Washington, D.C
Things to Do in the DC Area This August
Contents
- 10 Best Things to Do in DC
- Want More Things to Do?
Happy August, DC!
Summer break is closing out with a bang this month. August adventurers can celebrate 20 years of DC Jazz Fest, see actress Rachel Bloom live, and rap along with Future and Metro Boomin at Capital One Arena.
10 Best Things to Do in DC
by Pat Padua
Books
Evan Friss
August 14
location_on Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue)
Friss’s new book, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, surveys the tangled saga of our country’s book business, from Benjamin Franklin’s Philadelphia emporium to fabled volume slingers like the Strand and the Gotham Book Mart.
Comedy
Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Show
August 11
location_on Lincoln Theatre
Bloom’s musical collaborator Adam Schlesinger died of Covid in the early days of the pandemic; around the same time, her daughter was born. In this new one-woman show, the creator and star of TV’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend explores what that profoundly disorienting period was like.
Theater
Soft Power
August 6–September 15
location_on Signature Theatre
What if Hillary Clinton fell in love with a Chinese theater producer and the couple debated their beliefs about American democracy through song and dance? That’s what Tony winners David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) and Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo) have conceived in this wild political satire.
Music
Future and Metro Boomin
August 17
location_on Capital One Arena
Atlanta rapper Future and producer Metro Boomin bring their brooding beats and rhymes to town to support two recent collaborative albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You.
Theater
Nine
August 2–11
location_on Kennedy Center
Tony winner Andy Blankenbuehler directed and choreographed this revival of the hit musical adapted from Federico Fellini’s movie fable about the creative process, 8½. Steven Pasquale stars as Guido, a seasoned film director facing writer’s block and the wrath of past lovers.
Museums
“Voting By Mail: Civil War to COVID-19”
August 24, 2024–February 23, 2025
location_on National Postal Museum
The coronavirus pandemic required voters to follow what seemed like unheard-of absentee protocols, but democracy by postal service was not unprecedented. This exhibit includes such historical artifacts as a tally sheet mailed to record the votes of Ohio soldiers in 1864, an Alabama soldier’s request for an absentee ballot during World War II, and an instruction sheet from the 2020 election.
Books
Dinaw Mengestu
August 6
location_on Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue)
The journalist and author left war-torn Ethiopia as a child, and since his 2007 debut novel, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, he has regularly written about Washington’s thriving community of immigrants from his home country. In his fourth novel, Someone Like Us, Mengestu tells the story of a journalist who investigates his own father’s death.
Music
Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
August 4
location_on Kennedy Center
Orchestra founder Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony–in Ukrainian. The program, performed by musicians who are either based in Ukraine or exiled from their homeland, opens with “Freedom,” a piece by Ukrainian artist Victoria Poleva composed in response to the invasion.
Music
DC JazzFest
August 31–September 1
This year’s iteration of the 20-year-old staple includes fresh talent such as singer Samara Joy, as well as veterans like David Murray, whose saxophone has shouted through gospel and the avant-garde for nearly 50 years, and Baltimore-born guitar great Bill Frisell.
Opera
Silent Night
August 9, 11, 15, and 17
Christmas in August? This Pulitzer-winning work by composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell is based on the 2005 film Joyeux Noël, which dramatizes a Christmas truce during World War I. The opera’s multilingual book–sung in English, German, French, Italian, and Latin–offers a message of world peace that’s welcome every day of the year.W
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Want More Things to Do?
by Briana Thomas
Arts and culture:
- To commemorate the centennial of James Baldwin, Strathmore is screening James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket at AFI Silver Theatre (August 2, $10, Silver Spring).
- Artscape marks 40 years of showing off Charm City’s creativity (August 2-4, free, Baltimore).
- Swap books by local authors at MahoganyBooks’ Black Books Matter Fest in honor of James Baldwin’s 100th birthday (August 3, free, National Harbor).
- YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen visits Sixth & I with his debut book, Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy (August 14, $20+ for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
- Artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen makes a DC debut with the multimedia installation “The Island” (August 16-May 4, 2025, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
- To mark the 25th anniversary of The West Wing, cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack will discuss the show’s impact at Sixth & I (August 17, $40 for ticket and signed book, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
- The National Book Festival returns with author talks and signings from award-winning writers like James Patterson and Candace Fleming (August 24, free, Library of Congress).
Community and heritage:
- Fiesta Asia Silver Spring highlights the traditions and cultures of Asia. (August 3, free, Silver Spring)
- DCBX16 brings Latin dance, fitness, food, and live music to the city (August 22-26, $50+, Downtown).
- Don your best 16th-century attire and stroll Revel Grove’s 27-acre village at the Maryland Renaissance Festival (August 24 through October 20, $23+ for adults, $13+ for children, Crownsville).
Theater:
- See comic play Noises Off at Keegan Theatre (August 1 through September 1, $50, Dupont).
- Watch a variety of movies and documentaries at African Diaspora International Film Festival (August 2-4, $30+, George Washington University).
- Get tickets to Nine—a musical adaptation of the film 8½. (August 2 through August 11, $59+, Kennedy Center).
- Explore the themes of music, family, and Greece in this revival of MAMMA MIA! (August 13 through September 1, $49+, Kennedy Center).
- The highly-anticipated MJ the Musical arrives at National Theatre (August 13-September 8, $45+, Downtown).
- View short documentaries and narrative films from local producers and creatives at DC Black Film Festival at Miracle Theatre (August 15-25, $15+, Eastern Market).
Shows and performances:
- Comedian Tom Papa performs his stand-up live at Maryland Hall (August 2, $60+, Annapolis).
- Comedian Jordan Klepper arrives at the Kennedy Center. (August 3, $39+, Kennedy Center)
- Get tickets to comedian Tony Rock’s DC Improv show before it sells out (August 8-11, $35+, Downtown).
- This lively event invites concertgoers to sing-along to a movie screening of The Sound of Music (August 16, $29+, Vienna).
- Jerry Seinfield arrives at Wolf Trap to perform two shows (August 19-20, $55+, Vienna).
- This summer’s Opera in the Outfield broadcast is a screening of Turandot (August 24, free, Nationals Park).
Music:
- Rapper Missy Elliott headlines her first-ever tour. You can groove to her upbeat hits alongside Ciara and Busta Rhymes (August 8, $80+, Capital One Arena).
- Mayday Parade, Maine, and Wonder Years headline Sad Summer Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion (August 9, $59+, Columbia).
- Watch the Nats play against the Los Angeles Angels, and stick around for the Teddy Swims post-baseball concert (August 9, $23+, Nationals Park).
- Pop-rock star Grace Potter and renowned jazz-fusion band Snarky Puppy are the main acts at Maryland’s Hot August Music Festival (August 10, $89+, Cockeysville).
- Rock out to AFI’s hardcore-punk rhythms at Merriweather Post Pavilion (August 15, $25+, Columbia).
- Listen to New Found Glory play their entire Catalyst album live (August 19, $42+, Silver Spring).
- Punk-rockers The Gaslight Anthem perform live at the Anthem (August 20, $45+, Wharf).
- R&B superstar Usher arrives in DC to promote his latest album (August 20-21, $174+, Capital One Arena).
- Korchfest celebrates musician Brandon Korch’s 40th birthday with live music collaborations at Black Cat (August 23, $15+, Shaw).
- This dance party tribute to Sophie includes pop-up drag performances (August 23, $15, U Street Corridor).
- If you couldn’t snag a ticket to local group All Time Low’s DC shows, then catch the rock group perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion (August 24, $45+, Columbia).
- Rapper Ohgeesy takes the Howard Theatre stage (August 24, $25+, U Street Corridor).
- Sing-along to all your Avril Lavigne favorites from the ’00s at Jiffy Lube Live (August 31, $78+, Bristow).
- Pack your tent and spend Labor Day weekend with fellow roots-music fans at Appaloosa Festival (August 31 through September 1, $60+, Front Royal).
Bites and beverages:
- Taste of Leesburg has break-dancing performances, celebrity impersonators, and, new this year, an arcade (August 10, free, $40+ for taste tickets, Leesburg).
- Catch brunch, lunch, and dinner deals during DC Summer Restaurant Week (August 12-18, $25+, various participating locations).
- Bourbon connoisseurs and beer aficionados can sample drinks at Virginia Bourbon and Beer Festival (August 17, $40+, Fredericksburg).
- Old Town’s Oronoco Bay Park offers a chance to try cuisine from around the globe, including Japan, Malaysia, Peru, and Lebanon at Around the World Cultural Food Festival (August 24, free, Alexandria).
Things to do with kids:
- The family-friendly Howard County Fair is back this month carnival rides and fair food (August 3-10, $10, West Friendship).
- It’s the 75th Montgomery County Fair; don’t miss the pig races (August 9-17, $12+ for adultes, free for ages 11 and under, Gaithersburg).
- There’s horse shows, kid attractions, and more fun at Prince William County Fair (August 9-17, $25 for adults, $15 for children, Manassas).
- Youngsters can ride a ferris wheel at Clarke County Fair (August 11-18, $10 for adults, free+ for children, Berryville).
- Kids can exercise and venture through obstacle courses on Kids Court at Arlington County Fair (August 14-18, free, Arlington).
- The whole family can take part in carnival ride, live concerts, and farming fun at Maryland State Fair (select dates August 22 through September 8, $15 for adults, free for children under 5, Lutherville-Timonium).
- Kids can venture through a 12-acre play area, ride a cow-themed train, and roast marshmallows at Great Country Farms (August 31 through September 30, $16+ for adults, $14+ for children, Bluemont).
A version of this article appears in the August 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
Washington, D.C
Hegseth says National Guard members shot in DC ambush by Afghan national will receive Purple Heart
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that two West Virginia National Guard members — Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe — who were shot in an ambush-style attack near the White House late last year, will receive the Purple Heart.
Calling the Nov. 26 incident “a terrible thing” and saying the troops were “attacked by a radical,” Hegseth made the announcement while speaking at a National Guard reenlistment ceremony at the Washington Monument, where he administered the oath of enlistment to more than 100 Guardsmen from nine states serving in Washington, D.C.
“And we had a terrible thing happen a number of months ago,” Hegseth said. “Andrew Wolfe, Sarah Beckstrom, one lost, one recovered, thank God, in miraculous ways. Both soon to be Purple Heart recipients because they were attacked by a radical.”
The remarks mark the first public confirmation from Hegseth that the service members will receive the Purple Heart, one of the nation’s oldest military decorations, awarded to those killed or wounded by enemy action.
AFGHAN NATIONAL ACCUSED IN DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING PLEADS NOT GUILTY, PROSECUTORS MAY SEEK DEATH PENALTY
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosts a reenlistment ceremony for National Guard members at the Washington Monument, Friday, in Washington, D.C. (DoW Photo/U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
The Purple Heart traces its origins to the American Revolution, when George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, to recognize enlisted soldiers wounded or killed in service. The modern Purple Heart was revived in 1932, and is awarded in the name of the president to U.S. service members wounded or killed by enemy action.
Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were shot just blocks from the White House in what officials described as an ambush-style attack.
Beckstrom died a day after the shooting. Wolfe was seriously wounded and continues to recover.
BONDI DESCRIBES WOUNDED NATIONAL GUARDSMAN AS A ‘MIRACLE,’ SAYS ‘HE’S ABLE TO OPEN BOTH EYES’
National Guard Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed in a shooting incident, Nov. 26, in Washington D.C. (Department of Justice)
The accused gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, faces nine charges related to the shooting, including first-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed. He has pleaded not guilty.
In a statement posted on X, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey thanked Hegseth for the announcement and said the recognition was long overdue.
“I thank Secretary @PeteHegseth for announcing that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe will soon receive the Purple Heart, an honor that reflects their courage and sacrifice in defense of our nation,” Morrisey wrote.
Morrisey said he formally requested the Purple Heart awards Dec. 19, adding that the announcement “brings long-overdue honor to their service, offers meaning and reassurance to their families, and stands as a solemn reminder that West Virginia will never forget those who sacrifice in defense of others.”
Hegseth’s remarks Friday came during a ceremony honoring the National Guard’s ongoing security mission in the nation’s capital.
According to a War Department news release, more than 100 Guardsmen from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia reenlisted Friday as part of the mission.
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National Guard Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was wounded in a shooting incident, Nov. 26, in Washington D.C. (Department of Justice)
Those troops are among more than 2,600 National Guard members currently deployed in Washington at the direction of President Donald Trump in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which was established in August 2025 after the president declared a crime emergency in the city.
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Addressing the Guardsmen, Hegseth described their service in Washington as “front lines” duty.
“This is not an easy assignment. It’s the real deal. It’s front lines,” he said. “You’ve done it, and you’ve done well.”
The Army could not immediately provide comment after being reached by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this story.
The blockage inside the collapsed sewer line that sent hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River is worse than previously thought, and it’s going to take weeks longer to repair, DC Water officials said.
It will likely take an additional four to six weeks to get a system in place to safely remove large rocks and boulders crews found inside the sewer line during an overnight inspection, DC Water said in an update early Friday morning.
“Standard cleaning methods using industrial vacuums and jets are not sufficient to remove these large boulders,” DC Water said. “Addressing this blockage will require both larger machinery and manual labor. Workers will need to safely enter the pipe, use slings to maneuver around the rocks, and then rely on heavy equipment to extract each boulder, making removal a complex and highly specialized operation.”
DC Water DC Water
The “large rock dam” stretches about 30 feet downstream of the original pipe collapse, the agency said.
According to DC Water, the rocks were likely excavated during the pipe’s construction in the 1960s and used as backfill. When the pipe failure happened last month, the rocks were drawn in by the force of the wastewater flow.
Then, as the surrounding material eroded into the sinkhole created by the collapse, extra rocks and soil accumulated and filled the pipe, helping create the rock dam.
DC Water said its bypass pump system near the spill has mostly contained the overflow of wastewater, but hasn’t stopped it. Reducing the flow of water through the pipe further means adding more of those pumps, DC Water said.
University of Maryland researchers say the spill spewed harmful bacteria as far as 10 miles downstream from the sewage overflow site.
The bacteria now in the Potomac River water, according to those UMD researchers, includes E. coli, the bacteria behind Staph infections and the antibiotic-resistant form of Staph known as MRSA.
To make matters worse, the cold water and outdoor temperatures are acting like a refrigerator, keeping the bacteria alive for longer as it travels downstream.
News4 Meteorologist Ryan Miller explained how the colder temperatures may be slowing the natural cleansing of the river from the spill.
“The water temperature right now is 39 degrees,” Miller told News4’s Mark Segraves. “That’s refrigerator temperature water. And that water will help to slow the growth of the bacteria, prevent the die-off, a massive die-off of the bacteria. So from that standpoint, the cold water can actually help transport further distances some of the pathogens.”
UMD officials urged anyone who comes in contact with the water to get tested.
DC Water is also conducting water quality sampling at multiple locations to check for E. coli bacteria, and also found elevated levels after the spill.
The spill took place below the point in the river where D.C.’s drinking water comes from, which means the D.C. water supply has not been impacted and is safe, according to DC Water.
It’s been more than two weeks since the sewer pipe collapsed on Jan. 19, causing 300 million gallons of sewage and wastewater to flow into the Potomac River.
A bill passed by the Republican-led House and now in the Senate could overturn parts of D.C.’s tax code for individuals and businesses, which some say could cause chaos for taxpayers.
When Congress passed President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, the legislation affected local tax laws. Several states and Washington, D.C., decoupled, choosing not to implement some of those provisions in their local tax code.
But Republicans moved legislation to block D.C. from doing that. Democrats have pushed back.
“This will just wreak havoc on the overall system, because the people of the District of Columbia have already begun filling out, in many cases, their tax forms,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said.
The House version of the bill passed along party lines. If the Senate approves the legislation and Trump signs it, it will throw D.C.’s tax season into chaos, D.C. officials say.
“It’s nothing short of deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage,” said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
In a letter to Congress, D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glenn Lee warned the District “would need to suspend the current filing season” to update tax forms and guidance, a process that would take months.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson sent a letter explaining, “Disapproval at this stage would create huge administrative challenges, require taxpayers to re-file their taxes, render existing guidance and forms obsolete, and necessitate rapid mid-year changes to tax administration systems. It is unclear how quickly commercial tax preparation software could be updated to accommodate such changes, and District residents and businesses would likely experience confusion, as well as delays.”
“It would be totally disruptive to tax administration,” Mendelson said. “I want to emphasize that the disapproval resolutions have absolutely no effect on the federal budget or federal operations.”
“As of the end of last year, there were a dozen states in addition to the District that had adopted decoupling legislation, including Alabama,” he said. “I mentioned that just ‘cause that’s a red state.”
Republicans who support the legislation say it will allow D.C. residents and businesses to benefit from tax breaks on things, including:
- No tax on tips,
- No tax on overtime,
- American-made car loan interest deduction
- And a senior tax deduction.
The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation early next week.
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