See Black Masala perform a free, outdoor concert this Friday in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. It’s the last Jazz in the Garden performance of the 2017 summer series. (Photo by Miki J.)
Summer is ending. This is no time to panic, but it is a good time to stuff in all the activities you can. Enjoy outdoor film, music, dancing, dinner, and more this weekend.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
OUTDOOR FILM: Strathmore is hosting three free outdoor movie screenings, starting Thursday night with Moana. Friday’s flick will be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Saturday’s is The Lego Batman Movie. Bring a lawn chair and a small cooler, or grab snacks and sangria at Ridgewells’ summer grill. Before the movie starts, there will be fun activities such as live music, visual art displays, and games. (Strathmore, 7:30 p.m. FREE)
BULLERENGUE: The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage welcomes Tambolero singer Emilsen Pacheco and the New York-based drumming and dance group Bulla en el Barrio. Together they’ll showcase Colombian traditions in this free performance, before heading to Tropicalia for a ticketed show. (The Kennedy Center, 6-7 p.m. FREE)
LAST CALL FOR ALCO-JAZZ: It’s hot. It’s crowded. But darn it, it’s tradition. This Friday is the last Jazz in the Garden concert of the summer. Balkan and funk-inspired brass band Black Masala will perform an energetic concert to end the series in style. So bring a blanket, wait in that endless line for a pitcher of refreshing sangria, and dance your summer goodbye. (National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, 5-8:30 p.m. FREE)
FINNISH YOUR DINNER: Celebrate Finland’s 100th birthday at Finnish Your Dinner, a worldwide dinner party for Finns abroad to toast their motherland’s independence. Cook up a tasty potluck dish, pack a picnic basket, and join Finnish festivities being held this Friday through Sunday. Search online for a location near you. (Various locations & Times. FREE)
Watch or ride in hot air balloons this Saturday at the Southern Maryland Balloon Festival. (Photo by Christine Krizsa)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
THEATER PARTY: Arena Stage celebrates America’s cultural past with Community Day, a family-friendly event featuring a dance performances, aerialists, live music, poetry readings, a storytelling workshop for young students, and more. Hear stories from the Alaskan Frontier, or check out musical theater cabaret by La-Ti-Do. Plus, it’s never too early to start planning for Halloween (or Purim). Get an enviable look at the theater’s costume sale, where you’ll be able to pick up outfits from Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Sophisticated Ladies, and other productions. (Arena Stage, 12-8 p.m. FREE)
FULL OF HOT AIR: Got a car, Zipcar account, or a friend with a car? Make moves and head about an hour out of town to Prince Frederick for the Southern Maryland Balloon Festival. Hop in a big ‘ole basket for a tethered hot air balloon ride, groove to some live bands, eat all the snacks, and enter a raffle for a chance to win a legit hot air balloon ride. After sunset, there will be fireworks and a glow balloon show. (Spider Hall Farm, 1-9 p.m. $10)
STREET FESTIVAL: The 8th Annual 17th Street Festival is this Saturday, celebrating the neighborhood and its shops and restaurants with a street takeover by artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs. More than 60 artists will show off their painting, jewelry, pottery, and more. There will be live music and activities for kids, including a moonbounce and facepainting. The festival is free, but for $12 you can get discounted drinks, apps, and entrees at participating restaurants along the street. (1500-1600 blocks of 17th Street NW, 12-6 p.m. FREE)
HARDCORE: Tired of shouting into the Facebook void? Do you just want to rage against the patriarchy? Mosh out your feelings at Rock & Roll Hotel as Baltimore-based hardcore-punk feminist band War on Women takes the stage. They’ll be shout-singing songs about rape culture, transphobia, and other social issues. Bat Fangs and We Were Black Clouds will also perform. (Rock & Roll Hotel, 8 p.m. $15)
More: The Chris Robinson Brotherhood
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
SHAKESPEARE: Score free tickets to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Othello through the annual Free For All drawing. With both a matinee and evening performance, you have two opportunities to win seats this Sunday. Just enter the online lottery or physically get in line two hours before curtain time. Head’s up though, theater fans don’t mess around. You might want to get there even earlier. (Sidney Harman Hall, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. FREE)
BACHATA: Whether you love bachata or enjoy watching other people who love bachata, you can do both in Downtown Silver Spring this Sunday at the I Love Bachata Festival. See live performances, dance up an appetite, and satisfy those hunger pangs with tostones and other tasty stuff. (Silver Spring Civic Center, 12-7 p.m. FREE)
FREE JAZZ: The D.C. Public Library and the Goethe-Institut Washington present Jazz in the Basement, a Sunday series of local music that picks up where Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library left off before closing for renovations this spring. This Sunday’s concert will feature a performance and discussion with father-daughter duo Fred and Sarah Hughes on piano and saxophone, respectively. (Goethe-Institut Washington, 2-4 p.m. FREE)
