Weekend Roundup, Oct. 19 – 22
By • October 19, 2023 0 1055
Another busy autumn weekend awaits! We’re welcoming back The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Volta Park’s Fall Festival and Mount Vernon’s Fall Festivals are Saturday, Oak Hill Cemetery is hosting one of its two annual “Dog Days” and so much more. Enjoy your weekend!
Welcome Back, National Museum of Women in the Arts!
The National Museum of Women in the Arts reopens Saturday after over two years of renovations. They’ll be celebrating with immersive exhibits, including “The Sky’s the Limit,” where contemporary sculptures dangle from the ceiling. The museum has expanded and enhanced the overall visitor experience. To celebrate opening weekend, admission will be free Saturday and Sunday. Don’t miss the interactive activities, live performances and on-site art-making. More information can be found here.
Collection galleries at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Photo by Jennifer Hughes. Courtesy NMWA.
Wolf Trap Welcomes Sam Bush
Bluegrass musician Sam Bush is at The Barns at Wolf Trap this Sunday. Bush is the winner of a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association. He’ll be performing songs from his most recent album, “Radio John: Songs of John Hartford,” which pays tribute to a longtime friend. More information on the show can be found here.
Sam Bush. Courtesy Wolf Trap.
Spooky “Soul Strolls” Begin at Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery is hosting “Soul Strolls” beginning Friday and running October 21, 27, and 28. The guided walking tours highlight tragic tales from Congressional Cemetery’s residents. Guests will learn their stories brought back to life by actors. More information on the eerie tours can be found here.
Titanic: The Exhibition Opens
National Harbor will host “Titanic: The Exhibition” beginning Friday through December 10. The exhibit takes guests on a narrative adventure, highlighting the fates and lives of passengers and crew aboard the doomed ship. Artifacts from the ship, along with around 200 other objects, will bring a human side to the tragic story. Expect life-size recreations of some of the ship’s interiors and learn more about its history through music, sound effects, and audio guides. More information on how to get tickets can be found here.
Mount Vernon’s Fall Harvest Festival is This Weekend
Celebrate all autumn has to offer at Mount Vernon with visit from General Washington himself, demonstrations on 18th century cooking, candle-making, textiles, and more. Kids are encouraged to learn 18th century games, take part in a straw bale maze, and of course there will be warm, freshly baked bread from Half Crown Bakehouse cooked in a reproduction 18th century clay oven. More information on the festival can be found here.
Cathedral Choral Society, Washington Bach Consort Partner to Celebrate
Sunday at 4 p.m., visit Washington National Cathedral for the Cathedral Choral Society and Washington Bach Consort’s performance of baroque music from Mexico City’s Catedral Metropolitana de la Asuncion de la Bienventurada Virgen Maria a los cielos. The cathedral was built European-style, directly on top of an Aztec temple, in sections from 1573 to 1813. Cathedral Choral Society and the Washington Bach Consort will perform works by Joan Batista Sanxo, Ignacio de Jerusalem and Manuel de Zumaya, as well as others. More information on this event can be found here.
“Arts for All! Children’s Fest Celebrates Youth and the Arts
Bethesda’s Imagination Stage is hosting a festival for children October 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free event will be a celebration of workshops and performances geared toward children ages 1 through 8. There will also be a sensory-friendly room for those who may want quiet time. It will include calming fidgets, coloring pages and allergy-friendly Play Dough. More information on this festival can be found here.
Speaking of Kids… Kids Euro Fest is Back!
Don’t miss one of the country’s biggest performing arts festivals October 21. There will be multiple events across the D.C. area, including performances by the Portuguese Toy Opera, a Spanish theatrical show about the life of Picasso and a French screening of the popular Disney movie Ratatouille. More information and the full schedule of events can be found here.
From last year’s Kids Euro Fest.
See “POLIS” at the Dupont Underground
POLIS, an exhibition drawn from the archives of the European Prize for Urban Public Space, will be on view this evening through November 19. Under the commission of the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in the U.S. and corresponding with the Spanish presidency of the European Union, the Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona is showing a revised version of POLIS. The exhibit will be a journey through 25 projects showing the improvement of public spaces in Spanish cities. More information on the exhibit can be found here.
Poster for an earlier POLIS show. This one, at Dupont Underground, however, features 25 spaces…
Washington Master Chorale Opens Their Season
The Washington Master Chorale presents “I, Too, Sing America” Sunday at The Church of the Epiphany at 1317 G St. NW. The concert will celebrate contributions by modern Black American composers. The music of Mason Bynes will be highlighted, including the world premiere of his new work “Dust Bowl,” based on Langston Hughes’s poem of the same name. More information on the show can be found here.
Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW.
Don’t Miss It: Friends of Volta Park’s Fall Festival is Saturday
Enjoy community fun time at the Friends of Volta Park’s Fall Festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Expect live music from the bluegrass band “Split String Soup,” food from Georgetown University’s Grilling Society, carnival games, a bounce house, face painting and more. More information on the event can be found here.
The “Sports Club” bounce was a popular activity at a previous Volta Park Fall Festival. Georgetowner photo.
Bring Fido to Oak Hill Cemetery’s Annual Fall Dog Day
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., bring your pup to Oak Hill Cemetery’s twice-a-year dog day. The free community event happens once in the fall and again in the spring. Donations are accepted toward the Bigelow Iron Fence Restoration along R St. NW. Water and waste bags will be provided. More information on the event can be found here.
A photo from Spring 2023’s Oak Hill Cemetery Dog Day. Courtesy Oak Hill Cemetery.
