WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington, D.C., is no stranger to weekends filled with activities, but high-profile events over the next few days means security will be ramped up.

In addition to games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, as well as concerts at the RFK Stadium campus festival grounds, there will be World Cup watch parties on the National Mall.

But the main event is the UFC fight at the White House.

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“I can’t wait, I’m looking forward to it! This is my birthday present,” said Amanda Craig, who is visiting from Ireland.

With an event of this scale comes security in full force.

Most roads around the White House and National Mall will be shut down for the weekend.

“We’ve seen a lot of them around. We’ve seen the military police and everything. You definitely feel very secure,” said Ciaron Barr, who traveled from Ireland for the UFC fights.

Officers from city and federal agencies are working together to secure the area around the White House.

“We’re at a full activation. So what that means is that all MPD officers are working. They’ll be on 12-hour shifts to make sure we have adequate staffing across the District for these events and to be inside our patrol districts,” said Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll at a press conference earlier in the week.

However, people in town for the events told 7News the inconvenience of the road closures actually provides peace of mind.

“Security feels good. The road closures are a little bit of a hassle, but we’ve been able to work around it just fine. I feel pretty good. I feel pretty safe,” said Rendi Crabb, who is in town for the UFC events.

Jacob Mishler, also in town for the fight, added: “If we came here and didn’t see a lot of security, we were going to be a little bit cautious about how we went about the event. It seems like they’ve got things taken care of. I feel pretty comfortable.”

Security is not the only aspect of public safety top of mind.

The heat and humidity is expected to be unrelenting this weekend.

MPD posted a video on X providing safety tips, including how to avoid heat illness.

“We’ve been very diligent on keeping bottles of water on us. There’s been plenty of water to fill up the bottles. But yes, the heat and temperatures have been a concern,” said Robert Fowler, who is in town to go to UFC events.

Storms are also a possibility.

One group of friends told 7News they are not worried about this.

“If there’s a thunderstorm at home, we’re in our front yard watching it, so we keep our eyes on the thunderstorms,” said Carly Mishler, who is in town for UFC. “We have four sets of eyes on the thunderstorms, so we’ve got a lot of people looking out for us.”

Public safety leaders are also urging visitors to make a plan in the event of an emergency.

“The more information you can give as a caller to the 911 call takers, the better they’re going to be able to both identify the location that you’re in and help first responders get to you, whether that’s cross streets, identifying the nearest cross streets you’re at, or identifying easily recognizable monuments,” said D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Osborn at a press conference earlier in the week.

WASHINGTON – Officials with the Arkansas National Guard said 100 soldiers have been deployed to Washington, D.C.

Officials said the Thursday deployment was of 100 members of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The deployment is federally funded, they added.

The deployed soldiers are part of a routine rotational relief for members of the Arkansas Guard’s 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, currently in Washington.

They are deployed to assist the metropolitan police force as part of the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” summer operation, officials said. Duties for the mission include visible presence patrols aimed at reducing crime and maintaining public safety, officials added.

A group opposed to the installation of Donald Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has installed a remote camera so people can watch the removal live if and when it happens. The administration has been ordered to remove Trump’s name by Friday.

The livestreaming camera is situated across the street from the Kennedy Center in an undisclosed location. Its lens is trained on the front of the building, where the removal is expected take place.

Late last month, a federal judge in D.C. ordered Trump’s name be removed from the building and a two-year closure for renovations also be stopped.

“I was actually listening to WTOP in the car. I recorded it because I was so happy when I heard it,” said Chris Raleigh with the group Hands Off the Arts, referring to the announcement that the administration must remove Trump’s name from the building.

The president’s name has already been removed from the official government website and related printed and digital branding.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees exceeded its authority when it unilaterally rebranded the institution as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” Cooper ruled Trump’s name must be removed by Friday, June 12.

“The president meant it as a symbol of domination, that I am in charge, that this is what I want, and I don’t care what anyone else wants,” said Raleigh.

His group is running the live camera because if Trump’s name is removed in the middle of the night, they will have footage of it and people can see it.

“I think we were all upset as a city and as a country when we saw Trump illegally put his name up there because it’s a memorial to a president who was killed in the line of duty,” Raleigh said.

The judge ruled that Congress created and named the Kennedy Center and that only Congress has the authority to rename it.

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