15 things to do around D.C. this weekend

The dog days of summer are officially here, but the District still beckons with activities and events galore. If you can brave the weather, a Japanese star festival and outdoor jazz celebration await. But if you’re looking to beat the heat indoors, we’ve got options aplenty: Is an improvised murder mystery, Summerween comedy show, or fermenting workshop calling your name?

THURSDAY, JULY 9

Brick by Brick: Tuskegee’s Legacy of Agriculture and Architecture
📍 National Museum of African American History and Culture (1400 Constitution Ave. NW)
⏰ 7 - 10 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required 
Founded in 1881, Tuskegee University became an emblem of Black education under the leadership of Booker T. Washington. This program celebrates the college’s agricultural and architectural legacy through a panel discussion; afterwards, you’ll have the chance to watch a performance by Brotherhood Dance, create artwork inspired by George Washington Carver’s agricultural pigments, and explore “At the Vanguard,” the museum’s latest exhibition on the history of HBCUs.

Celebrate Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival
📍 Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (4155 Linnean Ave. NW)
⏰ 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
💸 $20 
According to Japanese myth, the weaver princess Orihime and the cowherd Hikoboshi were separated by the Sky King due to the intensity of their love. Every year, during the Tanabata festival, magpies form a bridge over the Milky Way to give the lovers a chance to see each other. Take part in these star-crossed festivities at Hillwood Estate, where you can listen to live performances from the Washington Toho Koto Society, make wishes on colorful tanzaku strips, learn about the Tanabata constellations, and even bring (or purchase) a picnic.

FRIDAY, JULY 10

Grimms’ Fairy Tales Circus Show
📍 Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St. NW)
⏰ 7 - 8 p.m.
💸 FREE
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Gosh, Cinderella would’ve been way more interesting if she also happened to be a contortionist?” Rejoice, for Woolly Mammoth has granted your wish. As part of their programming celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, the longtime theater company has invited the New York Circus Project to put a metaphorical *and* literal twist on classic fairy tales.

Who Did It? An Improvised Murder Mystery
📍 Phoenix Mainstage, University of the District of Columbia (4250 Connecticut Ave. NW, Building 46W)
⏰ 7 - 8 p.m.
💸 $15
Friday marks the start of District Fringe. This year’s edition of the local theater festival features an eclectic lineup of more than a dozen independent shows. For an opening night crowd-pleaser, check out this improv murder mystery, where you’ll take part in the onstage magic by helping to create the crime scene, suspects, clues, and killers. If you find yourself stumped by the whodunit, don’t worry — the show is completely unscripted, so the performers will be just as delightfully puzzled as you!

DC Legendary Musicians Celebration
📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW)
⏰ 6 - 10 p.m.
💸 $44.52
The District has shaped so many American sounds, from go-go to jazz to hardcore, and this evening performance honors the rich legacy of a few standout stars the rich. Performances celebrate the city’s cultural soul, paying tribute to local legends including Gil Scott-Heron and Ronald McNair, while a panel discussion with local scholars offers the chance to dig deeper into D.C. music’s history and impact.

SATURDAY, JULY 11

National Air and Space Museum 50th Birthday Celebration
📍 National Air and Space Museum (650 Jefferson Dr. SW)
⏰ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required 
Come celebrate the National Air and Space Museum’s golden jubilee at this family-friendly birthday bash! Learn to fold aerodynamic gliders with The Paper Airplane Guy; meet the author of Hannah's Dream Tower, an inspirational picture book; and catch a performance of Professor Wingnut from Smithsonian's Discovery Theater.

A Day at the Fair
📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW)
⏰ 1 - 4 p.m.
💸 FREE
For an antidote to Trump’s controversial and chaotic Great American State Fair, head on out to MLK Library’s proudly local summer fair. The event is part of the library’s “District Vibes / American Pride” exhibit, which celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday and D.C.’s contributions to American culture, from go-go beats to Kermit the Frog. Compete in carnival games, hop on family-friendly rides, feast on fair foods, and enjoy some live music the Washingtonian way.

Think B4U Move: The Art of Strategy Chess Tournament & Program
📍 Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Pl. SE)
⏰ 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required 
Maybe you’re a chess cognoscente who knows hundreds of openings like the back of your hand, or maybe you’ve been casually curious about the game since watching this spring’s dramatic documentary? Whatever the case, stop by this celebration hosted with the Big Chair Chess Club, where there’s something for everyone: Intro lessons cover the basics for beginners, while more advanced players can compete for the crown in a three-round tournament.

Community Days: “Blacklisted”
📍 Capital Jewish Museum (575 3rd St. NW)
⏰ 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
In the current political climate, the question of what it means to be “American” feels particularly fraught. What can we learn about from our history about the stakes and potential consequences of this moment? The Capital Jewish Museum’s latest exhibit “Blacklisted” revisits the Red Scare of the 1950s, from Hollywood’s blacklist and the federal government’s loyalty investigations to their impact on thousands of American citizens. Typically, tickets to the exhibit run $10-12, but with this weekend’s Community Day comes free entry.

Summerween Comedy Show
📍 Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St. SE)
⏰ 5 - 6:30 p.m.; 8 - 9:30 p.m.
💸 $21.40
Dying for some summertime frights and cackles? It is pretty spooky out there… Creep on out to the (air-conditioned!) Congressional Cemetery Chapel, where a killer lineup of local comedians from the Just Kidding Comedy Collective awaits. It’s all treats, no tricks here: Order drinks and ice cream at the bar to enjoy alongside hair-raising, side-splitting jokes.

SUNDAY, JULY 12

Jazzy Sundays in Anacostia
📍 Anacostia Arts & Culture District (1234 Marion Barry Ave. SE)
⏰ 4 - 6 p.m.
💸 FREE
Swing on down to Anacostia for this jazzy evening full of good tunes and even better company. Lounge on the lawn, pick up some barbecue food truck bites from the Black-owned DCity Smokehouse, and soak in some sun to a delightful summer soundtrack.

Author Talk: 70,000, Lenna Jawdat
📍 People's Book (7014-A Westmoreland Ave.; Takoma Park, Maryland)
⏰ 4:30 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged 
The title of 70,000 refers to the number of books removed from Palestinian homes during their mass expulsion in the 1948 Nakba. In the new collection, poet and trauma therapist Lenna Jawdat recorded the immeasurable pain following the intellectual and cultural loss through a blend of poetry, memoir, maps, documents, and collage. This weekend, the D.C. native of Palestinian and Iraqi descent speaks about her writing in Takoma Park.

Sewing with Mama T
📍 Southwest Neighborhood Library (900 Wesley Pl. SW)
⏰ 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required 
If you dream of creating your own fashion designs — or, at the very least, just want to learn how to swap out a button — stop by this introductory sewing workshop. Your guide: Mama T, who was Ms. Senior DC from 2019-2021. Bring a fun project or just clothes in need of mending!

Workshop: Committing Ourselves to Freedom
📍 Rhizome DC (6950 Maple St. NW)
⏰ 3 p.m.
💸 Sliding-scale tickets; $11.91-27.75
What would it mean for you to live and create more freely? In this workshop on free improvisation, trombonist and educator Dan Blacksberg will guide you towards a more collaborative, ecstatic mode of rabble-rousing and music-making, free from the hard rules of genre or instrumentation. Afterward, stick around to catch an experimental performance from Blacksberg and local saxophonist Brian Settles.

Fermenting 101 Workshop
📍 Edgewood Community Farm (2304 2nd St. NE)
⏰ 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
💸 $20
Are pickles your desert-island food? Do you start off every morning with kombucha and sourdough? Fermentation fanatics, make your way down to this hands-on workshop, where organizers will provide all the supplies and ingredients for two new jars of goodies. Bring yourself and an appetite for fearless fermentation — and, if you’d like, your own produce to pickle!