©Jasper Johns and ULAE, National Gallery of Art
Things to do the week of Oct. 5-8, 2026
We've gathered up things to do across the nation's capital, including museum exhibits, concerts, only-in-DC events and much more. Don't miss our things to do this weekend and things to do this month as well.
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Monday
American Icon: The US Flag in Art
The exhibition spotlights more than 30 works from the late-1800s to today, each illustrating the changing uses and interpretations of the American flag. Paintings, prints and photographs from seminal artists such as Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange, Jasper Johns and Faith Ringgold examine the ever-evolving symbolism of the Stars and Stripes.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565
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
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
Tuesday
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.
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
9:30 Club
Sylvan Esso
Bursting onto the scene with their 2014 self-titled debut, Sylvan Esso has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed acts in electro-pop. The duo of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn formed in the college town of Durham, North Carolina and now travels the globe performing some of the most danceable pop tunes in existence. Catch them at 9:30 Club and soak up the vibes.
7 p.m. | Tickets
9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Wednesday
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
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
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
Thursday
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
National Gallery of Art
National Gallery Nights: Monster Mash
DC funk-pop band Oh He Dead headlines the National Gallery of Art's October edition of National Gallery Nights. Hunt for creepy art and make your own spooky piece to take home with you. Feel free to come in costume or as you are and just note that accessories larger than 17" × 26" and full-cover face masks aren’t allowed inside the museum's East or West Buildings. Also note that lottery for registration opens on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. and closes at 12 p.m. on Oct. 1.
6-9 p.m. | Free Admission | Registration Required
National Gallery of Art, 4th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565
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
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
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