FRIDAY, JULY 7
ROMANIAN WEEKEND: Take a trip to Romania this weekend — no passport required. Romanian Weekend returns to the Wharf for its second annual installment. Presented by the Embassy of Romania and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the festival will offer traditional food, music, dance, wine, spoken word performances, craft shows and more. (The Wharf; Friday-Sunday; FREE)
DISCOS DEL ESPACIO: A bit of Bogotá is coming to Washington Friday. Head to Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe in Yours Truly Hotel to meet Discos del Espacio, a Colombian record store and label based in the capital city. They’ll be spinning and selling records, as well as merchandise, at this special installment of Deep Dive DC’s vinyl pop-up. (Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe; 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; FREE)
CLOCKED OUT: Clock out of work and clock in at the 9:30 Club for Clocked Out: A 9:30 Staff Spectacular. A lineup that features friends of the 9:30 Club — including Sorge, Trilla Kay, Dingleberry Dynasty, Brassie, Day Aches, and Matt Naas — will bring an eclectic mix of genres to the storied venue. (9:30 Club; 8 p.m.; $20)
THE PLANETS: See “The Planets,” Gustav Holst’s masterful seven-movement orchestral suite, like you’ve never seen it before. The National Symphony Orchestra will perform the suite at Wolf Trap while breathtaking NASA images and footage of outer space are projected onto a large screen. Don’t miss the pre-show panel with conductor Emil deCou and NASA chief scientist and climate advisor Kate Calvin. (Wolf Trap Filene Center; 8 p.m.; $29+)
FELA: Fela!, a Tony Award-winning and Grammy-nominated musical, invites you to travel back in time to 1978, and meet musician, activist, and global superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti at his farewell show at the Afrika Shrine nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria. Spend an evening with Fela’s spirited Afrobeat music and inspiring story of rebellion. (Olney Theatre Center; through August 13; $42+)
MORE: Converse with a Conservator: Musical Thinking (Smithsonian American Art Museum; 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.; FREE), The Couscous Chronicles: Stories of Food, Love, and Donkeys from a Life between Cultures (Politics and Prose Connecticut Avenue; 7 p.m.; FREE), Genre is a Construct (Washington Improv Theater; Friday and Saturday; $15+), Friday Night Dancing: Country Line Dance (The Wharf; 7 p.m.-9 p.m.; FREE), Luke Bryan (Merriweather Post Pavilion; 7 p.m.; $56+), Nomad The Native presents: Not.A Invitational 2 (The Pocket; 8 p.m.; $15+), Santa Fe Klan (The Anthem; 8 p.m.; $69.50), Age of Anxiety Campus Tour Experience (Patagonia Old Town; 8:30 p.m.; $10), Bottoms Up Comedy: Open Bar + Stand-up Comedy Show (Tight Five Pub; 9 p.m.-11 p.m.; $25)
SATURDAY, JULY 8
BIKE TO THE BREWERIES: Calling all bike and beer enthusiasts: This weekend, Bike to the Beach presents Bike to the Breweries, a ride along the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail that hits five breweries: Vienna’s Caboose Brewing, Reston’s The Bike Lane, Herndon’s Mile 20, Sterling’s Crooked Run Brewery, and Ashburn’s Old Ox Brewery. The ride is training for Bike to the Beach, a disability awareness ride from D.C. to Dewey Beach. (W&OD Trail; various times; FREE,registration required)
MEADOW DAY: A native plant swap, a native honey bee display, a scavenger hunt, a native plant quiz and more await you at the third annual University Park Meadow Day. Grab a light breakfast and learn about local biodiversity from the Anacostia Watershed Society, the City of Hyattsville and more. (University Park; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE)
JAZZ IN THE PARKS: Pull out your picnic blanket and pull up to Walter Reed for the monthly Jazz in the Parks series. This Saturday, D.C.’s own Grammy award-winning jazz bassist and songwriter Ben Williams will be taking over the stage. (The Parks at Walter Reed; 5 p.m.-8 p.m.; FREE)
THE KTCHN: In honor of National Crown Day, which was recognized on July 3, the Anacostia Community Museum presents a table reading of THE KTCHN by Seshat Yon’shea Walker, which follows an eclectic hair stylist as she embarks on a personal journey to embracing her natural hair. (Anacostia Community Museum; 5 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Growing Community: The Summer Doldrums (Anacostia Community Museum; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE), Artist Talks with Christina P. Day and Steve Wanna (Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington; 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), National Small Works Competition and Exhibition Opening Reception (Washington Printmakers Gallery; 2 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE), Tirgan Market: An Iranian Summer Celebration (••Brookland Arts Walk; 3 p.m.-7 p.m.; FREE), Stephanie J. Williams Film Screening (Kreeger Museum; 3 p.m.; FREE), DC Sing-Along Night (U Street Neighborhood Association; 6 p.m.-8 p.m.; FREE), Flashband: ‘70s Explosion (Black Cat; 7 p.m.; $20+), The Comedy Karaoke Trivia Funtime Show (HIGHLINE RxR; 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; $15+), NSO at Wolf Trap: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert (Wolf Trap Filene Center; 8 p.m.; $49+), T-Pain (The Anthem; 8 p.m.; $45+), Skating Polly (Comet Ping Pong; 10 p.m.; $18.54)
SUNDAY, JULY 9
SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: It’s your last weekend to swing by the National Mall for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a free event that brings you demonstrations on everything from Kazakhstani games to whole hog butchering. (National Mall; Thursday-Sunday; FREE)
GOTTA SWING: Ever dream of swing dancing? Here’s your chance. Gotta Swing, the D.C. area’s premier swing dancing organization, kicks off two eight-week courses this Sunday: one beginner, and one intermediate. Learn how to lindy whip, back charleston, and much more. (Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital; 4 p.m.-6 p.m.; $140)
A TASTE OF HOME: Order off-menu this Sunday at Hank’s Oyster Bar in Alexandria, where executive chef Jaime Montes presents Second Floor Sessions: A Taste of Home. During this three-course menu, Montes will highlight his roots in Querétaro, a small state in north-central Mexico, through aguachile, tamale, mole and more. (Hank’s Oyster Bar Old Town; 6 p.m.-8 p.m.; $65)
MORE: Over Easy: Queer Dance Party (Songbyrd Music House; 1 p.m.-6 p.m.; $6.44), Regeneration-Connection-Celebration Exhibition Reception (Sandy Spring Museum; 4 p.m.-6 p.m.; FREE), A Hot Blend Summer by Capital Blend (Crazy Aunt Helen’s; 6 p.m.; $15)
