Hive. (Photo by Rachel Sadon)

A hum is in the air, or maybe it’s just so humid it feels like the air is vibrating. This weekend, check out aural events and enjoy the sounds of summer.

FRIDAY, JULY 7

HIVE: The National Building Museum’s big summer exhibit Hive opens this week. The series of tubes is 60 feet tall and demonstrates how structure can interact with sound, light, and people. This Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can discover the hum of the hive as Professor Giuseppe takes you on a free aural journey to uncover the hidden instruments in the exhibit’s construction materials. (The National Building Museum, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. $16)

FRINGE: Places, please! The Capital Fringe Festival returns to D.C., bringing independent theater, music, art, dance, comedy, and more to a stage near you through July 30. As usual, the festival serves up something for everyone with experimental works and under-explored topics. This Friday you can dive into black womanhood, follow three women on a repro-access road trip, see a political satirical musical comedy, watch angry exes confront Henry VIII in the afterlife, see video games brought to life through circus arts, and more. (Various Locations, Various Times, $17)

90S MUSIC: The Town of Occoquan presents Music on Mill, a free summer concert series held on Fridays and Saturdays. It kicks off this Friday with 90’s covers performed by Maggie Shot Burns. Grab a lawn chair and some bug spray and head to Northern Virginia for this concert overlooking the Occoquan River. (River Mill Park, 6-8 p.m. FREE)

DISPATCH: Have you seen the others? Dispatch brings its America, Location 12 tour to Merriweather this Friday. If you thought the band had split up, it’s probably because they literally had a big show in 2004 called “The Last Dispatch.” Well, that didn’t last too long. The band has been back at it since 2011, so your summer camp dreams of hearing “The General” performed live can still come true. Guster, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, will also perform, as will Marco Benevento. (Merriwether Post Pavilion, 7 p.m. $46-56)

BIG TOP TURN-UP: What, you think the entire Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a family-friendly affair on the Mall? Not tonight, friends. The Folklife Festival and SMITHSONIAN at 8 present “A Night at the Circus.” This 21+ party will feature circus performers, music by DJ Alkimist, a temporary tattoo bar, a GIF photo booth, and after-hours rides on the Carousel on the Mall. (Arts and Industries Building, 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. $30)

PROM?: Start planning your last-minute promposals now. Lady Parts Justice DC presents IndepenDANCE, a Pro-Choice Prom to benefit the DC Abortion Fund, which makes care affordable for pregnant people in the D.C. area and those visiting it. So get all dressed up, grab a date (please don’t grab people without their consent), then bust a move and the patriarchy while enjoying drinks, activity booths, music, commentary from the hilarious Chelsea Shorte, and more. (Black Cat DC, 8 p.m. $30)

HARRY POTTER, IT IS!: As we celebrate 20 years of the Boy Who Lived, why not fully commit to Harry Potter nerddom with a symphonic performance of muggle John Williams’ memorable music. The National Symphony Orchestra will perform the entire score of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while you watch the film on the big screen at Wolf Trap. Don’t forget to dress the part! Wizard robes are encouraged, and double as a blanket if you go with lawn seats. (Filene Center, 8:30 p.m. $35-58)

LIVE RADIO PLAYS: If you see something, say something. Calls to the Alien Crime Hotline is the first in the Round World’s new series of radio plays performed live and recorded for a podcast. Each show raises money for a local nonprofit. Proceeds from Friday’s show will benefit Many Languages, One Voice, which fosters inclusion for ESL speakers. Come see local playwrights and performers present pieces about extraterrestrial crime (cue all the E.T. and Men in Black GIFs). (Black Cat DC, 9 p.m. $12-15)

SATURDAY, JULY 8

Photo by L. Shanley.

WHAT’S THAT SOUND?: If you prefer silence during your museum visits, this event isn’t for you. The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is partnering up with DC Listening Lounge to present the 10th annual “Sound Scene.” For one day only, this brief festival will make the Hirshhorn your go-to spot for interactive and thought-provoking audio art installations and games, all created with D.C.’s unique soundscape in mind. At Sound Scene X: “Dissonance”, visitors will be able to listen to the solar system in real time, play a veggie keyboard (in other words, a pea-ano?), build wind chimes from recycled materials, write a song using body temperature, hear live music performed by members of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Pan Lara steel drum band, and more. There will also be listening events for the deaf and hard of hearing, including vibration-based music. Last year’s event drew thousands of people to the museum, so sign up here to secure your spot to this sonic wonderland. (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. FREE)

ROOTS IN RESTON: This Saturday, enjoy live music lakeside. The Lake Anne Roots Music Festival will feature folk, modern roots, bluegrass, blues, and old-time music, all of which can be enjoyed with a beer or glass of wine. The Woodshedders will headline the day-long concert. (Lake Anne Plaza, 12-6 p.m. FREE)

RESIST WITH ROZ: Sizzlin’ Summer Nights are bringing the heat (JK, there’s air-conditioning) and the talent to Signature Theatre. The annual cabaret series returns to the Arlington venue this week with shows by different artists. This Saturday, Songbirds: Great Women of Jazz cast member Roz White will tell stories and perform a set of songs by revolutionary women musicians such as Roberta Flack and Nina Simone. (Signature Theatre, 9 p.m. $35)

TAKE A HIKE: The rain should clear up just in time for a moonlit stroll through the Mall. Enjoy the National Monuments by the glow of the full moon. The Washington, DC History & Culture Meet-Up group is organizing this walking tour of the Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and more. (Washington Monument, 7:15-9:30 p.m. FREE)

More: Town Hall Crab Feast

SUNDAY, JULY 9

Photo by jl22205.

FOLKLIFE: Sunday is the last day of the 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. If you’re one of those people who figured you’d get to it “later,” now is your time procrastinating Paul. As DCist has previously reported, this year is the 50th iteration of this annual festival. It’s going for full entertainment value at this half-century mark with a festival dedicated to circus arts. Come make a puppet, learn how clowns do their make-up, see aerialists and acrobats defy gravity, hear stories about running away to join the circus, and more. (The National Mall, between Seventh and Twelfth streets, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. FREE)

MADE IN COLOMBIA FESTIVAL: Celebrate Colombian Independence Day
a week early with a daylong festival of “culture, music, food, art & craft, beer, wine” and plenty of music. (UDC; 11 a.m.-8 p.m, $15 at the door)

NEIL GAIMAN: Pack a picnic and head out to Wolf Trap to hear from the master himself. Expect the author to read stories and answer questions. He promises to “amaze, befuddle and generally delight. It will be fun and odd and not like any other evening with Neil Gaiman.” (Wolf Trap, 8 p.m., $25-65)

COURTYARD MUSIC: If experimental theater isn’t your thing, Capital Fringe still has something to offer: free music. Musicians will set up shop in the courtyard every Saturday and Sunday for the length of the festival. Sunday’s line-up features Bill Washburn, Pete Muldoon, APT 204, Susan Alcorn, Julie Outrage, and Brandon Moses (Fringe HQ; 111 a.m. – 5 p.m.; FREE)

More: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live! Secret Surprise Film!, Sunset for Dancers, 90’s brunch party, City Kitties Adoption Extravaganza, Hands-on Paratha Class, Harvesting and Drying Medicinal Herbs