Maryland
Petworth Porchfest and other things to do in DC, Maryland & Virginia
WASHINGTON – The fourth annual Petworth Porchfest returns to Northwest, D.C. Here’s everything you need to know and other things to do around D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
This volunteer-led event is put together by a passionate group of Petworth residents. The free event is inspired by other PorchFests throughout D.C. that create an opportunity to connect with the community after a global pandemic. Learn more about the festival here.
Grab a friend and put your knowledge of the decades to the test. Enjoy a night filled with throwback moments and a blast from the past. Find out how to secure your team’s spot here.
The Georgetown BID is hosting their 21st annual Georgetown French Market this weekend, April 26 – 28. This family-friendly open-air market will feature sidewalk sales and specials from more than 40 locally-owned boutiques, cafés, and galleries along Wisconsin Avenue from O St to Reservoir Road. The event will also include live music, stilt-walkers, face painting, a mime, and more. Learn more about the event here.
The Black & Forth Farmers Market is returning for a jammed-packed weekend. This market will feature fresh fruit, veggies, fresh crabs, water, herbs, breads, pastries, juices, and popcorn for purchase. The market will offer the makings of a block party. Check out the full lineup here.
The DC Chocolate Festival is a celebration of artisan and fine chocolate from the Mid-Atlantic. This event brings together over 30 chocolate vendors and thousands of chocolate lovers for a day of tasting, talking, and learning. Learn how you can attend the event here.
Calling all plant and nature lovers. This fair is the perfect event to explore the widest selection of cacti and succulents. Continue the celebration of Earth Day with this amazing event that will feature nature and learning. Click here to secure your ticket.
Put on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and dust off your cowboy boots. This festival brings the spirit of the Wild West to Shipgarten, featuring toe-tappin’ tunes, delicious food, and a down-home atmosphere that will have you ready to hop in the saddle. Learn more about the festival here.
This family-friendly festival is a great way to enjoy the excitement of superheros like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man. Enjoy free face painting, arts and crafts, live music, and moonbounces. Check out the full lineup here.
Grab your running shoes and get ready to enjoy the warm weather for a cause. This track meet is in honor of the late Devin Alexander Brewer, a champion track athlete. Learn more about the event here and how you can sign up for the Young Simba Scholarship.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, data show.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, according to new data.
They ranked third in the nation in their students’ reading recovery rates, and were fifth in math recovery, according to the 2025 Education Scorecard from Harvard and Stanford Universities and Dartmouth College.
D.C. led the U.S. in math and reading recovery.
The data was presented at the Maryland State Board of Education meeting Thursday.
Trish Brennan-Gac, executive director of literacy nonprofit Maryland READS, said the state board is correct to celebrate gains in reading, but proficiency is “nowhere near where we need to be.”
“It is not that we are No. 3-ranked in reading proficiency,” she told WTOP. “It’s a rate of change, and we are making a faster rate of change,” than most school districts nationally.
Brennan-Gac was at the meeting to ask that the state board consider ways to reduce the use of technology in classroom instruction and support a return to print and textbooks in schools.
“This is no longer a fringe concern. It is a growing movement, and it’s not about social media and phones,” she told the board.
Brennan-Gac said the board and Maryland schools superintendent Carey Wright can take a “visible meaningful leadership role.”
“You can develop transition guidance and funding pathways for districts that are ready to move now, and send a clear signal to the field that Maryland prioritizes developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to brain research that shows how books, not tech-based platforms, are effective in wiring kids’ brains for reading,” she said.
The Maryland State Department of Education has issued guidance to school districts on the use of cellphones in schools, and this year issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence. In both instances, the state has made clear that it leaves implementation of policies to individual school districts.
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