41 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend

Happy Monday, DC!

It’s Summer Restaurant Week. Satisfy your taste buds with local bites and good deals at hundreds of area restaurants. Or, dance along to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits at the local opening of MJ the Musical.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

August 12–August 18

1. 1. Summer Restaurant Week. Catch brunch, lunch, and dinner deals during DC Summer Restaurant Week at more than 300 participating eateries. You can visit new dining rooms such as Mallard, Pastis, Cucina Morini, and Namak for discount bites. Or, stop by longtime favorites like Central or Rasika for more delicious options (Mon-Sun, $25+, various participating locations).
   2. Future and Metro Boomin concert. Atlanta rapper Future and producer Metro Boomin bring their brooding beats and rhymes to Capital One Arena to promote two recent collaborative albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You (Sat, $134+, Capital One Arena).
   3. “MJ the Musical.” The highly-anticipated MJ the Musical arrives at National Theatre after a Tony award-winning stint on Broadway. The touring show created by Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage will run in DC for a few weeks, bringing Michael Jackson’s electrifying hits back to the stage (Tues-September 8, $45+, Downtown).
   4. Arlington County Fair. Arlington County Fair is back this summer at Thomas Jefferson Community Center with a ton of festive fun for all ages. Kids can exercise and venture through obstacle courses on the Kids Court, families can groove to local bands in the entertainment tent, and there’s hotdogs, seafood, and ice cream at Food Truck Alley (Wed-Sun, free, Arlington).
   5. “West Wing” cast at Sixth & I. 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 (Sat, $40 for ticket and signed book, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
   6. Alexandria Restaurant Week. More than 90 eateries and lounges are serving multi-course dinner menus for Alexandria Restaurant Week. Foodies can dine at neighborhood places such as Beeliner Diner, Cheesetique, and Don Taco, for prices starting at $27.50—a nod to Alexandria’s 275th birthday (Fri through August 25, $27+, Alexandria).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• Check out paintings, prints, and other artworks from “Golden: Fifty Years of New Classics” at MOCA Arlington (through September 8, free, Arlington).
• Author Briana Pegado inspires readers to Make Good Trouble. Learn self-care tips from her at Solid State Books (Mon, free, $21 for the book, H Street Corridor).
• Discover DC’s unique places and hidden gems with author JoAnn Hill at the library (Tues, free, Northeast DC).
• YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen visits Sixth & I with his debut book, Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy (Wed, $20+ for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
• Create-your-own leaf rubbing print at Shop Made in DC (Wed, $30, Georgetown).
• Evan Friss surveys the country’s book industry in his new book, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore (Wed, free, Northwest DC).
• View short documentaries and narrative films from local producers and creatives at the DC Black Film Festival at Miracle Theatre (Thurs- August 25, $15+, Eastern Market).
• Artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen makes a DC debut with the multimedia installation “The Island” (Fri-May 4, 2025,  free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
• Make a new friend, or lover, at WHINO’s Single’s Mixer. There’s bingo, speed dating, and a live DJ (Sat, $12+, Arlington).
• Sneaker Con returns to Walter E. Washington Convention Center for a two-day showcase of the trendiest kicks (Sat-Sun, $30+, Mount Vernon Square).
• Attend a collaging workshop with artist Helina Metaferia at the Phillips Collection (Sun, $20, Dupont).

Community and heritage:

• Learn about historic sewn objects from DAR Museum experts (Tues, free, but registration is encouraged, virtual, Downtown).
• Learn about the Civil War and its connection to Western medicine from author Carole Adrienne (Tues, $10, virtual).

Theater and shows:

• Explore the themes of music, family, and Greece in this revival of Mamma Mia! (Tues through September 1, $49+, Kennedy Center).
• Centerstage Academy for the Arts performs In the Heights (Thurs-Fri, $60, Bowie).
• This lively event invites concertgoers to sing-along to a movie screening of The Sound of Music (Fri, $29+, Vienna).
• Comedian and actor Ben Schwartz performs with friends at the Anthem (Fri, $49+, Wharf).

Music and concerts:

• Pianist Five for Fighting plays soft rock music at Lincoln Theatre (Tues, $35, U Street Corridor).
• Supreme Commander, Cryptid Summer, and Drivel rock the library with a rooftop punk concert (Wed, free, MLK Library).
• Go-go groovers The Experience Band & Show perform at Rock the Dock (Wed, free, Wharf).
• Rock out to AFI’s hardcore-punk rhythms at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Thurs, $25+, Columbia).
• ’90s and ’00s beats keep the party vibes going at You Know the Vibes Social Pop Up (Sat, free+, Dupont).

Get involved:

• Participate in a vegetation cleanup of Rosslyn Trail (Tues, free, Arlington).
• Eat sausages, dance to live bands, and go to a foam party for a good cause. Sausagefest at Wunder Garten is helping to raise funds for the new DC LGBTQ+ Community Center (Sat-Sun, free, NoMa).

Bites and beverages:

• The Yards’ first-ever Bark Crawl invites humans and their four-legged companions to bar-hop at area restaurants such as Trouble, La Famosa, and Emmy Squared (Wed, free, Navy Yard).
• Celebrate all things tomato at Common Good City Farm’s Tomato Party (Thurs, free, but donations welcome, Shaw).
• Bourbon connoisseurs and beer aficionados can sample drinks at Virginia Bourbon and Beer Festival (Sat, $40+, Fredericksburg).

Budget-friendly:

• Stroll through the scenic US Botanic Gardens after hours for ice cream and mocktails (Thurs, free, Southwest DC).
• Shop candles, clothes, and other goods from small businesses at the Unique Markets summer pop-up (Sat, free+, Union Market).
• There’s good energy, music, and food trucks at Sandlot Georgetown’s day party (Sat, free+, Georgetown).

Plan ahead: 

• Jerry Seinfield arrives at Wolf Trap to perform two shows (August 19-20, $55+, Vienna).

Things to do with kids:

• It’s the final week to attend the 75th Montgomery County Fair  (closes Sat, $12+ for adults, free for ages 11 and under, Gaithersburg).
• Take your kids to a horse show at Prince William County Fair before it closes (closes Sat, $25 for adults, $15 for children, Manassas).
• There are rides and attractions for kiddos at the Clarke County Fair (closes Sun, $10 for adults, free+ for children, Berryville).
• Students can pick up school supplies and play games at this community field day (Sun, donations welcome, Anacostia).

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