Starting on Saturday, D.C.’s art scene, largely shuttered for the past year and replaced by virtual stages, will inch one step toward “normal.” Concert venues and theaters can reopen at 25% capacity (or host a maximum of 500 people), while Smithsonians will start opening their doors (or Zoo gates) over the course of May — adding to the growing list of museums already welcoming limited guests this spring. Movie theaters, including D.C. AMC locations, are also reopening, but Landmark’s E Street Cinema will remain temporarily closed.

If you’re looking to catch live entertainment again after a year of virtual screenings, here’s what you can look forward to. (Plus, starting on May 1, live music will be allowed in outdoor restaurant patios and cafes).

Birchmere Music Hall: The Alexandria venue has a line-up of shows scheduled for May and running through this summer. Tickets can be purchased online.

Drive-in at Capitol Riverfront: Through May 28, The Stacks in Buzzard Point will be screening five different drive-in movies that are “inspired by all of your post-pandemic goals.” The series kicked off with Moana on April 23, and will feature films like Ocean’s Eight and Remember The Titans. Tickets go at $20 per car, and all money is donated to local charities like Unity Health Care, and Anacostia Riverkeeper.

DC Improv:The comedy club will feature DC Improv first-timers through the months of May and June. The weekend of May 13-15, comedian Carmen Lynch (raised in Northern Virginia) will headline, followed by more new faces through June. Tickets can be purchased through DC Improv’s website. 

Drive-in at Union Market: Starting on Friday, May 7, the drive-in at Union Market will open for its ninth annual season with movie showings every first Friday of the month through Oct. 1. Each movie costs $20 per car, and can be purchased online.  

GALA Hispanic Theatre: GALA will welcome back audiences for its 45th season with a live performance of Immigrants & Other Evildoers by Ecuadoran performance artist José Torres-Tama. The show will run from May 14 to May 16, and tickets will be limited to 66 patrons for show. Tickets can be purchased for $20 online.

Howard Theatre: After rescheduling three different times in 2020, Slick Rick will headline Howard Theatre’s return to in-person concerts with a show on May 1.

The Kennedy Center: In early April, the Kennedy Center announced it will kick off a half-centennial celebration this September, reopening all stages and campuses for a year-long series of events.

Merriweather Post Pavilion: After a year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Columbia, MD. venue announced its line-up for summer, with names like Luke Bryan and Dave Matthews Band slated to perform in the coming months. The Capital Jazz Fest is also on the books for early September. Tickets for shows can be purchased online. 

National Theatre: You may have to wait a while, but D.C.’s National Theatre is coming back for its 2021-2022 season this November.  The theater will return to in-person performances with a showing of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical on Nov. 23, as a part of its seasonal programming. The regular 2021-2022 season, which begins on Dec. 7, will include four shows — Tootsie, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Hairspray, and Come From Away. Season subscriptions can be purchased online for $145, and ticket prices for individual shows will go on sale at a later date. (There’s also a new Tuesday Tix discount, which will offer balcony seats at a discounted price for Tuesday shows.) The theater has implemented several coronavirus protection measures, like upgraded cleaning procedures and a new ventilation system.

Olney Theatre Center: The Montgomery County theatre will bring back live performances with a series of outdoor shows at its Root Family Stage this summer. Kicking off with a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on July 2, the summer programming will feature jazz concerts, a weekend arts festival celebrating Black and other artists of color, and faith-based performances. The season will wrap on Labor Day weekend, with the return of Olney Theatre’s Summerfest. Several events will be free, and ticket prices and availability for other shows will be announced later this month.

Shakespeare Theatre: Shakespeare Theatre will welcome audiences back for in-person shows starting May 1, with the first production of Blindness, an immersive sound and light installation. Blindness will run through June 13, and seats (sold in pairs) are available at $49.

Solas Nua: D.C.’s Irish arts organization will stage live outdoor performances of the play In the Middle of the Fields at the P Street Beach in Dupont. Starting on May 20, shows will run every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through June 12. Tickets are free with the purchase of a summer membership. 

Strathmore: On May 30, Strathmore will begin a full season of summer shows at its new Patio Stage, a covered, open-air space at the Music Center’s Trawick Terrace. The line-up features contemporary and classical performances, and workshops from an artist in residence. Tickets will be available in pods of one to four people to accommodate for social distancing, and can be purchased online.

Union Stage: Union Stage, which was one of the D.C.-area theatre companies to participate in the city’s pilot program allowing live performances last fall, has singer-songwriter John Park McMillan on the books for an in-person show on June 24. Tickets for more concerts scheduled later in August and September are also available.

Wolf Trap Summer Series: After cancelling all of its summer shows in 2020, performing arts center Wolf Trap will bring back in-person concerts for its 50th anniversary season. In late June, Wolf Trap will offer four concerts — one with the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, and three by the United States Marine Band — for front line healthcare and education workers. On July 1, the National Park Service and Wolf Trap Foundation will celebrate the semicentennial with a special performance by the National Symphony Orchestra. The National Symphony Orchestra, a partner of Wolf Trap, will host several more concerts throughout the summer starting in July, and the Wolf Trap Opera has a line-up of performances starting in June and running through July. All tickets for June and July performances will be available on May 7 at 10 a.m., and will be sold to small groups of two to eight people, to accommodate for social distancing. In the meantime, guests can go on a free, socially distanced walking tour of immersive art at Wolf Trap National Park.

This post has been updated to remove concerts that have been rescheduled, to add new venues, and to reflect that Blindness will run through June 13.