Sure, it’s warm and humid, but that’s no reason to stay inside and miss out on the many happenings taking place throughout DowntownDC this summer. Put on some sunscreen, stay hydrated, and check out this list of upcoming events to add to your calendar.
Kids World
Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30 | Noon to 8:00 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
A huge event is coming to Franklin Park for a whole weekend, and it’s all for the children. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be jam-packed with fun and learning activities for kids of all ages, including story time with special guests, crafting, science projects, a build-a-teddy-bear station, trackless train rides, superhero workouts, and concerts. But there’s much more to experience at this DowntownDC event, so check out the full schedule, sign up your little ones, and prepare for a weekend of fun.
More info
Capital Arts Collective
Wednesdays, July 5, August 2, and September 6 | 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Capital Arts Collective is back on Wilson Plaza, where locals and passersby can shop and explore a curated selection of items by the area’s most talented creatives, including everything from jewelry, paintings, and candles to custom-designed items, home goods, and more.
More info
Jazz in the Garden
Through Friday, August 4 | 6:00 p.m.
National Gallery of Art, 7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Every Friday, from May 19 through August 4, the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden comes alive with musical performances including jazz, Latin fusion, bluegrass, and more.
More info
DC Wave Festival
Saturday, August 12 | 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
Get ready to immerse yourself in a kaleidoscope of entertainment, community services, food, and engaging workshops at the annual DC Wave Festival. With something for everyone, visitors can expect music from DJ E-Man SZN and MPD’s SIDEbySIDE band at this one-day celebratory event for the community.
More info
Onyx @ The Eaton – Black Mental Wellness + Black-owned Businesses
Sunday, August 13 | Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Eaton DC, 1201 K Street NW
Join Onyx Therapy Group for another day of building community, networking, and celebrating Black mental health. Hosted by Onyx’s leading lady, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, the next community event will include a panel titled, Black Families and the Implications on Black Intimate Relationships. Moderated by Plummer with panelists Dr. Racine Henry (April 2022 Mental Health Fair panelist), Dr. Marcus Mason (November 2022 Eaton panelist), and his colleague Dr. Charles Robinson-Snead, the team will break down the mental health issues surrounding our Black families and how we can look to move past our familiar and racial traumas.
More info
Trivia Night: U.S. History and Imperial Revisions
Tuesday, August 15 | 5:00 to 6:45 p.m.
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G streets NW
Calling all history buffs and global citizens! Join the National Portrait Gallery for a happy hour trivia night inspired by the museum’s exhibition “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions.” With friends from New Columbia Pub Quiz, the questions will cover topics about countries and territories spanning the globe.
More info
Capital Book Fest
Thursday, August 17, and September 21 | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Shop thousands of gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl, all on sale for $6 or less at downtown D.C.’s outdoor, pop-up bookstore. Books are provided by Carpe Librum, a local bookstore benefitting nonprofit Turning the Page.
More info
‘Imagining the Future – Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius’ Exhibition
Through Sunday, August 20 | 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Sunday
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW
The DC Public Library’s exhibit “Imagining the Future – Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius” features 12 original Leonardo da Vinci drawings from the Codex Atlanticus, the first time they have been displayed in the United States. Visitors can view da Vinci’s sketches and notes, offering insight into the varied interests of one of history’s greatest artists and thinkers. Visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the origins of technologies we often take for granted and marvel at the remarkable mind that anticipated them centuries ago.
More info
‘Look Here’ Exhibition at the National Building Museum
Through Monday, September 4 | 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday through Monday
National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW
This summer, the National Building Museum’s Great Hall has been transformed with an elegant and provocative new installation titled “Look Here.” The work involves reflective fractals and oversized mirrored pieces shaped like fortune-tellers that brighten the Center Court of the hall.
More info
McPherson Square Summer Series
Through Wednesday, September 13
McPherson Square, 15th Street NW between K and I streets NW
There are plenty of opportunities to experience McPherson Square through the next couple of months, including live music in the morning, midday mixers, and evening gatherings. Mark your calendar for Monday, August 14, Wednesday, August 16, and Wednesday, September 13, to bring some fun to the work week.
More info
PAST EVENTS
DowntownDC Live: Yusha Assad
Thursday, June 29 | 12:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
This concert is part of DowntownDC Live, a weekly free entertainment series to make your lunch hour that much more enjoyable. Organized by the DowntownDC BID, this week’s performance is by Yusha Assad, and we’ll have some special treats for dessert.
More info
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Thursday, June 29 | 7:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
Part of the DowntownDC Summer Flicks — CAN I KICK IT? movie series, Everything Everywhere All at Once (R) will show at sundown in the park while Shaolin Jazz provides a unique soundtrack. Grab dinner from a nearby restaurant, settle into the grass when seating begins at 7:30 p.m., and enjoy music by Shaolin Jazz’s own DJ 2-Tone Jones and special guest DJ B-Sharp.
More info
July 4 Fireworks
Tuesday, July 4 | Starting at 9:00 p.m.
The National Park Service will once again host its annual Independence Day fireworks celebration on the National Mall.
Try catching the show from a rooftop in DowntownDC
FRESHFARM by the White House Market
Thursdays through November | 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Save yourself a trip and stop at the FRESHFARM by the White House Market, where you can pick up lunch, dinner, and groceries. This is a lunchtime market featuring an irresistible array of freshly prepared meals and snacks made from local ingredients: wood-fired pizza, falafel, seafood and veggie po’boys, Chinese dumplings, handcrafted tacos, gourmet hamburgers and hot dogs, kettle corn, cold-pressed juices, and more. While you’re here, stock up for dinner with local fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, honey, sweet and savory baked goods, crab cakes, and locally roasted coffee.
More info
DowntownDC Live: Courtney King
Thursday, July 6 | 12:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
This concert is part of DowntownDC Live, a weekly free entertainment series to make your lunch hour that much more enjoyable. Organized by the DowntownDC BID, this week’s performance is by Courtney King, and we’ll have some dessert from Jarabe Gourmet Pops.
More info
FRESHFARM Penn Quarter Market
Thursdays through November | 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.
In front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 801 F Street NW
This lively area was historically the Center Market neighborhood, where for more than 100 years Washingtonians shopped for their fruits and vegetables. FRESHFARM takes the neighborhood back to its roots, offering a weekly market with conventional and organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats and pastured eggs, farmstead sheep cheeses, sweet and savory baked goods, crab cakes, handmade empanadas, soups, fermented pickles and krauts, fresh pastas and sauces, cut flowers, prepared foods, local beer and spirits, and more.
More info
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Thursday, July 6 | 7:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
Part of the DowntownDC Summer Flicks — CAN I KICK IT? movie series, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (PG-13) will show at sundown in the park while Shaolin Jazz provides a unique soundtrack. Grab dinner from a nearby restaurant, settle into the grass when seating begins at 7:30 p.m., and enjoy music by Shaolin Jazz’s own DJ 2-Tone Jones and special guest DJ Oso Fresh.
More info
FRESHFARM CityCenterDC Market
Tuesdays through October | 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Park at CityCenterDC, 1098 New York Avenue NW
This lunchtime market is nestled in the middle of downtown Washington, D.C.’s luxury shopping district. Whether you’re looking for something to eat now or for food to take home, or both, CityCenterDC has got you covered. In addition to fresh, local produce from the region’s finest farms, this market offers many delicious lunch options, all featuring local and seasonal ingredients, from wood-fired pizza to falafel wraps.
More info
DowntownDC Live: Blacc Print Experience
Thursday, July 13 | 12:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
This concert is part of DowntownDC Live, a weekly free entertainment series to make your lunch hour that much more enjoyable. Organized by the DowntownDC BID, this week’s performance is by Blacc Print Experience, and we’ll have some dessert from Jarabe Gourmet Pops.
More info
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Thursday, July 13 | 7:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
Part of the DowntownDC Summer Flicks — CAN I KICK IT? movie series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (PG-13) will show at sundown in the park while Shaolin Jazz provides a unique soundtrack. Grab dinner from a nearby restaurant, settle into the grass when seating begins at 7:30 p.m., and enjoy music by Shaolin Jazz’s own DJ 2-Tone Jones and special guest DJ P.U.D.G.E. This is a family night, and there will be special programming for children.
More info
Capital Book Fest
Thursday, July 20 | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Downtown D.C.’s outdoor pop-up bookstore returns to Woodrow Wilson Plaza, selling thousands of gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl for $6 or less. Books are provided by Carpe Librum, a local bookstore benefitting nonprofit Turning the Page.
More info
DowntownDC Live: Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band
Thursday, July 20 | 12:30 p.m.
Franklin Park, 1515 I Street NW
This concert is part of DowntownDC Live, a weekly free entertainment series to make your lunch hour that much more enjoyable. Organized by the DowntownDC BID, this week’s performance is by Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, and we’ll have some dessert from Jarabe Gourmet Pops.
More info
Did we miss anything? Let us know!