Southwest Waterfront, 600-900 Water St. SW. Fireworks begin at 8:30 p.m. Admission is FREE!

Happy birthday, Will

Queen Elizabeth II cuts William Shakespeare’s birthday cake in 2009. (Photo: Jeff Malet)

April marks William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday and the Folger Shakespeare Library is throwing a birthday party with jugglers and jesters, music, song, dance and more. Take your chance to perform your favorite lines of the bard on the Folger stage and enjoy toys and treasure hunts of the Folger’s reading rooms. Try your hand and crafty Elizabethan activities to take home. Plus, birthday cake for all cut by Queen Elizabeth II.

Apr. 6 from noon-4 p.m. at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
 
 
 
 

Official Japanese stone lantern lighting ceremony

The National Conference of State Societies’ stone lantern lighting ceremony. (Photo: National Conference of State Societies )

Jointly sponsored by the National Conference of State Societies (NCSS) and the National Park Service National Capital Region, the Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony opens the NCSS Cherry Blossom Princess festivities. The ceremony features traditional Japanese music, the presentation of the United States and Japan Cherry Blossom Queens and the Ambassador of Japan. The Japanese Stone Lantern was carved nearly four centuries ago to honor the Third Shogun of the Tokugawa period. It stands 8 1/2 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. 6 from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Tidal Basin at Independence Avenue and 17th Street SW. Admission is FREE!