FRIDAY, APRIL 14
WRITING WORKSHOP: Does your writing need a dose of inspiration? Find some this weekend at the National Portrait Gallery’s Writing Workshop. Surrounded by early 20th century portraiture, participants will take inspiration from the works in combination with creative writing prompts to develop stories that weave history and culture together. (National Portrait Gallery; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; FREE)
TAIKO DRUMMING: Straight out of Tokyo, the Tamagawa University Dance and Taiko Group is taking the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage this Friday as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Get a taste of Japanese culture with the troupe’s high energy drumming and dancing, which you can catch in person or stream from home. (Kennedy Center and virtual; 6 p.m.; FREE)
CHERRY BLOSSOM JUBILEE: This Friday, spend a night at the museum. Every month, Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory Arts Center keeps their doors open until 10 p.m. for the Late Shift. This month’s theme is Cherry Blossom Jubilee, featuring spring-inspired live music and art demonstrations. (Torpedo Factory Arts Center; 7 p.m.-10 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Skip Day Hike: Billy Goat Trail (Great Falls Snack Bar; 11 a.m.; FREE), Forget Why Poetry Series (Rhizome DC; 7 p.m.; $10+), Finding Neil Patrick Harris (Caos on F; through June 9; $30), Sofar Sounds Music Night (Mason Exhibitions Arlington; 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; $27), Caroline Rose (9:30 Club; 8 p.m.; $26), Shimza (Culture; 10 p.m.; $30)
SATURDAY, APRIL 15
NOVA CIDER FESTIVAL: Go apple cider picking this weekend at the NOVA Cider Festival, which takes over Bull Run Regional Park this Saturday. The price of admission buys you a day of sampling over 30 different hard ciders from purveyors based in Virginia and across the country. Don’t forget to eat up: plenty of food trucks will be on site. (Bull Run Special Events Center; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; $45+)
EMANCIPATION DAY PARADE: In 1862, the DC Compensated Emancipation Act ended slavery in the nation’s capital, a landmark act that we celebrate every April 16. On Saturday, head to Pennsylvania Avenue NW for the annual Emancipation Day Parade, featuring a concert and fireworks. Keep the party going on Sunday at Black Lives Matter Plaza, where there will be live music and outdoor activities. (Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Black Lives Matter Plaza; Saturday and Sunday; FREE)
SAKURA MATSURI: The streets of downtown might feel a bit like the streets of Tokyo this weekend, thanks to Sakura Matsuri, a Japanese street festival that takes over Pennsylvania Avenue NW as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Buy a ticket for access to music and dance performances, food and drink vendors, hands-on craft workshops and more. (Pennsylvania Avenue NW; Saturday and Sunday; $12+)
SOUNDS OF THE CITY: Sometimes, all your Saturday needs is an artisan market and some good music. Look no further than Anacostia Arts Center’s Sounds of the City. The pop-up brings you an afternoon of shopping from local Black-owned businesses and dancing to your go-go favorites, spun by DJ Artis. (Anacostia Arts Center; 12 p.m.-4 p.m.; FREE)
EMANCIPATION MARKET: It might be Emancipation Day, but District residents still don’t have equal representation. Honor the holiday hand-in-hand with the ongoing fight for statehood this weekend at Black Brew Movement’s Emancipation Day Mini Markt, an afternoon celebration featuring local vendors and Black-owned brewing companies. (Heurich House Museum; 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; FREE)
EGG ROLL: Thought Easter was over? Think again. The celebration — and hunt for chocolate easter eggs — keeps going this weekend at the Parks at Walter Reed’s Spring Celebration & Egg Roll. This family event features an egg hunt, an egg roll, relay races, yoga, a DJ, a moonbounce for the kids, and plenty to eat and drink for all members of the family. (The Parks at Walter Reed; 3 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE)
VERSATILITY DANCE FESTIVAL: What does dance look like today? Find out at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, which hosts the fifth annual Versatility Dance Festival. Featuring a diverse lineup of live performances and dance-related films from across the country, Versatility promises to deliver on its name. (Atlas Performing Arts Center; 7 p.m.; $15+)
MORE: Container gardening workshop (Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens; 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; $65), Rooftop Garden Party (W.S. Jenks & Son; 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), Plush Plus Size Clothing Swap (Femme Fatale DC; 12 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE), Artist Talk: Asa Jackson (Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington; 1:30 p.m.; FREE), All That Heaven Allows screening (National Gallery of Art; 2 p.m.; FREE), D.C. Sing-Along (School of Musical Traditions; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; $10), Hip-Hop Bar Crawl (U Street; 2 p.m.-10 p.m.; $20), Life of Movement: World Dance Show (Artspace Silver Spring; 6 p.m.; $29.99), Our Planet: Live in Concert (The National Theatre; 7:30 p.m.; $45+), Beethoven’s 7th (The Music Center at Strathmore; 8 p.m.; $39+), Capitalism: The Game Show (City-State Brewing Co.; 8 p.m.; $10), Improv Comedy Night (DC Arts Center; 8 p.m.; $15)
SUNDAY, APRIL 16
YARN BOMB: Knitting and crochet tutorials on YouTube can only take you so far. Get some facetime with the experts this weekend at the Yarn Bomb Workshop, presented by the Wheaton Arts Parade. Artists behind Yarn Bomb, an initiative to decorate trees, lampposts and more along the Wheaton Arts Parade, will lead the workshop. (Sandy Spring Museum; 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; FREE)
LIVING WILD: How can you elevate your living space with plants — and how can doing so benefit your health and wellbeing? That’s the subject of Living Wild, a book by plant stylist Hilton Carter. This Sunday, he’ll visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture to discuss his book, as well as how his aesthetics tie into Afrofuturism. (Virtual and National Museum of African American History and Culture; 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.; FREE)
TASTE OF MIMOUNA: Get a (literal) taste of Mimouna this weekend at the National Museum of African Art. Mimouna is a Maghrebi Jewish dinner traditionally held in Morocco the day after Passover. Learn more about the festival at Taste of Mimouna!, which features live poetry and songs, a tour of artworks, and, of course, food. (National Museum of African Art; 8 p.m.-10 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Eckington Neighborhood Spring Tree Walk (Alethia Tanner Park; 11 a.m.; FREE), Shiraz: A Romance of India screening (National Museum of Asian Art; 2 p.m.; FREE), Profs & Pints DC: Reflecting on Narcissist (metrobar; 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; $14.31), Wild Child (9:30 Club; 6 p.m.; $22), Will Joseph Cook (Songbyrd Music House; 7 p.m.; $18+), Told Slant + Sister. + Bottom/Top (Comet Ping Pong; 10 p.m.; $15)
Have an event you’d like us to consider for a future events guide? Submit it here.
