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.
Halloween candy is on sale, and most of the midterm election results are in, but we’re not ready to hibernate just yet. Celebrate the cooling weather with the first holiday markets of the season, volunteering at the tool library, and, of course, PorchFest.
Artful Evenings: Water’s Edge with Artist Sky Hopinka 📍 National Museum of the American Indian (4th St. and Independence Ave. SW) ⏰ 6 - 9 p.m. 💸 FREE (registration recommended to reserve your spot) Join the museum for an inspiring night of art featuring a screening and conversation with acclaimed artist Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Indians), art-making activities, and more. Grab a cocktail and some light bites, then take a seat for a screening of Hopinka’s video works. Stay for an intimate conversation with the artist led by Rebecca Head Trautmann, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. Check out the full event schedule for details.
LocalGuesser @ Metrobar 📍 metrobar (640 Rhode Island Ave NE) ⏰ 7 p.m. 💸 FREE How well do you know D.C.? Players of GeoGuesser will be familiar with how this trivia-like event at the transit-themed Edgewood bar works: Players are given Google Street View photos from locations across the District, and teams will have fifteen minutes to guess where each is. Depending on how close you and your friends are, you’ll be awarded points towards prizes!
Hit up an after-work Diwali dance party this Friday. (Courtesy of National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution / Photo by Sonya Pencheva)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Asia After Dark | Diwali Festival 📍 National Museum of Asian Art (1050 Independence Ave. SW) ⏰ 5 - 9:30 p.m. 💸 FREE Start your weekend by celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Expect food for purchase, family crafts, storytelling for children, and an after-hours dance party with DJ MAIYA. Please note that some activities have a limited capacity and attendance is first-come, first-served.
The Muppets Trivia 📍 Lost Generation Brewing Company (327 S St. NE) ⏰ 7 - 9 p.m. 💸 FREE It’s not easy being green, but, at least tonight, it’s easy to test your Jim Henson knowledge — with something green on the line! Enter Lost Generation’s trivia competition about what are perhaps America’s favorite puppets. The winning team receives $75 off their team’s tab, and bragging rights for the weekend.
Attend a workshop at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum to explore how gardens can become living sculptures. (Smithsonian Institution/Wikimedia Commons)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7
Czech Christmas Market 📍 Embassy of Czechia (3900 Spring of Freedom St. NW) ⏰ 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 💸 FREE Start your holiday shopping early as the Czech Embassy opens their doors for a market celebrating the country’s craftsmanship. Market-goers can expect hand-decorated eggs by Zdeňka Kuncová, traditional garnet jewelry by Granát Turnov, glass candle holders, and more. The event is free, but timed tickets are required.
Growing Community: Garden as Places of Art 📍 Anacostia Community Museum, Community Garden (1901 Fort Pl SE) ⏰ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. 💸 FREE Did you know that the Smithsonian museum documenting local history has a community garden? Visit it this Saturday and learn how cultivated plants can form living sculptures in this workshop about the intersections of plants and art. Attendees will create collages inspired by the garden and the natural world around them.
Adams Morgan PorchFest 📍 Featured stage at 2201 18th St. NW ⏰ 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. 💸 FREE Over 100 bands, from go-go to bluegrass, will play across 20+ stages in Adams Morgan on Saturday. Alongside big-name hometown headliner Oddisee, catch youth bands like Next Gen Krank and local faves like Marilyn Hucek, who recently made The Voice. The past few editions have been packed, with 18th Street closed to vehicles from Columbia Road to Kalorama Road NW. Parking in and driving through the area will be challenging, so we suggest walking, biking, or taking public transit. That’s the Metro to Woodley Park/Adams Morgan or the D72 and D74 buses!
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From this week's Civics Roundup: DC2050 in your neighborhood: Brookland ⏰ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 📍 Turkey Thicket Recreation Center (1100 Michigan Ave. NE) A comprehensive plan certainly isn't the most sexy element of life in our city, but it's a crucial one — and as D.C.'s Office of Planning works on the next one, they want residents to see their neighborhood through the eyes of an urban designer. This weekend, they'll be in Brookland, where the tour will start with a brief presentation, catching you up to speed on the DC 2050 process. RSVP here, and find the full list of fall tours here.
Seed Saving 101 📍 Edgewood Community Farm (2304 2nd St. NE) ⏰ 1 - 3 p.m. 💸 $5 Want your seasonal plants to live forever? We can’t promise that, but this workshop will teach you how to harvest their seeds so you can plant them again next season. Learn how to avoid traps like mold, pests, and cross-pollination, and how to start your own seed library.
Dementia Stories DC x Verbal Gymnastics 📍 Honfleur Gallery (1241 Marion Barry Ave. SE) ⏰ 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 💸 FREE Join The DAP Acknowledgment Project — a nonprofit dedicated to collecting and preserving everyday Black stories — as they host two other local organizations for a celebration of Washingtonians living with memory loss or caring for people who’ve been affected. Expect complimentary portrait sessions and a theater performance based on real stories from the community.
Crispus Attucks Park Annual Fall Festival 📍 Crispus Attucks Park (1st St. and U St. NW) ⏰ 2 - 5 p.m. 💸 FREE The hidden Bloomingdale park will hold a free neighborhood gathering on Saturday, hosted by the nonprofit that manages the approximately one-acre green space. Come out to l the alley between U Street and V Street NW for live music, kids' games, and pizza! Donations are encouraged, as are dogs in costume.
Volunteer with the DC Tool Library, a nonprofit that lends out all kinds of supplies for free to D.C. residents. (Quilia/Unsplash)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Opening weekend: “Remember Me: Picturing African Americans in Early Photography” 📍 National Gallery of Art (6th St. and Constitution Ave. NW) ⏰ 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 💸 FREE It’s the second day of the NGA’s new exhibition featuring photographs by and of Black Americans from before, during, and after the Civil War. Approximately 70 images, some on view for the first time, offer insights into and challenge stereotypes of Black entrepreneurship and expression in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibit will be open through March 14, 2027.
Fall Volunteer Day 📍 DC Tool Library (1380 Taylor St. NW) ⏰ 1 p.m. 💸 FREE As the name suggests, at this Petworth organization, rather than checking out books, D.C. residents can borrow supplies for woodworking, gardening, and more. On Sunday, they’re hosting a cleanup event to prepare for the cooler months ahead. Stop by to help sort through the inventory, learn more about the nonprofit's programming, and pick up a tool for your next project.
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