Washington, D.C

61 Things to Do in the DC Area This September

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

61 Things to Do in the DC Area This September

Happy (almost) September, DC!

Kick off a festive fall with a family day at a local fair, see comedian Kevin Hart live, or party with fellow rock fans at the resurrected HFStival. There are a ton of community festivals around town, too: the H Street Festival, Adams Morgan Day, and Festival Boliviano, to name a few.

Things to do in September

Arts and culture:

Explore the origins of Impressionism at one of the season’s most anticipated exhibits: “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” (September 8 through January 19, 2025, free, but expect long lines or virtual queues, National Gallery of Art).
A Night in Paris kicks off National Gallery Nights (September 12, free, but registration is required via a ticket lottery, National Gallery of Art).
Browse jury-selected creations including sculptures, paintings, jewelry, pottery, textiles, and more at Alexandria Old Town Art Festival (September 14-15, free, Alexandria).
Music and art come together at Jazz at SAAM with Stephen Arnold and Sea Change (September 19, free, but registration encouraged, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, actor/writer Anna Deavere Smith, Nancy Pelosi, and other high-profile speakers and panelists gather at The Atlantic Festival (September 19-20, $225+ for in-person, free for virtual, the Wharf).
Check out fiber art at “Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay” (opens September 20, free, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).
DC’s first solo exhibition of artist Suchitra Mattai opens at National Museum of Women in the Arts (September 20 through January 12, 2025, $16 for adults, free for ages 21 and under, Downtown).
Festival-goers can buy autumn produce and snacks from Freshfarm market vendors and shop for handmade items and vintage products from URBNmarket at Mosaic Fall Festival (September 24-25, free, Fairfax).
Experience art nearly round-the-clock—painting, photography, fashion, music, and more—during the District’s overnight Art All Night (September 27-28, free, multiple DC locations).
Shop jewelry, purses, scarves, clothing, and more finds at Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show (September 27-29, $20+, Penn Quarter).
There are snacks and art pieces for sale at Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival (September 29, free, Wheaton).
“OSGEMEOS: Endless Story” is the largest US exhibition of work from twin artists Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo (opens September 29, free, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden).
Learn about some of the most celebrated Haitian artists of the 20th century at “Spirit & Strength: Modern Art from Haiti” (opens September 29, free, National Gallery of Art).
An immersive White House experience is coming to DC (opens September 30, free, but donations welcome, Downtown).

Community and heritage:

Traditional food, music, dance, and crafts will flood Prince William Fairgrounds for Festival Boliviano (September 1, $25, Manassas).
For more than 45 years, Adams Morgan Day has filled the DC neighborhood—on and around 18th Street and Columbia Road—with live music, family entertainment, and art (September 8, free, Adams Morgan).
Experience the colorful choreography of a Ukrainian dance troupe, traditional crafts, a beer garden, and concerts at Ukrainian Festival (September 13-15, free on Fri for ages 20 and under, $15+ for Sat-Sun, Silver Spring).
Browse arts and crafts, and graze on snacks at the Falls Church Festival (September 14, free, Falls Church).
Celebrate 25 years of Walking Town tours throughout the city (September 14-22, free, various locations).
Race go-karts and jam to local bands at Race the District (September 19-22, free, Union Market).
Kick off fall at Lovettsville Oktoberfest (September 20-22, free, Lovettsville).
Celebrate the life of salsa queen Celia Cruz (September 20, free, but registration encouraged, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Smithsonian American History Museum).
H Street Festival—spanning 11 blocks—showcases local eateries, vendors, and fashions, and offers kids’ activities and contests (September 21, free, H Street Corridor).
Fiesta DC includes a show of ancestral fashions, Latin music, folk dance, and a lively parade on Constitution Avenue (September 28-29, free, Downtown).

Theater:

Oh My Heart, Oh My Home opens at Studio Theatre this month (September 6-22 , $50, Logan Circle).
Broadway hit Jaja’s African Hair Braiding arrives at Arena Stage (September 6 through October 13, $45+, Southwest DC).
Don’t miss The Comeuppance—a new production set in Prince George’s County—at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (September 8 through October 6, $35+, Penn Quarter).
Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors is revived at Shakespeare Theatre Company (September 10 through October 6, $39+, Downtown).
Attend the DC premiere of Primary Trust at Signature Theatre (September 10 through October 20, $40+, Arlington).
Sojourners at Round House Theatre explores the Nigerian-American experience (September 11 through October 6, $50+, Bethesda).
Ford’s Theatre presents one-man show Mister Lincoln (September 20 through October 13, $31+, Penn Quarter).

Shows and performances:

Spend an elegant evening with the Washington Ballet at Wolf Trap (September 5, $34+, Vienna).
DC Originality pays homage to homegrown music heroes (September 10-11, $33+, Kennedy Center).
Watch an insect love story at Cirque du Soleil OVO (September 11-15, $49+, Capital One Arena).
Comedian Kevin Hart does stand-up at DAR Constitution Hall (September 13-15, $141+, Downtown).
Figure out whodunnit in Clue (September 17 through October 6, $29+ Kennedy Center).
Because They’re Funny Comedy Festival is headlined by the hilarious Leslie Jones (September 27-29, $39+, Wharf).

Music:

Attend the National Symphony Orchestra’s annual Labor Day Concert on the West Lawn (September 1, free, US Capitol).
Rock out with Stone Temple Pilots at Jiffy Lube Live (September 4, $32+, Bristow).
Bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana bands play at the Watermelon Pickers’ Fest (September 6-7, $60+, Berryville).
Rosslyn Jazz Fest will be filled with the smooth sounds of contemporary jazz, including performances by locals such as DC vocalist Cecily (September 7, free, Arlington).
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performs at Nationals Park (September 7, $149+, Nationals Park).
Neighbors can watch live music performances across six stages, by local talents like the Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra and folk guitarist Cody Summit, at Takoma Park Folk Festival (September 8, free, Takoma Park).
Lemonheads play songs from their best records at 9:30 Club (September 8, $40, Shaw).
Don’t miss indie rock act Built to Spill’s 30th anniversary tour (September 9, $40, Shaw).
Spend an evening with pop/rock/punk vocalist PJ Harvey at the Anthem (September 11, $55+, Wharf).
Dance DJ Kygo spins electronic tunes at Merriweather Post Pavilion (September 12, $31+, Columbia).
Listen to singer/songwriter James Taylor at Wolf Trap (September 12, 14-15, $65+, Vienna).
The first Weezer show at the Anthem is sold out, but there’s still time to snag a ticket to the group’s second show (September 15, $125+, Wharf).
Enjoy a night of DJ sets and electronic beats in celebration of Hast du Feuer’s second anniversary (September 20, $30+, Chinatown).
Country star Shaboozey sold out both of his shows at the 9:30 Club. Fans can find tickets at third-party sellers (September 21, $114+, Shaw).
After more than a 10-year hiatus, the alt-rock-driven HFStival returns to DC (September 21, $99+, Nationals Park).
The original members of Soul Coughing are playing a sold out show at 9:30 Club (September 28, $140, Shaw).
Gospel artist Kirk Franklin brings the Reunion Tour to DC (September 29, $37+, Capital One Arena).

Exercise and wellness:

Meditate surrounded by nature at Fort Slocum Park with Rock Creek Conservancy and forest therapy guide Sarah DeWitt (September 6, free, Rock Creek Park).
Cruise by landmarks and monuments on a DC Bike Ride (September 7, $85+, Downtown).

Things to do with kids:

Art, agriculture, and family fun is what you can look forward to at the DC State Fair (September 7, free, Downtown).
The 100th Charles County Fair features live music and carnival rides (September 12-15, $10 for adults, free for ages 10 and under, La Plata).
Kiddos can play on rope swings, visit farm animals, venture through a tractor museum, and ride an enormous slide at Cox Farms Festival (September 14 through November 5, $10+, Centreville).
Young children can see Winnie the Pooh live at Imagination Stage (September 18 through October 27, $12+, Bethesda).
Meet farm animals and ride amusement attractions at State Fair of Virginia (September 27 through October 6, $12+, Doswell).

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Washington, D.C

The director of the Congressional Budget Office—known for its gloomy national debt data—is very optimistic that a crisis will be avoided entirely | Fortune

Published

7 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The director of the Congressional Budget Office—known for its gloomy national debt data—is very optimistic that a crisis will be avoided entirely | Fortune

Dr Phillip Swagel is an optimist, both by nature and when he looks at the U.S. economy.

This fact is perhaps at odds with what one might assume: Swagel is the director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan agency that offers independent budgetary and economic analysis to Congress.

Very often—an inevitable occupational hazard—the subject of national debt and the interest the U.S. Treasury pays to maintain is its central focus. The numbers are eye-watering: Public debt stands at more than $39 trillion. The interest expense on that borrowing now exceeds $1 trillion a year. Indeed, the latest budget update from the CBO highlights that the government—according to preliminary estimates—paid out nearly $530 billion between October 2025, when the fiscal year starts, and March 2026. This equates to more than $88 billion in interest payments a month, or more than $22 billion a week.

The CBO’s figures are routinely cited by policymakers, think tanks, and lobbyists as alarming evidence that the U.S. needs to find a more sustainable fiscal path or risk dire straits.

Swagel doesn’t subscribe to the notion that the U.S. will face a crisis of its own making. His justification is simple: He was at the Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis, and joined the CBO months before the COVID pandemic began. He has watched as the U.S. economy, seemingly against all odds, has clawed its way out of economic crises before.

That’s not to say Swagel isn’t a staunch advocate of setting the U.S. on a more sustainable fiscal path—rather, he trusts the people in power to do so when the time comes.

Why the optimism?

Among those concerned about national debt are notable names: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also worried about federal spending and has endorsed a plan floated by Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett that would render members of Congress ineligible for reelection if they allow deficits to exceed 3% of GDP.

On the other hand, optimistic economists suggest that, despite the value of the debt, it’s not actually an issue: the bond market is holding steady, indicating a reliable market of buyers. Likewise, the U.S.’s own central bank buys huge swaths of the debt, meaning, in the simplest of layman’s terms, the economy can essentially print its own money. There are holes in this argument, not least the fact that Fed chairman nominee Kevin Warsh has suggested he would like to reduce the Fed’s balance sheet and may therefore be less inclined to finance borrowing.

Swagel’s positive outlook doesn’t rely on the argument that a crisis hasn’t happened yet, so therefore it never will: “[My optimism] is rooted in my experience,” Swagel tells Fortune in an exclusive interview in Washington D.C. “First being at Treasury during the financial crisis and seeing very difficult times and the country coming together with an effective response—not saying it’s perfect, lots of controversy—but it was effective.”

“The second thing is policymakers are smart, they’re thoughtful. Interacting with members of Congress makes me optimistic. I know you read about all the squabbles … I’m completely aware of this, but the policymakers that are thinking about these things are thoughtful and effective. Not necessarily always effective at passing legislation, but that’s part of our political system, it was set up to make it difficult ot pass legislation.”

Decisions on the horizon

Swagel’s optimism that Congress will be pushed into action will be tested sooner rather than later, likely at some point in the next six years, he told Fortune. This is partly due to the fact that, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) both Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent within that time period.

“Making progress to address the fiscal trajectory would be a positive for the U.S. economy,” Swagel said. “Credible steps would lead to lower interest rates that would make the subsequent adjustment easier, there is a reward to virtue. It’s a positive thing, we can’t go on [with] the scolding narrative. My sense is that members of Congress understand the fiscal situation, it’s not that everyone single one has looked at our one-pager of numbers and understands the debt to the third decimal point, but they understand something needs to be done.”

“It doesn’t have to be done immediately, but at some point reasonably soon.”

Swagel is of the opinion that bond investors haven’t increased risk premiums not because they’re not worried about a fiscal crisis, but because they have priced in preventative action from Congress—in his mind “a vote of confidence that my optimism is not misplaced.”

“As a country, we face up to these problems. It’s not happening now, I’m not sure it’s going to happen in the rest of this year or even the next year, or the next two years. But we will face up to it, and the market in some sense expects us to, because otherwise interest rates would be higher,” he explained.

The Cheesecake Factory

The role of the CBO, to some extent, is to provide policymakers with their options if and when they do choose to take action on federal deficits. It’s a menu not unlike the Cheesecake Factory, Swagel says: Large, inclusive of a range of modifications and options, and delivered without judgement.

“Right now it’s maybe a pick three, and you’re looking at a six or seven course menu,” joked Caleb Quakenbush, director of fiscal policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, in an interview with Fortune. “The longer you delay, the more you’re gonna have to add to your tab, and those options become more expensive.”

Indeed, economists and analysts aren’t necessarily worried about the absolute level of government debt, rather the debt-to-GDP ratio. Depending on whom you ask, the debt-to-GDP ratio stands at around 122% of GDP at present. This measure demonstrates an economy’s spending versus its growth, and the risk associated with lending to a nation that isn’t growing fast enough to handle its spending. To rebalance that ratio, an economy could either cut spending or increase growth—the latter being by far the less painful option.

The growth option is becoming less feasible, Michael Peterson, CEO of fiscal think tank the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, told Fortune in an exclusive interview: “I think it requires government action because we’ve waited so long. We’ve added so many trillions, and the current deficit is so big at 6% that the level of growth you would need really exceeds what is feasible.

“Growth needs to be a part of it, but it’s sort of a vicious cycle. The longer we delay, the more debt we have, the slower growth is going to be. The more we get this under control, I think the greater optimism there is, interest rates go down, more growth comes from that. It’s sort of a virtuous or vicious cycle depending on your policy response.”

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Washington, D.C

12th Honor Flight Tallahassee returns home from successful trip to Washington D.C.

Published

19 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

12th Honor Flight Tallahassee returns home from successful trip to Washington D.C.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Seventy-two veterans took a trip Saturday to our nation’s capital to visit memorials honoring their service in the armed forces.

This year marks the 12th trip to Washington, D.C. for Honor Flight Tallahassee.

Early Saturday morning, veterans and their guardians met to take a charter flight up to D.C.

Throughout the day, veterans were taken to the World War II memorial, as well as the Korean and Vietnam War memorials. The veterans also visited Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

More Tallahassee news:

The day ended with a wonderful welcome home celebration.

Our Jacob Murphey, Julia Miller, Taylor Viles, and Grace Temple accompanied the veterans, capturing moments from throughout the day.

The team will have live coverage from Washington, D.C. on Monday to share more from the day’s events.

We will continue to have coverage throughout the month of May, leading up to our Honor Flight special on Memorial Day.

To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).

Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week

4 things to know about the weather:

Chances of rain in the morning
Gusty Sunday
Chilly Monday
Temps will rise again through the work week

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

After a nice and warm Saturday, changes arrive for part two of the weekend.

The first half of your Sunday will have a chance for showers. Winds will pick up with our next system and are expected to gust to about 20-30 mph. Cooler air will settle in, and lows Sunday night fall into the 40s.

Highs temps Monday will reach only into the mid to upper 50s.

However, temperatures will rise through the week, so you won’t need your jackets every day.