Squeeze every last drop out of the summer with a kayaking cleanup, a beginner fishing event, and more opportunities to learn while connecting with your neighbors.
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 at 51st.news/submit-events.
Find even more events in our Civics Roundup, which focuses on ways to get more involved locally.
Summer seems to be flying by, but it is far from over. There’s still plenty of time to squeeze every last drop out of the season when you make your weekend plans.
Take advantage of the warm weather by casting a line along the Anacostia River or cleaning up the Potomac from a kayak. Or, if you’re an indoor cat, feed your curiosity in learning from fellow D.C. residents about creative ways to reduce food waste, how to document your family’s lineage, and more.
THURSDAY, JULY 23
Celebrate America's 250th anniversary by exploring how people have stayed connected over the years. (Miquel Parera / Unsplash)
250 Years of Messaging 📍 National Museum of Natural History (1300 Constitution Ave. NW) ⏰ 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 💸 FREE, with required registration How did we get from handwritten letters to group chats? This “After Five” celebration of America's 250th anniversary explores the ways humans have stayed connected, from the Pony Express to amateur radio to emojis and more. Enjoy exclusive after-hours access to the “Cellphone: Unseen Connections” exhibit and talk to experts about what this history means today.
SqueakyFest Washington DC 📍 Pikio Taco (1900 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰ 8 p.m. 💸 FREE (donation suggested) Humor can be a powerful tool for advocacy. Watch stand-up, sketch, improv and more as the first multi-city comedy festival created for and by comedians with disabilities makes a local stop. The local comedians Squeaky Wheel Media is bringing together, in partnership with Just Kidding Comedy Collective, include Adaobi Ugochukwu, Jasmine Solamante, Kenny Rooster, Auriel Haack and Sandi Benton. Jenny Cavallero hosts!
FRIDAY, JULY 24
Trade the summer humidity for a peaceful hour of origami and creativity. (Carolina Garcia Tavizon / Unsplash)
Farm Fridays 📍THEARC Farm (1901 Mississippi Ave. SE) ⏰ 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 💸 FREE Volunteer to help fresh produce make its way from the soil to your neighbors. Start the morning harvesting tomatoes, herbs, and other produce at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus’ urban farm. You will help sort and package it and then distribute the food directly to community members. Bring lunch, wear comfortable shoes, and be ready to get your hands dirty!
Friday Night Fishing 📍 Diamond Teague Pier (1520 First St. SE) ⏰ 5 - 8 p.m. 💸 FREE Learn to fish at this beginner-friendly community event. Rods, bait and tackle will be provided and Anacostia Riverkeeper staff will be there to help you reel in your first catch. Be sure to arrive early if you know you want to fish! The dock fills up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sip and Fold Summer Origami 📍 Washington Printmakers Gallery (1675 Wisconsin Ave. NW) ⏰ 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. 💸 $30 Escape the summer heat at this beginner-friendly origami workshop in Georgetown. Participants will fold fish and other sea creatures while enjoying refreshments. Local origami expert Naoko Kamioka will demonstrate how your creations can be turned into an ocean collage, a hanging mobile, or even decorations for a craft fishing net.
Improv show: Escape With Washington Improv Theater 📍 Studio Theatre (1501 14th St. NW) ⏰ 9 p.m. 💸 $20 Take “you had to be there” to a new level with this Friday night comedy performance. The lineup features Half & Half, called “DC’s most codependent improv team;” science-themed troupe The Hypothesis; and Lena Dunham Improv, an all-Black ensemble.
Who Did It? An Improvised Murder Mystery 📍 University of the District of Columbia, Phoenix Mainstage (4250 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰ 10:30 pm 💸 $15 Do you think you can solve a murder mystery? Join D.C.-based comedian Erick Acuña for an interactive, unscripted comedy show where the audience helps create the crime scene before detectives piece together the case — part of the District Fringe Festival, which wraps up this weekend. Every performance features new suspects, clues, and killers revealed live onstage!
SATURDAY, JULY 25
Experience a taste of Colombia without leaving D.C. (Alexander Gutierrez / Unsplash)
Revolutionary Echoes in Washington 📍 The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (701 21st St. NW) ⏰ 10:45 a.m. - 1 p.m. 💸 FREE Take a closer look at how the American Revolution shaped our city with this guided tour and exhibit open house at the GW Museum’s Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies. Featured artifacts include local guidebooks from U.S. centennial celebrations and letters written by George Washington and other founders. Visitors can also add their own hopes for the next 250 years to a nationwide Wish Wall.
Scoop & Paddle Kayaking 📍 Thompson Boat Center (2900 Virginia Ave. NW) ⏰ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 💸 FREE, with required registration Looking for a way to spend time on the water? Borrow a kayak and help clean up the Potomac by collecting litter that’s hard to reach from land. At this event co-hosted by Black Girl Environmentalist, the Potomac Conservancy team will provide all the equipment you’ll need to safely get out on the river.
Community Walk 📍 Grounded: Plant Shop, Cafe, & Wellness Studio (1913 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE) ⏰ 9 - 11 a.m. 💸 FREE Start your Saturday with a walk along the Anacostia River Trail while getting to know your neighbors — with prompts available to make sure the conversation flows. The social event is hosted by the DC Tutoring & Mentoring Initiative to help recruit more volunteers to support local youth. Stick around afterward for a discounted drink at Grounded Cafe!
International Colombian Festival 📍 The Catholic University of America, University Garage (3598 John McCormack Rd. NE) ⏰ 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 💸 $23.57 Spend the day celebrating Colombian culture through food, music and folkloric dance. The festival features performances by local and international artists including Heredero, Verny Varela, Doris Rueda and Jonathan Barbosa. There will also be cultural exhibits, family activities and vendors serving authentic Colombian cuisine.
4th Saturday SLAM! at Busboys and Poets 📍 Busboys and Poets Anacostia (2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE) ⏰ 7 p.m. 💸 $7.56 in advance, or $8 at the door Watch amateur and professional poets go head-to-head in a live poetry slam, where audience members help decide who takes home the $100 cash prize.The competition is hosted by Black Chakra, a nationally recognized spoken-word artist and poetry slam champion who also mentors young poets in Baltimore.
Late Skate at Anacostia Park 📍 Anacostia Park Skating Pavilion (1500 Anacostia Dr. SE) ⏰ 12 - 10 p.m. 💸 FREE Roller skating at Anacostia Park is a classic in the D.C. summer. No need to bring your own skates, as rentals are free through the National Park Service! Go during the day or take advantage of the monthly extended hours as you skate to music from 95.5 WPGC’s DJ Jealousy, sing along to go-go karaoke with The Pressure Band, or close out the night on the rink with DC Link Up.
SUNDAY, JULY 26
Turn everyday food waste into an opportunity to make a difference. (Joshua Hoehne / Unsplash)
💡
SPONSORED: 730 Day 📍 Kalorama Park (1865 Kalorama Rd. NW) ⏰ 1 - 4 p.m. 💸 FREE D.C.'s favorite daily email newsletter, 730DC, hosts a party every year as close to July 30 as possible. Join the team on Sunday for this year's edition — a park hang, featuring lawn games, picnicking with neighbors, and for the lucky among us, swag to take home (email hats and 730CDs, anyone?).
Poetry and Music Open Mic 📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW) ⏰ 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 💸 FREE Got a poem, song, or spoken-word piece you've been waiting to share? Step up to the mic at this monthly MLK Library event or simply stop by to cheer on local performers and discover new talent. Sign up begins at 3:15 p.m.!
A Workshop on Food Waste 📍 Edgewood Arts Center (3415 8th St. NE) ⏰ 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 💸 $17 Food scraps add up, but reducing waste doesn't have to be complicated. This interactive demonstration and discussion is organized by Sowtah, a DMV-based community initiative that makes topics like food waste, composting, and sustainable living more accessible through workshops in shared community spaces. You’ll learn practical ways to waste less, and how small changes can make a difference! Want to see more events focused on building community? Check out our Civics Roundup!
Correction: The community walk event is on Saturday, July 25, not Sunday, where it was initially listed.
Andrea Pineda-Salgado is a freelance journalist based in D.C. She has covered immigration, politics, and the issues shaping underserved communities. Her work has appeared on ABC News, Epicenter-NYC, Latin Times and Documented.
This midsummer weekend features all the charm of a D.C July. Unique opportunities to celebrate culture and build community — worth it, no matter the humidity.
With your help, we pursue stories that hold leaders to account, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District. Our members help keep local news free and independent for all:
