Greetings, Greater Washington! We’ve got an awesome array of events this weekend:
MUSIC …
The DC Jazz Festival starts now! Head to 6th & I Synagogue, The Hamilton, Howard Theatre, The Phillips Collection, The Kennedy Center, and Bohemian Caverns for incredible live music; full schedule right here. And on Sunday at 3:00 PM, the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras presents the “Grand Finale” concert, opening with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis; learn more this way.
NATURE…
On Saturday, celebrate National Trails Day with Potomac Conservancy from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM: restore the towpath and trails, prune back vegetation, and clean up the River Center area (and enjoy live music!). You can also celebrate with Rock Creek Conservancy, which will offer everything from Beginner Bird Walks to Trail Maintenance to an Historic Garden Trails Tour; check it out! Plus, help to control dangerous storm water runoff by planting native plants and flowers with Anacostia Watershed Society at 10:00 AM at Bladensburg Waterfront Park (NOW FULL). Take a Green Home & Garden Tour with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment on Sunday at 1:00 PM; and check out the tour booklet right here.
COMMUNITY …
Don’t miss the the 1st Chess Challenge in DC Citywide Middle School Chess Tournament on Saturday, starting at 8:30 AM at Wilson High School (200+ participants seem likely!). Also on Saturday morning, have a taste of genuine coffee culture as Computer CORE students present an Ethiopian and Eritrean Coffee Ceremony in Alexandria; call (703) 931-7346 x103 to learn more.
Make sure to swing by Trinity University athletic field before 3:00 PM to catch the DC SCORES Jamboree! and celebrate 800 poet-athletes’ accomplishments during a day of soccer and other activities. And from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts presents the FREE Wellness Works! kick-off event, which will inspire District residents and their families to lead healthier lives through stress reduction, exercise, and better nutrition.
DANCE …
Starting this week, the Artland Temporium project presented by Dance Place brings three months of free cultural events to Brookland’s Monroe Street area: arts exhibits, dance, music, poetry readings, workshops, and games. On Saturday & Sunday at Winston Churchill High School, see what Joy of Motion‘s young dancers have learned and how they’ve progressed over the past year: four shows!
THEATER …
At Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, starting this week, survivors of the apocalypse will invent a new entertainment industry from the ashes of the old in Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a post-electic play; nab your tickets right here. On Friday at 10:00 PM, the Charlie Visconage Show, a live, weekly late-night talk show with artists, comes to DCAC; on Saturday at 10:00 PM, head on back for DADA Returns, featuring “Handkerchief of Clouds” by Tristan Tzara and “Manifestival” by the Dadaists.