13 things to do around D.C. this weekend

Every Thursday, we share weekend events happening around the city. Are you planning an event you’d like us to consider for this roundup? Send it to our team using this form. Find more events in our Civics Roundup, which focuses on ways to get more involved locally.

Valentine’s Day may be over, but here in the District, love is still in the air as celebrations of  Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and Mardi Gras continue. Let’s hope all the snow melts from the sidewalks ASAP — because out in the city, a free film festival, an underground garage racing tournament, and a trash-pickup singles mixer await.

THURSDAY, FEB. 19

Mother Tongue Film Festival: Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)
📍 National Museum of the American Indian (4th St. and Independence Ave. SW)
⏰ 7 - 9:30 p.m.
💸 FREE
Like an Inuit Romeo and Juliet, Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) weaves its tragedy from the struggles of two young star-crossed lovers. Throughout the film, death, merciless suitors, and evil shamans test Kaujak and Sapa’s love. Uiksaringitara marks the opening night of the Smithsonian’s Mother Tongue Film Festival, which is dedicated to highlighting indigenous and endangered languages through cinema. Festival programming — including many more free screenings — continues throughout the weekend.

Author Talk: Hey Yang, Where's My Thousand Bucks?, Andrew Yang
📍 Politics & Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW)
⏰ 7 - 8 p.m.
💸 FREE
The former presidential candidate is back in town, this time not to campaign but to promote his new book. It’s part comedy and part political memoir, and promises a behind-the-scenes peek at his 2020 campaign, his early years as a scrappy wannabe entrepreneur, and his stints in stand-up comedy. Seating is first come, first served, so arrive early to beat out the Yang Gang.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20

Mardi Gras Shabbat
📍 Sixth & I (600 I St. NW)
⏰ 7 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
Think Mardi Gras and Rosh Chodesh Adar (the first day of the Hebrew month Adar) have little in common? Think again: Both holidays are all about letting the good times roll. DMV ensemble DuPont Brass will join Rabbi Aaron and Sixth & I’s musicians for this unique, inclusive service that brings Bourbon Street to the synagogue.

Cryptid Summer record release party 
📍 Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut Ave. NW)
⏰ 10 p.m. doors
💸 $18.87 online, $15 at the door
Love Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, or great pizza and bangin’ tunes? Stay up late with local post-punk/pop-goth band Cryptid Summer for the release of their latest album, Where the Earth Has Teeth, featuring openers Darker Than (Baltimore) and Erasergirl (D.C.).

Chinatown Funk Express Lunar New Year Celebration 
📍 Lucky Danger (709 D St. NW)
⏰ 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.
💸 $20 advance, $25 at the door
Dance all night to a dizzyingly expansive playlist of Asian grooves, from Korean funk-pop to Cantonese Hi-NRG to OPM (Original Pilipino Music). Along the way, stop by the night market to rifle through Japanese city pop records, buy Smiski-inspired charms, and get a Korean oracle reading. Is the Year of the Horse looking up for you? If not, at least you can dance your worries away.

SATURDAY, FEB. 21

Lunar New Year Festival
📍 National Museum of Asian Art (1050 Independence Ave. SW) and Arts + Industries Building (900 Jefferson Dr. SW)
⏰ 12 - 6 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
At this family-friendly event, find Lunar New Year-themed food, cultural performances, and lion dances galore. Nibble on Taiwanese baos and buy traditional Japanese kokedama plant art, or listen to traditional Mongolian music and Korean drumming while you check out exhibits from Vietnam Society and the Chinese embassy. If you’ve got tiny morning people at home, stop by the National Museum of Asian Art earlier in the day for more family fun, including story time and zodiac coloring for kids.

Feel The Heritage Festival
📍 Charles Drew Community Center (3500 23rd St. S; Arlington, Virginia)
⏰ 12 - 5 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Bring the family out to this Black History Month celebration, which will feature food, artisan vendors, and live music. A Hall of History will also offer the opportunity to learn more about local Black heritage in Arlington, with exhibits sharing the stories of enslaved African Americans, Black ballroom dancing, and more. See other Black History Month events in our dedicated guide!

Garage Racing National Championships
📍 National Landing (201 12th St. S, G4 parking level; Arlington, Virginia)
⏰ 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
💸 FREE for spectators, registration encouraged
It’s like the Indy 500. But on bikes. And inside a parking garage? Keep the Olympics spirit going by getting obsessed with a sport you’ve never heard of before. Cheer for your favorite racers as they dodge concrete poles and whizz around hairpin curves, then grab some booze and bites, including Acme Pies, a post-race tradition. If you think you have what it takes, you can also register to race; sign-ups for cyclists ages 10+ close on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Love Letters to D.C. painting workshop
📍 City State Brewing Company (705 Edgewood St. NE)
⏰ 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
The District has been through a lot lately, so, this Valentine’s season, spare a little TLC for our city. This workshop from Zoo Animal Productions will provide the supplies (paint, brushes, canvases) for you to celebrate what you love most about the city: its history, its pandas, its everyday residents fighting the good fight. All paintings will be kept to eventually be exhibited together in a polyphonic D.C. love letter.

Shrimps on the Mountain opening reception
📍 Art Enables (2204 Rhode Island Ave. NE)
⏰ 5 - 7 p.m.
💸 FREE
Ever visited D.C.’s art museums and thought to yourself, “This would be better with more shrimp”? Then swing by “Shrimps on the Mountain” at Art Enables, a local studio and nonprofit dedicated to uplifting artists with disabilities. The opening reception will celebrate three new shows at the gallery, including the titular exhibit that features, yes, more than 60 shrimp. Light bites will also be provided, so no need to nibble at the crustaceans on the walls.

SUNDAY, FEB. 22

Upcycled Wedding Fair
📍 Rockwood Manor (11001 MacArthur Blvd.; Potomac, Maryland)
⏰ 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Maybe your big day is just around the corner, maybe you’ve been feverishly Pinteresting and planning your picture-perfect love story moment since you were 13, or maybe you’re just curious. Whatever the reason, stop by Rockwood Manor’s Upcycled Wedding Fair, where you can shop discounted decor and exchange wedding planning tips with experts and attendees.

Seed Starting Workshop
📍 Edgewood Community Farm (2304 2nd St. NE)
⏰ 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
💸 $10
No green thumb, no problem: In this hands-on workshop, Edgewood Community Farm’s experts will guide you through the entire seeding process for crops ranging from brassicas to eggplants. Just bring yourself—seeds (from the farm’s vault!), pots, lids, and a growing medium will all be provided. You’ll leave with at least half a dozen healthy seedlings!

Concert: Raphael Rogiński and Kimia Hesabi
📍 Rhizome DC (6950 Maple St. NW)
⏰ 5 - 8 p.m.
💸 Pay what you can; suggested donations $15-30
In this intimate evening performance, you’ll get the chance to experience tunes you’ve likely never heard before, including Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński’s original takes on Crimean Tatar music and National Philharmonic learning programs director Kimia Hesabi’s viola pieces inspired by Iranian history and diaspora. There’ll also be free homemade, vegetarian soup to enjoy alongside the nourishing music.