15 things to do around D.C. this weekend

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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.

June is here, and the District is awash in festivities to herald Pride month and the arrival of unofficial summer. If the balmy weather’s got you craving time in the sun, we’ve got an outdoor Hamilton sing-alongs, 1960s comedy show, yoga potluck, and jazz show for you. Otherwise, find an experimental neuro-theater performance, a garage rock concert, a Pride family festival, and the library’s first flea market below. The days are jam-packed with possibilities!

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

An outdoor movie screening at Marie Reed Recreation Center in Washington, D.C. — Catch a movie under the stars at Adams Morgan’s outdoor movie nights. (Ted Eytan / Flickr)

Theater performance: hyper_object
📍 Hopkins Bloomberg Center (555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
⏰ 7 - 8:30 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
AI discussion is inescapable these days, yet this hyper-experimental neuro-theater performance from Johns Hopkins University promises a more thoughtful and immersive space for contemplation. hyper_object follows a group of scientists investigating a super-intelligent planet capable of reading humankind’s mind. During the show, actors and select audience members will wear electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets, their live neural activity transforming the set and sound around them.

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SPONSORED:
Precarious
📍Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H Street NE)
⏰ June 4 - 28, various showtimes
💸 $42 - $75
A fresh new comedy about starting out, starting over and the enduring love of family. Recently retired Vi is ready to chart a new path forward, but her daughter Tillie and a summer heatwave seemingly stand in her way. A world premiere, Precarious offers insightful reflections on the climate crisis and generational divides while imagining a brighter future.

Outdoor film screening: Hamilton Sing-Along
📍 Marie Reed Recreation Center (18th St. and California St. NW)
⏰ Screening begins after sunset
💸 FREE
Is “My Shot” your go-to karaoke jam? Are you, too, young, scrappy, and hungry? Make your way over Adams Morgan’s outdoor movie night, where you can belt out Schuyler sister solos under the stars. Bring a blanket, pack some snacks, and get ready to sing; after all, you want to be on the lawn where it happens.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

Washington, D.C.'s Tudor Place mansion and lawn — Enjoy an outdoor comedy show on Tudor Place’s luscious lawn. Come for the laughs, stay for the historic Federal-style architecture. (DC Gardens / Flickr)

Swing Dance Night at the Wharf
📍 Transit Pier (970 Wharf St. SW)
⏰ 7 - 9 p.m.
💸 FREE
Bring a little Lindy Hop into your weekend with this swing dancing night at the Wharf. For those with two left feet, GottaSwing will lead a quick dance lesson until 7:30 p.m.; afterwards, you’ll dance the night away to tunes from local band The Thrills.

Outdoor theater: My Favorite Year: The Year Comedy Got Cool
📍 Tudor Place (1644 31st St. NW)
⏰ 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
💸 $22.85
An outdoor theater performance offers an excuse to spend an evening in Tudor Place’s bucolic courtyard. The comedic show, based on Mel Brooks’ life, chronicles a young writer’s desperate, screwball attempts to keep an aging silver screen legend sober and on-script before her comeback late-night performance. Picnics are allowed, but note their specific rules — no games, chairs with legs, or red wine!

Festival Afro Bahia: Taste of Bahia and Samba Party
📍 All Souls Church Unitarian (1500 Harvard St. NW)
⏰ 6:30 - 11:30 p.m. (continues through Sunday)
💸 $44.52 in advance; $55 at the door
Brazil’s in your backyard tonight at this festival celebrating the northeastern state of Bahia, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. Nosh on traditional Bahia bites, including acarajé (cowpea fritters) and vatapá (fish and shrimp stew); then, catch a performance from Batalá, DC’s all-women Afro-Brazilian drum band, and samba ‘til you drop. Find the full weekend schedule — including cost details — here.

Concert: The Sebastions with Boy Grapes and Tangible Ego
📍 The Pocket (1508 North Capitol St. NW)
⏰ 7:30 doors; 8 p.m. show
💸 $19 advance, $22 day-of
Break out the blazers and Converse and live out your rock-star dreams with local band The Sebastions! Whether you were an OG garage-rock hipster with Is This It already downloaded on your iPod or just a modern-day fan of up-and-coming District talent, you’re sure to have a bangin’ time at this show, which will also feature local groups Boy Grapes and Tangible Ego.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

A photography exhibit on top of graffiti-decorated walls in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Underground — Learn about the history of District Pride at Dupont Underground, a once-abandoned streetcar station that’s since been converted to a vibrant arts space. (This photo is from a separate 2018 photography exhibition.) (Elvert Barnes / Flickr)

Museum Walk Weekend
📍 Five museums around Dupont Circle and Kalorama; full list online
⏰ 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
This weekend, catch Rothkos at The Phillips Collection, check out Woodrow Wilson’s unopened Prohibition-era champagne bottles, or learn about the history of Pride in D.C. — for free. Five Dupont Circle and Kalorama museums — Anderson House, Dupont Underground, the National Museum of American Jewish Military History, the Phillips, and The President Woodrow Wilson House — will waive their admission fees on Saturday and Sunday. There’s something for everyone!

Pride Family Day
📍 Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th St. and G St. NW)
⏰ 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
This week kicks off Pride Month, and what better way to start the celebrations than with some family-friendly festivities? Crafts and coloring sheets inspired by SAAM’s LGBTQ+ collection await budding artists, and parents can enjoy performances from D.C.’s Different Drummers and GenOUT, the youth chorus of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.

Baby Rave
📍 People’s Book (7014-A Westmoreland Ave.; Takoma Park, Maryland)
⏰ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Do you dream of dropping your kid off at their first Burning Man? If so, start them off with this baby rave, which promises DJ set photo opps, temporary tattoos, and head-banging remixes of nursery rhymes. Time to see just how hard “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” can go.

One Stroke at a Time: Collaborative Painting Workshop
📍 Art Enables (2204 Rhode Island Ave. NE)
⏰ 12 - 3 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
Follow in the brushstrokes of Dr. Vicenzio Holder-Perkins and his nephew Lorenzo Piero Holder III, who experimented with new art therapy techniques when Dr. Perkins was recovering from a major stroke. In this workshop, you’ll be paired with another participant to create an improvised watercolor painting using the collaborative art-making method the pair developed. The art you make will eventually be displayed in the nonprofit art space’s “One Stroke at a Time” exhibit.

MLK Library Flea Market
📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW)
⏰ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
💸 FREE
Whether you’re looking for a sweet steal on antiques or some locally-crafted artisan goodies, swing by MLK Library’s first-ever flea market, which will feature more than 30 vendors selling everything from jewelry to home decor. After shopping, head inside the library and check out a new D.C. read. Looking for more community events like this one? Don’t miss our Civics Roundup.

Jazz in The Parks: Mark Meadows with Baba Ras D
📍 The Great Lawn at the Parks at Walter Reed (1301 Main Dr. NW)
⏰ 5 - 8 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Summer’s here now, which calls for long, languorous outdoor evenings full of good music and better company. The season’s first Jazz in The Parks concert is perfect for this type of June night: Grab an ice-cream cone or some carryout momos, lay out a picnic blanket, and jam out to smooth jazz in the sweet summer breeze.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7

A young boy and a man fish at Washington, D.C.'s Kingman and Heritage Island — A father and son fish together at a family fishing event hosted by Anacostia Riverkeeper at Kingman and Heritage Island. Watch local anglers compete at this Sunday's fishing derby! (Sam Delgado)

Words from Birds Writing Workshop
📍 Peirce Mill (2401 Tilden St. NW)
⏰ 7 - 9:30 a.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Tap into nature as inspiration in this writing workshop, where you’ll traverse a paved Rock Creek Park trails seeking out birds and foliage. Following the nature walk, you’ll gather at Peirce Mill to work on original new pieces: Perhaps you might just pen this century’s “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers.”

Reel Invasion DC Fishing Derby
📍 Anacostia Park Aquatic Resources Education Center (1900 Anacostia Dr. SE)
⏰ 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration required
Go fishing, create aquatic artworks, and save D.C.’s native wildlife … all in one day! Head over to Anacostia River’s Reel Invasion fishing derby, where you could be the one to reel in invasive species like blue catfish and northern snakeheads. If the prizes aren’t enough to get you casting a line, there are activities galore for curious spectators, including filleting demos, Gyotaku fish print workshops, and guided tours of the Aquatic Resources Education Center. Curious about D.C.’s fishing scene? Don’t miss our previous reporting.

Community Yoga + Potluck Gathering
📍 Columbia Heights Green (3321 11th St. NW)
⏰ 4 - 6 p.m.
💸 FREE, registration encouraged
Stretch out and chow down at this chill gathering, where local teacher Jeremiah Lowery will lead a beginner-friendly yoga sesh, then host a community potluck. Bring a yoga mat and some bites to share, whether that’s a hearty post-workout main or a sweet treat everyone will love.