Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Our end-of-the-week picks for Oct. 16-18, 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.
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Friday
Carlotta Corpron: Light Is a Plastic Medium
Step into the light. This exhibit at the Hirshhorn surveys work by the American abstract photographer and educator Carlotta Corpron whose investigations into the poetics of light and form and innovative use of technology supported the establishment of photography as fine art. Explore six bodies of work from Corpron’s career in Texas from the late 1930s to the early 1950s.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Free Admission
Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Avenue & 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20560
Be the People
An inextinguishable optimism about where we’ve come from and where we can go pervades the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD). MCAAD shines a light on the resource that gives America its tenacity: its people. Be the People is a national effort to make problem-solving the defining trait of American identity by focusing on the nation-altering civic engagement of “ordinary” people across our 250 years. The exhibit also features ways for visitors to get involved with their communities and make their own mark.
Free Admission | Timed Entry Passes
Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, 1503 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
ARTECHOUSE
SUBMERGE
ARTECHOUSE DC resumes programming with SUBMERGE, which presents innovative digital art that utilizes technology for a wholly immersive experience. The exhibition is anchored by Beyond the Render, a 45-minute large-scale show created in collaboration with Render Network that brings together 13 artist teams — including Emmy winners Emily Yang and Maciej Kuciara — to transform the venue. A floor-to-ceiling projection canvas showcases a 280-degree, 18K-resolution digital world, a total reimagination of the possibilities of spatial storytelling.
Tickets (10% off most bookings)
ARTECHOUSE, 1238 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024
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
Saturday
Folger Shakespeare Library
To Hear Her Speak: Black Women and Shakespeare
For centuries, Black women have claimed Shakespeare, reshaping his words to assert their humanity, creativity and power. To Hear Her Speak brings these voices into focus for the first time. Curated by Dr. Patricia Akhimie, Director of the Folger Institute, this landmark exhibition of nearly 100 objects highlights the ways in which Black women have engaged Shakespeare in performance and in writing and art. “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date,” but when fall rolls around, don’t miss this powerful exhibit.
Hours | Free Admission
Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
National Building Museum
The Big Build
Kids of all ages can enjoy hands-on activities at this free festival held inside the National Building Museum. Expect window designing, mosaic making, concrete pouring, woodworking and building challenges in addition to STEM career exploration, digital experiences, two Storytimes and even the Adventure Yard from the Building Museum's recent PLAYGROUND installation (ages 6 and over in this area).
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission | Tickets
National Building Museum, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC
Shuck It! Festival
Celebrate the Chesapeake along the scenic Georgetown waterfront at Fish & Fire Food Group’s annual oyster and beer celebration. Hosted at Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place, visitors can enjoy bottomless local oysters, unlimited craft beer and live music, with a percentage of proceeds supporting local population restoration through the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
1-5 p.m.| Tickets
3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 20007
Live Nation
Kathy Griffin
Warner Theatre should prepare itself for Kathy Griffin, one of the most electric and controversial stand-up comedians around. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Griffin has a fresh round of jokes for DC patrons as she embarks on a new tour.
7 p.m. | Tickets
Warner Theatre, 513 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Frida…A Self Portrait
The Brazilian writer and performer Vanessa Severo plays Frida Kahlo on the eve of her death as her pain and passion are laid bare. Expect incredible physicality in Severo's one-woman performance, bringing the famous Mexican painter to vivid life in a play that illuminates a fascinating journey.
Tickets
Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
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
Sunday
Turkish Festival
Turkish Festival
The community-organized Turkish Festival fills Pennsylvania Avenue with special art and photo exhibits, folk dancers and concerts ranging from Turkish rock to folk. There will also be Turkish coffee and tea demos and a bazaar touting food and artisanal goods.
More Info | Free Admission
Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd Street and 6th Street
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
The Keegan Theatre
Hundred Days
Keegan Theatre brings an incredible true story to the stage in a thrill-filled new production. What would you do if you only had 100 days to live? With folk-punk music as the soundtrack, Hundred Days goes for broke and welcomes you to embrace the unknown and take risks along the way.
Tickets
Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
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
Arena Stage
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?
A new docudrama that comes straight from off-Broadway immerses audiences in the fear and paranoia caused by McCarthyism. Tony Award-winning director Anna D. Shapiro drops you into the tension of the hearings held by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1940s. Only original transcripts inform the play’s dialogue, which features the words of Arthur Miller, Lillian Helman, Paul Robeson and many other artists.
Tickets
Arena Stage, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
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.
