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Spend the evening shopping, eating, and enjoying live music on Friday night at Market Southwest. Facebook

This weekend, there’s no shortage of markets and festivals to visit as D.C. brings in the fall season. Food trucks will be out in full force, local vendors will be pushing their handmade goods, and animals will be celebrated around town. You can also choose from a couple of noteworthy music events featuring a full orchestra and a legendary go-go band, among other happenings that will get you out of the house and into the autumn air.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

SELMA: Experience a historic civil rights journey in a new way at the Kennedy Center. You can watch Academy Award nominated Selma on the big screen with Jason Moran performing his score live with a full orchestra. After the film, stick around for a discussion with Moran, director Ava DuVernay, Congressman John Lewis, and others as they chat about the use of music in creating American stories. (Kennedy Center, 8 p.m., $24-89)

POETRY: It’s that time of the year when single folks try to find contenders to snuggle up with before winter hits. As such, Busboys and Poets is co-hosting the Pajama Jam—Cuffing Season Edition, a poetry slam that caters to people with various perspectives on love. In the first round, poets will tell you how “cupid ain’t sh*t!” They’ll follow up with poems about how love is grand and end the evening on an erotic note. (Busboys and Poets in Takoma, 9 p.m., $5)

MARKET: Spend the evening shopping, eating, and enjoying live music in Southwest. At the Market Southwest, you take a pick of bites from nearly a dozen food vendors, peruse merchandise from handmade jewelry and accessories to crafts and furniture. Blues band Kiss & Ride will perform live, and a DJ will spinning in the interim.
Waterfront Station, 4-10 p.m., FREE)

FOOD TRUCKS: Truckeroo returns to Navy Yard with more than a dozen popular food trucks including Swizzler, DC Empanadas, DC Slices, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and more. The kid-friendly event also features live music, drinks, games, and more. Sorry, no dogs allowed due to the new locale. (The Fairgrounds, FREE)

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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a slew of events this weekend. Photo by Ted Eytan

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

NEWFANGLED TRIATHLON: It’s Saturday, so why not put your body through absolute hell? Over in Ivy City, relatively new neighbors Bikram Hot Yoga Ivy City, BicycleSPACE, and Crossfit Hierarchy are joining forces to create a triathlon with a twist: it has FOUR kinds of exercise—an hour of Crossfit, a 5K run, a bike ride, and a 90 minute hot yoga session. So essentially, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., this event will put you through the ringer, and the light at the end of the workout tunnel is a block party. Interested folks can register here. (Bikram Hot Yoga Ivy City, 9 a.m., $65)

CHILLER TRIATHLON: So you saw the last blurb and thought, “Hmmm, that triathlon is almost how I want to spend my Saturday, but I wish there was less Crossfit and more … mindfulness.” Oh boy are you in for a treat. Meet Wanderlust 108, which combines a 5K run with yoga and a guided meditation. The adidas-sponsored event also has different workshops like aerial yoga, hooping, and essential oils. (RFK Lot 7, 7:30 a.m. $49 in advance, $60 at the door)

MUSEUM ANNIVERSARY: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has now been around for a year! You can read our interview with Director Lonnie Bunch on how that year has been, and then head down to the museum grounds over the weekend to celebrate. The museum will have extended hours until 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23-24. Community events on Saturday will begin at 10 a.m. on the grounds with performances to include a marching band and west African dancers. From 11 a.m.-1 p.m., curators will lead tours on the grounds. On Sunday, events will begin at 11 a.m. with performers like Afro-Brazilian band Batala Washington, vocalist Rochelle Rice and hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon, and a continuation of the garden tours. On both days, there will be additional programming indoors, but visitors will still need reserved passes to enter. As part of the first anniversary celebration, the museum is also hosting a panel discussion on Sept. 26 with six of the Little Rock Nine students, but the event is currently at capacity. (African American History and Culture Museum, all weekend, FREE)

MORE LIKE BEST GATSBY: New York-based Dardanella, which specializes in “experiential events set in previous decades,” is back at the National Cathedral for a second year of hosting a Great Gatsby-themed party on the lawn of the National Cathedral, this year featuring vintage dance bands like The Foggy Bottom Whomp Stompers, along with lawn games, photo booths, and food and drink available to buy. Ticket price includes one drink and one photo booth snapshot. (Washington National Cathedral, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., $55)

ART ALL NIGHT: The ever-popular tradition returns for another nocturnal arts festival. This year, the event has outposts in six neighborhoods: Congress Heights, Dupont Circle, H Street, North Capitol, Shaw, and Tenleytown. What you get depends on where you go (Congress Heights, for instance, is billing itself as the Chocolate City Edition, while H Street promises a “feast for the sense”), but expect all kinds of visual and performing arts in a medley of indoor and outdoor locales throughout the night. (Various locations, 7 p.m. through 3 a.m., FREE)

The National Zoo kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with Zoofiesta. (Photo via National Zoo)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

D.C. STATE FAIR: The District certainly doesn’t have statehood, but that doesn’t stop us from eating deep-fried foods, showcasing our pie-making talents, or otherwise enjoying a “state” fair. Back for its 8th year, the D.C. State Fair includes your standard heaviest vegetable and best jam contests. But there’s also some competitions you’re not likely to find in Iowa, and we’re all the better for it (think finding the best marijuana buds, pupusas, and mumbo sauce). We also swap out traditional farm animals for a costumed pet parade. Expect to find a slew of food trucks, craft vendors, and booths from non-profits city government agencies. (Near Southwest’s Waterfront Station, 11a.m.-8p.m., FREE)

TASTE OF GEORGETOWN: Take the small plates trend to the extreme and enjoy bites from more than two dozen neighborhood restaurants. Back for its 24th year, proceeds from Taste of Georgetown continue to benefit the Georgetown Ministry Center’s homeless services. The event is rain or shine. (K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., food ticket prices vary)

RARE ESSENCE: Founded 41 years ago by a group of D.C middle schoolers Rare Essence is a local legend. They released their 15th studio album last year and still play around town, but they haven’t performed on U Street in a decade. If you’ve never seen them before, go remedy that stat. (U Street Music Hall, 7 p.m., $15)

ZOOFIESTA: The National Zoo is packing in a bunch of animal demonstrations, talks, and educational activities as it kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month for the Smithsonian. Among the programming highlights are a focus on animals that are native to Latin America, including Andean bears, sloths, golden lion tamarins, and Panamanian golden frogs. Whether you’re coming for the zoo and staying for the fiesta, or vice versa, it’s promises to be a family-friendly day (National Zoo, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE)

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