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Events in Washington, DC

60 upcoming events near Washington — concerts, theater, markets, library programs and more. Free to browse; each links to the source.

Lifelong learning

June 5, 2026

12 to 1:30 p.m.

Smithsonian Associates (online) · Washington, DC

Lifelong learning

Smithsonian Associates Lecture: The Medici Villas

Smithsonian Associates (online)

You can join an art historian to explore the power and place of the Medici villas in this lecture.

Classes and talksIndoors

Theater & film

June 5 to 7, 2026

Dupont Underground (Woolly Mammoth) · Washington, DC

Theater & film

A Fine Madness

Dupont Underground (Woolly Mammoth)

You can see Woolly Mammoth actor Justin Weaks weave poetry, music and storytelling inspired by the Voyager Golden Records sent into space.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Music & concerts

June 5, 2026

7 to 9:30 p.m.

National Museum of American History · Washington, DC

Music & concerts

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: Let Freedom Ring

National Museum of American History

You can hear the Smithsonian's resident jazz orchestra perform a patriotic program at the American History museum.

MusicIndoors

Community & civic

June 6 to 7, 2026

Dupont Circle and Kalorama · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk Weekend

Dupont Circle and Kalorama

You can tour Anderson House, Dupont Underground and several neighborhood museums free over one weekend.

IndoorsBring the grandkids

Classes & arts

June 6 to December 6, 2026

National Gallery of Art · Washington, DC

Classes & artsFree

American Icon: The US Flag in Art

National Gallery of Art

You can see how artists like Jasper Johns, Gordon Parks and Faith Ringgold interpreted the Stars and Stripes across two centuries.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Classes & arts

Opens June 6, 2026

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens · Washington, DC

Classes & arts

Interwoven: A Tradition of Textiles

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

You can view Marjorie Merriweather Post's extensive textile collection plus works by contemporary fiber artists at this Northwest DC estate.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Music & concerts

June 6, 2026

7:30 p.m.

Lost Generation Brewing Company · Washington, DC

Music & concerts

Saturday Evening Jazz with the Abe Mamet Trio

Lost Generation Brewing Company

You can hear a live jazz trio over drinks at this Northeast DC brewery on a Saturday evening.

MusicFood and wine

Theater & film

June 6 to July 12, 2026

Keegan Theatre, Dupont Circle · Washington, DC

Theater & film

The Play That Goes Wrong

Keegan Theatre, Dupont Circle

You can laugh through the slapstick disaster of this farce at the Keegan Theatre.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Theater & film

June 9 to July 12, 2026

Folger Theatre · Washington, DC

Theater & film

How Shakespeare Saved My Life

Folger Theatre

You can see this play at the recently renovated Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Tastings

June 10, 2026

Evening

The Chocolate House, Washington DC · Washington, DC

Tastings

Chocolate & Wine Tasting: Exquisite Chocolates, Truffles, Wine from Spain

The Chocolate House, Washington DC

You can pair Spanish wines with artisan chocolates and truffles at this guided evening tasting.

Food and wine

Theater & film

June 11 to 14, 2026

Various DC venues including MLK Library and National Archives · Washington, DC

Theater & film

DC/DOX Film Festival

Various DC venues including MLK Library and National Archives

You can watch more than sixty documentaries and shorts with talkbacks from the filmmakers across four days at theaters around the city.

Arts and craftsOutdoorsIndoorsBring the grandkids

Theater & film

June 12 to August 9, 2026

Arena Stage, Southwest DC · Washington, DC

Theater & film

CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical

Arena Stage, Southwest DC

You can relive the music of the 90s supergroup TLC in this new musical at Arena Stage.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Lifelong learning

June 12, 2026

Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue) · Washington, DC

Lifelong learningFree

Ben Fountain author talk

Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue)

You can hear the author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk discuss his satirical new novel set in Washington.

Classes and talksIndoors

Markets

June 12, 2026

8 a.m.

Eastern Market · Washington, DC

Markets

Crafty Bastards Art and Crafts Fair

Eastern Market

You can shop handmade art and crafts from local makers at this popular fair held at Eastern Market.

Food and wineOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Music & concerts

June 13 to 14, 2026

MGM National Harbor · Washington, DC

Music & concerts

Jill Scott in concert

MGM National Harbor

You can hear the veteran Philly neo-soul singer perform behind her first album in years over a two-night stand.

Music

Dance & fitness

June 14, 2026

2:45 to 6 p.m.

Spanish Ballroom, Glen Echo Park · Washington, DC

Dance & fitness

Waltz and More with Waltz Time

Spanish Ballroom, Glen Echo Park

You can take a waltz lesson and then dance the afternoon away in the historic Spanish Ballroom.

Dance and fitnessOutdoors

Lifelong learning

June 16 to September 7, 2026

Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building · Washington, DC

Lifelong learningFree

Voices and Votes: Exploring Democracy Across America

Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building

You can explore this free democracy exhibit in the Arts and Industries Building, reopening for a limited time.

Classes and talksIndoors

Theater & film

June 16 to 28, 2026

The National Theatre · Washington, DC

Theater & film

Suffs

The National Theatre

You can see the Tony-winning suffragist musical on its tour stop at the National Theatre downtown.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Outdoors & nature

June 17 to 22, 2026

The Wharf · Washington, DC

Outdoors & natureFree

Clipper Race Fleet Week at The Wharf

The Wharf

You can greet the amateur sailors racing around the world as their fleet arrives free at The Wharf.

Hiking and natureOutdoors

Theater & film

June 18 to 19, 2026

Warner Theatre, Downtown · Washington, DC

Theater & film

Daniel Tosh stand-up

Warner Theatre, Downtown

You can catch the snarky comic's My First Farewell Tour at the historic Warner Theatre.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Outdoors & nature

June 19 to 21, 2026

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

U.S. National Arboretum · Washington, DC

Outdoors & natureFree

Wild Things: The Art of Kusamono exhibit

U.S. National Arboretum

You can view the delicate art of kusamono accent plantings during a free weekend exhibit at the Arboretum.

GardeningOutdoors

Community & civic

June 19, 2026

Late-night hours

Smithsonian museums and Zoo · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Solstice Celebration

Smithsonian museums and Zoo

You can enjoy an expanded three-day version of the summer solstice event with late-night hours and special programs.

Bring the grandkids

Community & civic

June 19 to 20, 2026

After hours

Multiple Smithsonian museums · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Solstice Saturday

Multiple Smithsonian museums

You can ring in the first day of summer with free after-hours jazz, curator talks and crafts across several Smithsonian museums.

MusicBring the grandkids

Community & civic

June 19, 2026

National Museum of African American History and Culture · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Juneteenth Community Day Honoring Opal Lee

National Museum of African American History and Culture

You can join a free Juneteenth celebration honoring activist Opal Lee, though registration is required.

IndoorsBring the grandkids

Music & concerts

Parade June 20, 2026, Festival June 21

Parade 3 p.m.

Washington, DC

Music & concerts

Capital Pride Parade and Festival

Capital Pride brings a big, joyful parade through the city followed by a street festival and concert the next day. The route and the festival fill several blocks downtown with music and color.

MusicOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Lifelong learning

Most evenings through June 2026

Usually 7 p.m.

Politics and Prose, Connecticut Avenue and other locations · Washington, DC

Lifelong learningFreeHappens regularly

Politics and Prose Author Events

Politics and Prose, Connecticut Avenue and other locations

You can attend free author talks and discussions nearly every night at this beloved independent bookstore.

Classes and talksIndoors

Music & concerts

June 20, 2026

Georgetown · Washington, DC

Music & concertsFree

Fete de la Musique Georgetown

Georgetown

You can roam Georgetown for free live acts and concerts staged across the neighborhood for this French music-day tradition.

Music

Community & civic

June 20, 2026

Downtown DC · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Capital Pride Parade

Downtown DC

You can watch exhibitors and performers parade through downtown during this free flagship Pride event.

Bring the grandkids

Music & concerts

June 20, 2026

Takoma Park · Washington, DC

Music & concertsFree

Home Rule Music Festival

Takoma Park

You can hear free jazz, soul, go-go and funk at this outdoor music festival in Takoma Park.

MusicOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Classes & arts

June 20, 2026

2 p.m.

Atlas Brew Works, Bridge District · Washington, DC

Classes & arts

Make Your Own Plant Pot or Vase Pottery Workshop

Atlas Brew Works, Bridge District

You can sculpt your own plant pot or vase in a hands-on workshop paired with a brewery taproom.

Arts and craftsClasses and talksFood and wineIndoors

Outdoors & nature

June 20, 2026

10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

U.S. National Arboretum · Washington, DC

Outdoors & nature

Wild Things: Kusamono Lecture & Demonstration with Young Choe

U.S. National Arboretum

You can watch a master demonstrate the Japanese art of kusamono in this lecture and demonstration.

GardeningClasses and talksOutdoors

Music & concerts

June 25, 2026

Wolf Trap, Filene Center · Washington, DC

Music & concerts

St. Vincent with the National Symphony Orchestra

Wolf Trap, Filene Center

You can hear the art-rock musician backed by the full National Symphony Orchestra in lush orchestral arrangements at this outdoor amphitheater.

MusicOutdoors

Lifelong learning

Opening June 26, 2026

National Geographic headquarters, Downtown DC · Washington, DC

Lifelong learning

National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens

National Geographic headquarters, Downtown DC

You can explore the reimagined National Geographic museum with immersive exhibits showcasing its legacy of photography and exploration.

Classes and talksIndoors

Tastings

June 27, 2026

Washington DC · Washington, DC

Tastings

Summer Wine Tasting with Bodegas Familia Chavarri Wines

Washington DC

You can sample a flight of Spanish wines poured alongside the winemaker at this summer tasting.

Food and wine

Food festivals

June 27 to 28, 2026

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Penn Quarter · Washington, DC

Food festivals

Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Penn Quarter

You can sample more than one hundred free bites from top pit-masters and hear live music across multiple stages at DC's biggest barbecue street party.

MusicBring the grandkids

Community & civic

July 2 to 7, 2026

Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall

A free outdoor festival on the National Mall with music, crafts, cooking demos, and traditions from around the country and world. It overlaps the July 4th holiday and is built for wandering at your own pace.

OutdoorsHolidayBring the grandkids

Music & concerts

July 4, 2026

All day, fireworks after dark

Washington, DC

Music & concerts

July 4th on the National Mall, 250th anniversary

Independence Day on the Mall always means a concert and fireworks, and 2026 marks the nation's 250th birthday with a full-day festival and a fireworks show billed as the largest ever. Plan for big crowds and early arrival.

MusicOutdoorsHolidayBring the grandkids

Community & civic

July 4, 2026

Evening

National Mall · Washington, DC

Community & civicFree

July 4th Fireworks on the National Mall

National Mall

You can watch the Independence Day fireworks over the monuments from many free vantage points around the city.

HolidayBring the grandkids

Classes & arts

Opens early July 2026 (July 3 to August 30)

National Building Museum · Washington, DC

Classes & arts

THE PLAYGROUND summer installation

National Building Museum

You can walk through the National Building Museum's big interactive summer installation that brings outdoor infrastructure indoors.

Arts and craftsOutdoorsIndoors

Theater & film

Through July 26, 2026

Signature Theatre, Arlington · Washington, DC

Theater & film

Pippin

Signature Theatre, Arlington

You can see the classic Stephen Schwartz musical Pippin at Signature Theatre.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Markets

August 3 to 8, 2026

The National Mall · Washington, DC

MarketsFree

The Great American Farmers' Market

The National Mall

You can shop a week-long national farmers market on the Mall featuring growers and makers from across the country.

Food and wineOutdoors

Food festivals

August 9 to 15, 2026

Restaurants across DC · Washington, DC

Food festivals

Summer Restaurant Week

Restaurants across DC

You can book prix-fixe lunches and dinners at hundreds of DC restaurants during the biannual Restaurant Week.

Food and wineBring the grandkids

Lifelong learning

August 22, 2026

Walter E. Washington Convention Center · Washington, DC

Lifelong learningFree

National Book Festival

Walter E. Washington Convention Center

You can hear authors speak and answer questions all day at the Library of Congress's free celebration of books, marking its 25th anniversary.

Classes and talksOutdoorsIndoorsBring the grandkids

Music & concerts

September 2 to 6, 2026

The Wharf and venues citywide · Washington, DC

Music & concerts

DC JazzFest

The Wharf and venues citywide

You can hear national and local jazz artists across the city, with some free performances and a stacked headliner lineup.

Music

Music & concerts

September 2 to 6, 2026

Times vary

Washington, DC

Music & concerts

DC JazzFest at The Wharf

Over Labor Day weekend the city's jazz festival lands much of its lineup at The Wharf, with national names and local players by the water. It is a fine excuse to spend the long weekend down on the Potomac.

MusicOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Community & civic

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Noon to 6 p.m.

Washington, DC

Community & civicHappens regularly

Adams Morgan Day Festival

The longest-running neighborhood festival in DC takes over 18th Street NW with music, food, and crafts. It is walkable, friendly, and easy to drop into for an hour or the whole afternoon.

OutdoorsBring the grandkids

Dance & fitness

Monthly, Sundays, 2026

Intro lesson 2:30 p.m., dance 3 to 6 p.m.

Bumper Car Pavilion, Glen Echo Park · Washington, DC

Dance & fitnessHappens regularly

Sunday Afternoon Dancing Planet Contra Dance

Bumper Car Pavilion, Glen Echo Park

You can join a monthly afternoon contra dance with a beginner lesson up front, live band and caller, for fifteen dollars at the door.

MusicDance and fitnessOutdoors

Music & concerts

Fridays, May 22 to August 14, 2026 (no concert June 5 or July 3)

6 p.m., gates open 5 p.m.

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden · Washington, DC

Music & concertsFreeHappens regularly

Jazz in the Garden: American Sounds

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

You can catch free live jazz, soul, blues and brass in the Sculpture Garden every Friday evening all summer, with informal dance lessons on select nights and passes given out by free lottery.

GardeningArts and craftsMusicDance and fitnessOutdoorsIndoors

Senior programs

2nd Wednesday of each month through September 9, 2026

2 p.m.

DC Public Library branches · Washington, DC

Senior programsFreeHappens regularly

Coffee & Conversation

DC Public Library branches

You can drop in for a free cup of coffee and a casual conversation circle with library staff and neighbors once a month.

Indoors

Dance & fitness

Wednesday, July 2, 2026 (recurring senior session)

Morning

Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW · Washington, DC

Dance & fitnessFreeHappens regularly

Senior Line Dancing

Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW

If you are 65 or over, this free beginner-friendly morning of low-impact line dancing set to music is open to all levels with no experience needed.

Dance and fitness

Music & concerts

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Noon to 7 p.m.

Washington, DC

Music & concertsHappens regularly

H Street Festival

H Street NE shuts down to traffic for a day of live music, food, and vendors across many stages and blocks. It is a lively, neighborhood-wide street party that draws thousands.

MusicOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Lifelong learning

June 1 to 26, 2026 (weekly)

Daytime

OLLI at American University · Washington, DC

Lifelong learningHappens regularly

OLLI at American University June Minis

OLLI at American University

If you are 50 or over, you can take short four-week study groups that meet once a week on everything from history to the arts through this lifelong-learning institute.

Classes and talksIndoors

Community & civic

Summer 2026 (3 days)

Walter E. Washington Convention Center · Washington, DC

Community & civic

Otakon

Walter E. Washington Convention Center

You can browse an art marketplace and people-watch the cosplay crowds at this large anime convention downtown.

Bring the grandkids

Dance & fitness

Fridays, 2026

Evening

Spanish Ballroom, Glen Echo Park · Washington, DC

Dance & fitnessHappens regularly

Friday Night Contra Dance

Spanish Ballroom, Glen Echo Park

You can contra dance in the historic Spanish Ballroom every Friday, all ages welcome, for a five dollar minimum donation.

Dance and fitnessOutdoorsBring the grandkids

Markets

Sundays, year-round

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

20th Street NW near Dupont Circle · Washington, DC

MarketsFreeHappens regularly

Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Farmers Market

20th Street NW near Dupont Circle

You can shop DC's flagship Sunday farmers market in the heart of Dupont Circle for local produce, meats, breads and flowers.

Food and wineOutdoors

Music & concerts

Friday nights, Memorial Day through Labor Day 2026

7 p.m.

Transit Pier, The Wharf · Washington, DC

Music & concertsFreeHappens regularly

Rock the Dock Free Summer Concerts

Transit Pier, The Wharf

You can hear free R&B, rock, go-go and country bands on the floating stage at The Wharf on Friday nights all summer long.

Music

Music & concerts

Wednesdays through Saturdays, ongoing 2026

6 p.m.

Kennedy Center Grand Foyer · Washington, DC

Music & concertsFreeHappens regularly

Millennium Stage Free Performances

Kennedy Center Grand Foyer

You can see a free concert at the Kennedy Center four nights a week, from chamber players to the NSO Summer Music Institute musicians, no ticket cost.

Music

Classes & arts

Tuesdays, June 30 to August 4, 2026 (6 sessions)

Smithsonian Associates · Washington, DC

Classes & artsHappens regularly

Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts: Continued Watercolor

Smithsonian Associates

You can keep building your watercolor skills in a six-week studio course for adults.

Arts and craftsIndoors

Outdoors & nature

Periodic full-moon evenings, 2026

U.S. National Arboretum · Washington, DC

Outdoors & natureHappens regularly

Full Moon Forest Bathing

U.S. National Arboretum

You can slow down and connect with nature on a guided full-moon forest bathing walk hosted periodically through the year.

GardeningHiking and natureOutdoors

Food festivals

June 25 to July 10, 2026 (daily)

10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The National Mall · Washington, DC

Food festivals

The Great American State Fair

The National Mall

You can wander a sixteen-day coast-to-coast state fair on the National Mall, with food, music and exhibits marking America's 250th.

Food and wineBring the grandkids