DC hosts more festivals and events than any other city in the United States. And the warm summer months are a perfect time for outdoor festivals. Throughout the summer, you’ll find free and budget-friendly performing arts festivals liven up DC’s rich arts and culture scene, bringing eclectic artists and acclaimed entertainers to delight DC audiences.
 DC Jazz Festival, June 1-10Thousands of music-lovers flock to the nation’s capital to attend the annual DC Jazz Festival, which features up to 80 jazz performances staged in more than 40 clubs, restaurants, hotels and galleries throughout the city. The Hamilton, one of DC’s newest live music venues will serve as Jazz Fest central with 10 nights of performances, featuring artists such as Randy Weston, Monty Alexander, the Brass-A-Holics with special guest the legendary Chuck Brown, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, David Sanchez, Les Nubians and many more. The festival also offers family programming, including Jazz ‘n Families Fun Day at The Phillips Collection (June 2-3), with kid-friendly activities like storytelling, art-making workshops and more. www.dcjazzfest.org The Source Festival, June 8-July 1 The Source Festival is a collection of performances unlike anything else happening in the U.S. It features 100 percent new works of theater, dance, music, visual art, film, puppetry, spoken word, poetry and hip-hop. Each of the festival’s three weeks examines the creative process from a different perspective. Eighteen 10-minute plays, interesting artist collaborations and three full-length plays presented by top DC directors and designers will be featured. www.sourcedc.org SILVERDOCS, June 18-24 Discover why DC is sometimes referred to as “Docu-Wood” during SILVERDOCS, a week of film screenings, lectures and post-film discussions by enterprising film-makers and free thinkers at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. www.silverdocs.com  Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June 27 - July 1 & July 4-8The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall is one of the best ways to get a close-up look at different cultural heritages from around the world. It is open to the public and completely free, like all of the surrounding Smithsonian museums. This year, the Festival will showcase the following unique themes: Campus and Community, Citified, and Creativity and Crisis. www.festival.si.edu/ Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle, June 23-24 Safeway sponsors the 20th annual National Capital Barbecue Battle when thousands of people gather to celebrate (and eat!) the American South’s favorite cuisine. Barbecue teams and restaurants from around the country will compete for more than $40,000 worth of cash and prizes, and for the coveted title of National Barbecue Pork Champion. www.bbqdc.com  Capital Fringe Festival, July 12-29The rebellious Capital Fringe Festival, the second largest unjuried Fringe Festival in the U.S., returns to DC this July for its 7th summer. The festival captivates audiences with hundreds of inventive performances by new and established artists. Genres include drama, experimental, comedy, musical theater and more. www.capfringe.org |
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