With a chance of April showers in the forecast, we’ve got ideas inside and out to keep you busy this weekend.
FRIDAY, APRIL 19
AL FRESCO: If you’re looking for an easy dinner option—no reservations required—forget tables. Take your Friday night feast outside with Truckeroo, the Bullpen’s monthly food truck festival, featuring live music and games. (The Bullpen, 4 p.m., FREE)
SHORT COURT STYLE: On her stellar 2018 record, The Future and the Past, Natalie Prass uses an expansive palette of sonic inspiration—from jazz and disco to synth-pop—to superb effect, lyrically tackling political themes and smaller interpersonal subject matter, too. Nashville-based artist Becca Mancari opens. (Rock and Roll Hotel, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $15-$17)
SOUNDS OF THE SYMPHONY: Gianandrea Noseda leads the National Symphony Orchestra’s take on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 Also on the program: Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 2. Arrive early for a free deep dive from scholars on the stories behind the song. (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 8 p.m., $20-$109)
MORE: Conservation Gallery Talk: Craft Conversation (Renwick Gallery, 1 p.m.-2 p.m., FREE), UO Yard Sale (737 7th St NW, 3 p.m.-7 p.m., FREE), Luce Unplugged: We Were Pirates (Smithsonian American Art Museum, 5:30 p.m. talk, 6 p.m. show, FREE), Kenny Chesney: Songs for the Saints Tour (The Anthem, 5:30 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show, $125+), Springtime Cake Decorating (A Baked Joint, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., FREE), Copland with From Indian Lakes and Many Rooms (Union Stage, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $20-$40), Half Japanese with Saturday Night and Cushions (Black Cat, 8 p.m. doors, $15 advance, $20 day of show)
SATURDAY, APRIL 20
BRING YOUR BASKET: The Easter Bunny makes an early stop for National Park Service’s annual Easter egg hunt at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. The program includes lawn games, arts and crafts, and ranger-led tours, too. (Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., FREE)
YOGI MOMENT: Try tree pose surrounded by actual greenery. With Love DC continues its bring your own mat pop-up yoga practice at the U.S. Botanic Garden on Saturday. Limited space is available, no pre-registration required. (U.S Botanic Garden, 11:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., FREE)
SAIL AWAY: Previously scheduled for last weekend, the Anacostia River Festival is slated for Saturday. Expect bike tune ups and decorating in advance of a bike parade, plus fishing workshops on the river, relay races and live music. (Anacostia Park, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., FREE)
DRINK UP: Sample the very best from over 80 breweries at the DC Beer Fest at Nationals Park. Your admission includes access to the warning track and dugouts; upgrade to VIP tickets and you’ll score tasting glasses and a hat. (Nationals Park, 12 p.m.-8 p.m., $45-$75)
MORE: A Skeptic’s Guide to D.C.’s “Haunted” Octagon House (Octagon House, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., $22), Good Food Festival: 6th Annual Earth Day Birthday Celebration (Glen’s Garden Market, 12 p.m.- 4 p.m., FREE), Black Joy Experience (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 12 p.m.-5 p.m., FREE), Make Me Wanna Holler: Exploring DC’s Music Legacy (Postal Museum, 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., FREE), WFSU DC 2019 (Union Stage, 4 p.m. doors, 5 p.m. show, $15-$25), Tom Odell with Lucie Silvas (9:30 Club, 6 p.m. doors, $25), Bayone with Palm Daze (Songbyrd, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $15), An Evening with Lotus (9:30 Club, 10 p.m. doors, $30), GAY BASH (Trade, 10 p.m. doors, 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. shows, FREE)
SUNDAY, APRIL 21
BUNNIES AND BREWS: If you’re one of those people for whom the Easter Bunny conjures up images of dread, summon some liquid courage at Atlas Brew Works at its Easter celebration. The brewery is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and the big guy himself is stopping by to play with kids from 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. (Atlas Brew Works, free entry)
MUSEUM MOMENT: Rescheduled due to the partial government shutdown, Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths opened earlier this week. Organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, the exhibit features more than 225 objects crafted by blacksmiths in Africa south of the Sahara. (National Museum of African Art, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., FREE)
YOU’VE SEEN THE ADS: If you read Jia Tolentino’s recent New Yorker piece and were curious about those ubiquitous Shen Yun ads, now’s your chance to see 5,000 years of civilization reborn: The classical Chinese dance show sets up for a weekend staging at the Kennedy Center. (The Kennedy Center Opera House, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., $80-$250)
MORE: Soca Day Party (Decades, 3 p.m., FREE before 4 p.m.), New York City FC vs. D.C. United (Audi Field, 4 p.m., $27+), Sunday Love: Earth Night Benefit for Climate Action with Meso Creso (Flash, 4 p.m., $12+)
