By August, Washington’s best weekends tend to unfold after the sun starts to drop. This one brings opera under the stars, waterfront concerts, jazz in the Sculpture Garden, night games at Nationals Park and a mix of rock, country and ’80s nostalgia across the region.
Below are 67 highlights to consider for your DC weekend. As always, don’t forget to check the weather forecast before heading out. For a complete look at what’s on in and around Washington, visit the Washington Times DC Events Calendar.
Theater & Performing Arts
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical — World premiere directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, this new musical tells the story of TLC — the most successful female group of all time — featuring hits including Waterfalls, No Scrubs, Creep, and Unpretty. Get Tickets →
Through August 9, 2026 | Arena Stage — Kreeger Theater | From $83
Shakespeare Free For All — Shakespeare Theatre Company — The Shakespeare Theatre Company annual free Shakespeare production, performed outdoors. Free Ticket Info →
Through August 31, 2026 | Sidney Harman Hall / Carter Barron | Free (same-day tickets)
My Joy Is Heavy — From Obie Award-winning duo The Bengsons and Tony-winning director Rachel Chavkin, this new musical work explores grief from pregnancy loss through intimate song and storytelling. Get Tickets →
Through September 1, 2026 | Arena Stage, Kogod Cradle | Tickets Required
Music & Concerts
Kennedy Center: Free Millennium Stage — The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage offers free performances Wednesday through Saturday at 6 PM in the Grand Foyer — music, dance, and theater from local and national artists. Performance Schedule →
Through December 31, 2026 | Kennedy Center Grand Foyer | Free
Jazz in the Garden — Free outdoor jazz concerts every Friday evening, May 22 through Aug 14, 2026. Event Info →
Through August 14, 2026 | NGA Sculpture Garden | Free (lottery entry)
Rock the Dock Free Summer Concerts — Free Friday night concerts on the waterfront at The Wharf Transit Pier, kicking off Memorial Day weekend. Concert Schedule →
Through September 19, 2026 | The Wharf — Transit Pier | Free
Carter Barron Amphitheatre Summer Series — Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park is undergoing a major NPS restoration and is targeted to reopen in summer 2026 with a free concert series as part of America’s 250th anniversary programming. Summer Schedule →
Through August 31, 2026 | Carter Barron Amphitheatre | Free to low-cost
Totally Tubular Festival — A multi-act 80s nostalgia touring concert featuring Thomas Dolby & The Lost Toy People, A Flock of Seagulls, The Motels, The Producers, Animotion, The Escape Club, and Tommy Tutone at the Warner Theatre. More Info →
Aug 7, 2026 | Warner Theatre | From $91
Wolf Trap Opera: Tosca — Wolf Trap Opera presents Puccini’s “Tosca” in a one-night-only performance at the Filene Center — the company’s gripping political thriller of love, jealousy, and sacrifice in Napoleonic-era Rome. More Info →
Aug 7, 2026 | Wolf Trap — The Filene Center | Tickets Required
Riley Green — Riley Green performs at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA. More Info →
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | Jiffy Lube Live | Tickets Required
Kaleo — Icelandic rock band Kaleo — known for blues-infused anthems “Way Down We Go” and “No Good” — performs at The Anthem. More Info →
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | The Anthem | Tickets Required
The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA — A spectacular tribute to the timeless hits of ABBA, performed live at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center. More Info →
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | Wolf Trap — The Filene Center
Sports
Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream — WNBA home game at CareFirst Arena. More Info →
Fri, Aug 7, 2026 | CareFirst Arena | Tickets Vary
Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds — 3-game home series at Nationals Park. More Info →
Aug 7–9, 2026 | Nationals Park | Tickets Vary
Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage — NWSL home match at Audi Field. More Info →
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | Audi Field | Tickets Vary
Mystics vs. Phoenix Mercury — WNBA home game at CareFirst Arena. More Info →
Sun, Aug 9, 2026 | CareFirst Arena | Tickets Vary
Museums & Exhibitions
A South Forty: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South — Surveys place-based contemporary Southern architecture and civic design from 1990 onward, attentive to climate, materials, and labor. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen — A major solo exhibition by celebrated American artist Adam Pendleton at the Hirshhorn Museum, exploring themes of Blackness, abstraction, and language through paintings, videos, and installations. Museum Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | Hirshhorn Museum | Free
Capilla de Maíz & State Fairs: Growing American Craft — Two concurrent shows at the Renwick Gallery: a site-specific installation by Justin Favela featuring gold-fringed walls and piñata corncobs celebrating maize in North American visual culture, alongside “State Fairs: Growing American Craft,” organized with Craft in America. Gallery Info →
Through September 7, 2026 | Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum | Free
Coming Together: Reimagining the American Downtown — Explores how U.S. More Info →
Through November 30, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
Holocaust Museum: Americans and the Holocaust — A powerful permanent exhibition examining the American response to Nazism and the refugee crisis of the 1930s and 1940s. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Free (timed passes recommended)
International Spy Museum — The world most visited spy museum explores the real world of espionage through immersive exhibitions, artifact-packed galleries, and hands-on experiences across 140,000 square feet. Get Tickets →
Through December 31, 2026 | International Spy Museum | From $24.95
National Museum of African American History: Power of Place — The newest Smithsonian museum presents Power of Place — a landmark exhibition exploring how African American communities have shaped and been shaped by the places they call home. Reserve Passes →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris — Roughly 40 paintings, drawings, and prints examining how Mary Cassatt created her radically modern impressionist works. Gallery Info →
Through August 30, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
America’s Presidents — The National Portrait Gallery’s signature exhibition of presidential portraits, tracing American leadership from George Washington to the present. Gallery Hours →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Clifford Ross: Digital Waves — Installed on a 23-foot-high screen in the West Building’s Rotunda, this immersive digital work builds waves from millions of glowing pixels, juxtaposing virtual water with the neoclassical space and its iconic fountain. More Info →
Through October 18, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today — The Smithsonian’s triennial juried portraiture competition showcasing 35 contemporary American portrait artists working across painting, photography, sculpture, and new media. Learn More →
Through August 30, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Star Power: Hollywood Photographs by George Hurrell (A Sequel) — Following the success of the first installment, the National Portrait Gallery presents a sequel exhibition of George Hurrell’s iconic Hollywood glamour photographs from the Golden Age of cinema. Gallery Info →
Through January 10, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Nick Cave: Mammoth — Internationally renowned artist Nick Cave explores the entanglement of land and race in American consciousness. Museum Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | Smithsonian American Art Museum | Free
Carlotta Corpron: Light Is a Plastic Medium — A career survey of pioneering American abstract photographer Carlotta Corpron (1901–1988), drawn largely from a recent gift to the Hirshhorn. More Info →
Through January 31, 2027 | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Free
A Better Life for Their Children — Chronicles the extraordinary partnership between Sears Roebuck founder Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Museum Info →
Through January 31, 2027 | National Building Museum | Admission Required
The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph x Fry & Welch — Examines the design and cultural significance of Tuskegee University’s landmark chapel, with models, masonry replicas, Ezra Stoller photography, and a robotically-laid brick sculpture. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
Camouflage: Designed to Deceive — An immersive exhibit tracing camouflage from nature to the battlefield, connecting biological deception to espionage and modern military design (included with admission). More Info →
Through January 31, 2029 | International Spy Museum | Tickets Required
Wendy Red Star: Whispering Spirit — All-new work across seven galleries by contemporary Apsáalooke (Crow) artist Wendy Red Star, inspired by research in Smithsonian and other DC collections. More Info →
Through January 10, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Insular Horizons: Travel and the Environmental Imagination on Crete, 1598–1845 — A Rare Books Gallery exhibition examining travel and the environmental imagination on the island of Crete across three centuries. More Info →
Through April 30, 2027 | Dumbarton Oaks | Free
Busy Bliss: A Collector’s Passion — A Special Exhibitions Gallery show drawn from a collector’s passion, on view throughout fall 2026. More Info →
Through February 28, 2027 | Dumbarton Oaks | Free
Into the Waters: Senju and Bingyi — Two contemporary painters — Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju and Chinese artist Bingyi — explore water through dramatically different lenses in this Smithsonian Asian Art Museum exhibition. Learn More →
Through September 27, 2026 | Smithsonian Asian Art Museum | Free
America’s State Flowers — The U.S. Garden Info →
Through October 12, 2026 | U.S. Botanic Garden | Free
Dear America — A landmark exhibition at the National Gallery of Art featuring works by American artists responding to the nation’s history, ideals, and ongoing story. Gallery Info →
Through September 20, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
Sky Hopinka: Kicking the Clouds — Through photographs, poems, and film, Indigenous artist Sky Hopinka connects family, language, place, and lived Native American experience in this solo presentation at the National Gallery. More Info →
Through December 6, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa — A new exhibition at the National Museum of the American Latino tracing the origins and cultural journey of salsa music and dance across Latin America, New York, and beyond. Museum Info →
Through October 18, 2028 | National Museum of the American Latino (in NMAH building) | Free
Free and Independent: A Celebration of the Declaration — A major special exhibition at the National Archives Museum explores the story behind the Declaration of Independence — how it came to be, how it has been preserved for 250 years, and how the U.S. More Info →
Through July 5, 2027 | National Archives Museum | Free
Hirshhorn: Basquiat × Banksy — Two landmark paintings in direct dialogue: Basquiat’s Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982) and Banksy’s Banksquiat: Boy and Dog in Stop and Search (2018) — the first time either artist’s work has been shown at the nation’s museum of modern art. More Info →
Through September 7, 2026 | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Free
Niagara Falls: Mist and Majesty — About 20 works probe how the layered histories and meanings of Niagara Falls have evolved from the early 19th century to today, tracing the iconic site’s shifting role in American imagination and visual culture. More Info →
Through September 20, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
Bison: Standing Strong — A major Smithsonian exhibition on the American bison with an immersive prairie soundscape and three larger-than-life bronze bison sculptures outside. Museum Info →
Through May 1, 2029 | National Museum of Natural History | Free
In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness — The Smithsonian’s America250 centerpiece: 250 objects spanning the nation’s full 250-year history across all three floors, including the original Star-Spangled Banner and Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk (note: on display at the Smithsonian Castle Jun 2–Jul 26; a reproduction shown in its place during that period). More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Museum of American History | Free
Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting — A survey of 100 years of Native painting — 50+ works by 46 artists — tracing how Native painters redefined Native art from the post–WWI era onward. More Info →
Through May 1, 2027 | National Museum of the American Indian | Free
American Icon: The US Flag in Art — Over 30 works from the late 1800s through today illustrating changing American interpretations of the flag, opening as part of the NGA’s America 250 programming on the same day as the gallery’s massive Block Party event. Gallery Info →
Through December 6, 2026 | National Gallery of Art, East Building | Free
Revelation: A Journey into Abstraction — Explores abstract art by African American artists from the mid-20th century to today — 41 works by 38 artists including Alma Thomas, Gordon Parks, and Simone Leigh. More Info →
Through June 12, 2027 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design — A companion design show presenting abstract objects — chairs, rugs, textiles, lighting — by contemporary Black designers. More Info →
Through June 12, 2027 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage — A 250th-anniversary exhibition of 600+ specimens and cultural objects representing all 50 states, DC, and five territories, exploring where natural and cultural history meet. More Info →
Through December 31, 2029 | National Museum of Natural History | Free
The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees — Timed with the U.S. More Info →
Through June 6, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
The Declaration’s Promise — Opening in the David M. More Info →
Through January 8, 2027 | Library of Congress | Free
National Air & Space Museum: 50th Anniversary Galleries — Five major new galleries open simultaneously on the museum’s 50th birthday, including the Flight and the Arts Center — whose inaugural exhibition features 30 works by Robert Rauschenberg (on his centennial) exploring the artist’s relationship with NASA and aviation. Museum Info →
Through June 1, 2027 | National Air and Space Museum | Free
The Playground — National Building Museum Summer Installation — The National Building Museum’s annual immersive summer installation returns as The Playground — a space for play, exploration, and community programming. More Info →
Through August 30, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $16
Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise: 2026 Juried Invitational — Showcasing 48 artists living and working in the greater Washington, DC region, this annual juried invitational is one of the area’s most prominent platforms for emerging and mid-career regional artists. More Info →
Through September 20, 2026 | The Phillips Collection | Tickets Required
Special Events
DC250 Programming — DC serves as the epicenter for America’s semiquincentennial celebration with special programming, exhibitions, and events. DC250 Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Various Locations | Varies
DC Restaurant Week — Twice a year, hundreds of DC restaurants offer special fixed-price menus at $25, $35, and $55 price points — the best opportunity to try the city top dining destinations. Participating Restaurants →
Through August 31, 2026 | Restaurants Citywide | $25–$55 fixed menus
Eastern Market — Historic public market with local farmers, artisans, and crafters. Market Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Eastern Market, Capitol Hill | Free Entry
Georgetown Waterfront — Stroll the C&O Canal towpath, explore boutique shopping, and dine at waterfront restaurants with Potomac River views. Georgetown Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Georgetown | Free
Meridian Hill Park Drum Circle — Every Sunday afternoon, Meridian Hill Park hosts one of DC most enduring community traditions — a spontaneous drum circle drawing dozens of drummers and hundreds of participants. Park Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Meridian Hill Park (Malcolm X Park) | Free
Tidal Basin & Cherry Trees — Nearly 4,000 cherry trees surround the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK Memorials. NPS Cherry Blossom Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Tidal Basin | Free
DC Farmers Markets — DC vibrant farmers market scene runs year-round. Market Locations →
Through December 31, 2026 | Various DC Neighborhoods | Free Entry
Drive-In at Union Market — DC’s beloved outdoor drive-in returns for its 13th year — one screening per month, $20 per car (up to 170 cars), free to watch on foot from Neal Place. Event Info →
Through October 3, 2026 | Union Market | $20/car or free on foot
Kennedy Center Outdoor Film Series — Free outdoor film screenings on the Kennedy Center REACH campus video wall, held most Friday evenings through late August. Event Info →
Through August 29, 2026 | Kennedy Center REACH Campus | Free
Sunset Cinema at The Wharf — Outdoor waterfront movie screenings at The Wharf, with views of the Potomac. Event Info →
Through September 30, 2026 | Transit Pier, The Wharf | Free
National Geographic Museum of Exploration — Grand Opening — The brand-new 100,000-square-foot National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens June 26 at the organization’s historic DC campus. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Geographic Society HQ, 1600 M St NW | From $22.99
Event dates, times, and prices are subject to change. Please verify details directly with venues before attending.
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