Our end-of-the-week picks for Sept. 25-27, 2026
We've gathered up some fun things to do in DC this weekend. You can also read what else is going on during the week and throughout the month.
Looking for a local perspective delivered directly to your inbox every two weeks? Sign up for our "DC on the Go-Go" Local Newsletter to stay in the know.
Friday
National Museum of African American History and Culture’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Honor a decade of one of the most important museums in the District with programming and events at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). After many years of advocacy for a showcase of the African American experience, the museum debuted in 2016. Across four days, connect with important history and a vibrant community in the nation’s capital. Join Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie G. Bunch III in conversation and attend The Purple Ball, an event at The Wharf that will recognize the courage of 77 freedom seekers who boarded the schooner Pearl from the same waterfront in 1848, risking everything in pursuit of freedom.
More Info
Theatre Week
Theatre Week
Celebrate the theatre season in the Washington, DC region with a weeks-long promotion from TheatreWashington which includes $25, $45 and $65 tickets to highly anticipated productions at venues all over the DC area. There are musicals, dramas, comedies, theatre for young audiences and much more. In addition to discounted tickets, Theatre Week also includes special events (most of which are free) designed to entertain, educate and inspire, including the free Kickoff Fest.
All Things Go
All Things Go Music Festival
You'll want to plan ahead for this popular festival that has sold out the last few years. Hosted at Merriweather Post Pavilion, the event features two stages, an epic lineup of delicious local eats and art installations.
Tickets
Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044
Craft2Wear | Smithsonian
Smithsonian Craft2Wear
The Arts and Industries Building hosts this curated show from the Smithsonian. Limited edition clothing, jewelry and accessories will be on display, as dozens of designers from all over the country will be represented.
More Info
Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20004
Fever Originals
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience This first-of-its-kind virtual reality adventure doesn't just show you the universe but places you inside of it. Created in collaboration between Fever Originals and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the experience takes visitors on a breathtaking journey through the cosmos, from dazzling galaxies to the edge of a black hole.
Tickets
Fever Hub Washington DC, 926 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Saturday
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art
In its only U.S. stop, this exhibition comes to DC with 26 works from the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Some of the pieces, which showcase Islamic art from Spain to India, date back to the 7th century. The collection explores the evolution of artistic styles and reveals how art shaped cultural exchange, trade and diplomacy across centuries.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Free Admission
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20004
WalkingTown DC
On September, Events DC showcases the incredible walkability of the nation’s capital during this free, week-long public tour program. In total, dozens of guided walking tours will be held throughout the District, including neighborhood showcases, themed excursions, historical journeys and many more. Historians, licensed tour guides, community leaders and business owners, among others, host these adventures that will take you to both well-known and hidden gems across DC.
DC Public Library
District Vibes / American Pride: How DC Changed American Culture – Final Weekend
DC gave the world the football huddle, the modern blood bank and legends like Marvin Gaye. Discover the vibrant contributions of Washingtonians through images, artifacts, storytelling and free programs. The main exhibit location is Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, but satellite locations can be found across the city.
More Info | Free Admission
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Library of Congress
Alive in Many Hands
The Library of Congress debuts a new exhibit that explores how the American Folklife Center has preserved and shared cultural traditions across generations. The Center's collections are the source for the in-depth display that includes more than 150 items; standout treasures include a performance by Go-Go legend Chuck Brown of "Bustin' Loose" at the 2002 American Folklife Center Homegrown concert, a Diné (Navajo) rug that blends traditional and contemporary imagery (pictured above) and a banjo signed by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and other folk music legends.
Hours & Admission (free; timed-entry required)
Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California
The National Museum of Women in the Arts' new exhibit traces the flow and flourishing of quilts in the context of the Second Great Migration, a mass movement of approximately five million African Americans from the rural South to cities in the North and West between 1940 and 1970 in search of a more equitable life. Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrants who arrived in California carried quilts for warmth and protection, as containers for ancestral memory and as emblems of cultural survival. America itself has always been a quilt of many cultures; come celebrate the art form in the country’s 250th year.
Hours & Admission
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
Fever Originals
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer Experience Hans Zimmer's most iconic film scores in an entirely new way inside the architectural marvel that is DC's National City Christian Church. Surrounded by the warm glow of thousands of candles, live musicians bring indelible melodies from Inception, Interstellar, The Lion King, Gladiator and more to life in a breathtaking concert.
Tickets
National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, Washington, DC 20005
Ford's Theatre
Come From Away
The Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to Ford’s Theatre a decade after its debut at the historic venue. Come From Away concerns a small Canadian town that welcomed 6,579 airline passengers with open arms after their plane was stranded there on Sept. 11, 2001. The story of friendship and the bonds of community will warm your heart this fall.
Tickets
Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Capital One Arena
Gorillaz
Truly unlike any artistic project before it, Gorillaz is an international musical phenomenon that blends animated characters, storytelling and cutting-edge visuals to create a truly unique live show. Across 25 years of music, the group (founded by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett) has soared through hip-hop, rock, reggae, electronic, pop and everything else. Expect an unforgettable spectacle at Capital One Arena.
7 p.m. | Tickets
Capital One Arena, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Sunday
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial
From the California coast to the Kansas heartland to the streets of New York City, the photographs in this exhibit (which takes its name from Robert Hayden’s poem “American Journal”) offer an expansive and evocative portrait of America in the 1970s and early 1980s. Explore selected images from photography surveys that document people and places in the United States from the 19th century to the years before and after the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004
Arena Stage
The Fruits of Our Labor
Legendary DC dance company Step Afrika! honors America’s 250th anniversary with a new show set to premiere at Arena Stage. The Fruits of Our Labor uses percussion, stepping, moving visual imagery and a bold red, white and blue color palette to explore the American experience.
Tickets
Arena Stage, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Venus
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s new Artistic Director Reggie D. White is at the helm for this darkly comic play written by Steve Yockey. Nicole and Beth are opposites that attract until a midnight date under the stars pushes their romance to the brink, with a woman in a red raincoat emerging as their antagonist.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Photo by Manuel Harlan, Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Score
Brian Cox, the iconic actor of stage and screen, visits Harman Hall in this production’s only American engagement. Acclaimed director Trevor Nunn is at the helm for this tale of Johann Sebastian Bach (Cox) and his visit to the court of the devious Frederick II, where he’s presented with a stirring challenge to his morality.
Tickets
Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Measure for Measure
Psalmayene 24, Helen Hayes Award winner, directs this rare staging of a Shakespeare comedy. The story of societal upheaval, which concerns a corrupt official and a young nun, will make the audience wonder whose voices are elevated and whose are silenced.
Tickets
Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Places to Stay
Need some inspiration for a place to stay in between events? Washington, DC is filled with a multitude of hotels to fit your needs. Whether you are looking for that specialty boutique hotel or booking at your favorite hotel brand, Washington, DC's booking engine has it all.
Find Your Stay
Do you know where you’ll be dining pre- or post-event? From pop-up restaurants to award-winning hot spots to laid-back food halls, our DC food guide is perfect for helping you plan a more memorable experience.
