FRIDAY, JULY 24
PARTY LIKE AN ANIMAL: It’s finally time to head back to the Smithsonian National Zoo! The zoo reopens on Friday with social distancing restrictions in place. All visitors have to wear masks and timed entry passes are required. After so many months apart, make sure you say hello to everyone’s favorite zoo residents: the giant pandas. (The National Zoo, 8 a.m., FREE with timed pass)
SINGLES NIGHT: Singles, the wait is over. Now is your time to meet someone in person — masked and from six feet away, of course. Pitch A Friend, the hilarious and cringeworthy event where people pitch their single friends as your future date, is back in-person at The Bullpen. Bring your top game and wear your favorite mask because after each presentation, the crowd will get to ask questions. Tickets are sold by 6-person table. (The Bullpen, 7 p.m., $120 per table)
PUT A SOCK IN IT: Have you ever been to a puppet show? How about a virtual puppet slam? If not, join Rhizome DC for a night of puppetry. These short puppet shows are appropriate and fun for all ages. You might even be inspired to stick button eyes onto your own socks and put on your own shows during quarantine. (7 p.m., FREE)
TOP CHEF: Sit down and have a meal with a top chef. Busboys & Poets is continuing its weekly VIP virtual dinner party hosted by CEO and founder Andy Shallal. This week’s guest is celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, lead judge of Top Chef. Hear from Tom about his experiences in the kitchen, his philanthropy, and activism and more. Make sure you grab some takeout to munch on while you watch. (6 p.m., FREE)
SATURDAY, JULY 25
GREEN THUMB: Don’t let your plants suffer during a heat wave: Join gardening professional Derek Thomas and the Anacostia Community Museum for a workshop on protecting your plants in the heat. This virtual workshop is sure to ensure you recover your green thumb and have a plentiful harvest even in the summer. (10:30 a.m., FREE)
ON THE FRINGE: It’s 2020 — anything can happen, right? Aliens, the Loch Ness Monster, you name it. On Saturday night, join ghost expert Colin Dickey, author of the book Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, in conversation journalist Michelle Legro as part of Politics & Prose’s LIVE! series. Dickey will be discussing why fringe beliefs take hold. (8 p.m., FREE but donations are suggested)
NO SNAKES ALLOWED: Drive on up to The Pfitz—a.k.a., Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge—for a showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark. All proceeds go to the Woodbridge and Lake Ridge Rotary Clubs. And for more places to see drive-in movies, click here. (Pfitzner Stadium, 7 p.m., $30 per car)
MUSIC TO MY EARS: Concerts are slowly making a comeback and this summer head to a very special show. Concert tour company Classical Movements is putting on a series of intimate garden concerts starting on Saturday. The audience will be kept small and everyone must wear face coverings. On Saturday night, members of the National Symphony Orchestra will be performing selected works by Barrière, Bologne, Bartok and Beethoven. (711 Princess Street, Old Town Alexandria, Va., 6 p.m., email to inquire about tickets)
SUNDAY, JULY 26
ALL FOR YOU: Head to the new Yours Truly DC hotel near West End on Sunday morning for a socially-distant yoga class on the hotel’s back deck. Expect a fun, fluid and energetic class. Afterwards, drop in to the hotel’s cafe Mercy Me for all-day breakfast tacos, coffee, and cooling refreshers. (Yours Truly DC, 8 a.m., $25)
LET’S ROCK: Combine your arts and crafts skills with geology with NOVA Parks on Sunday. A naturalist will be talking about the geologic processes that create local rocks and minerals. You’ll find your own rock in the stream at Potomac Overlook Regional Park and get to paint it and bring it home. There will also be a scavenger hunt for other painted rocks that the staff has hidden. (Potomac Overlook Regional Park, 10 a.m., $7)
