Weekend Roundup: MLK Weekend Packed With Music, Theater & Ways to Give Back
By • January 14, 2026 0 295
We are over halfway through January already! Celebrate the legacy of service this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and make a difference in your community. There’s also new exhibits at the Phillips Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture and more.
Grammy Nominated Singer Christie Dashiell Will Be at the Strathmore
Courtesy Strathmore.
Christie Dashiell, a Grammy-nominated singer, composer and educator, will be at the Mansion at Strathmore Sunday for two performances at 4 and 7 p.m. Dashiell was born in D.C. and raised in North Carolina and is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. She was a 2014 Strathmore Artist in Residence. More information on how to get tickets can be found here.
‘Stomp’ into the National Theatre This Weekend
The percussion sensation “Stomp” is celebrating 30 years this year with a touring troupe. They’ll be stomping by the National Theatre this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a 105-minute show. The show will have the group utilize all sorts of instruments like matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans and more to play music. More information on how to get tickets to the performances can be found here. Note: there is no intermission during the show.
Mosaic Theater Company Presents ‘Remembering John Lewis: Good Trouble and the Black-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance’
Courtesy Mosaic.
Part of the Young John Lewis Reflection Series, Mosaic Theater Company is presenting “Remembering John Lewis: Good Trouble and the Black-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance.” The free performances are part of Mosaic’s partnership with Adas Israel Congregation and its church and gospel partners for the annual MLK weekend days of inspiration. From a Sunday community day of service to shabbat, Mosaic and Adas will share musical inspirations, stories and more from Lewis’ life. More information can be found here.
The Phillips Collection Presents a New Exhibit Based on the Works of Peter Campus
Courtesy Phillips Collection.
Opening Saturday and running through May 3 at the Phillips Collection is an exhibit focused on the work of new media artist Peter Campus. The exhibit mixes one of Campus’s early videos from the 1970s with a selection of landscape videos known as “The Phillips Quartets.” The suites four videos will be shown together for the first time and will also be joined by three works that have never been publicly shown. More information on the exhibit can be found here.
Ford’s Theatre’s New Plays Festival ‘A First Look’ is This Weekend
A photo from a previous Ford’s Theatre First Look. Photo courtesy Ford’s Theatre.
A free, two-day festival from Ford’s Theatre gives audiences a rare opportunity to see the development of new historical dramas. The festival offers stage readings of plays and a closer look at the creation of stories and characters rich in history. The 2026 iteration will showcase readings of three currently in development works. More information can be found here.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture Debuts ‘At the Vanguard’
Courtesy NMAAHC.
A new exhibit called “At the Vanguard” opens Friday at the NMAAHC. The exhibit will weave together stories of artistry, ingenuity and resistance through collections from universities like Florida A&M, Tuskegee and Texas Southern and more. The exhibit celebrates how Historically Black Colleges and Universities preserve history and shape the future. More information can be found here.
Take Part in a Day of Service in Honor of MLK Day
Courtesy Eventbrite.
There will be a community service day at Oxon Run Park in SE D.C. on MLK Day at 1 p.m. Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Chesapeake Climate Action Network, DC Greens, Friends of Oxon Run and Casey Trees. Volunteers should meet at The Well at Oxon Run and then will break up into groups and begin working in the forested area to remove invasives and care for trees. More information can be found here.
Take a Guided Tour of the MLK Memorial
This weekend, honor and celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK Jr. Memorial dedication in 2011. Photo by Jeff Malet.
Did you know there are free, 30-minute guided tours by a park ranger at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on Saturdays and Sundays? They begin at 2 p.m. and are weather permitting. More information can be found here.
Barnes & Noble Georgetown to Host Two Authors
Head to the Georgetown Barnes & Noble Saturday at 4 p.m. for a book talk with author Christina Kovac in conversation with novelist Angie Kim. Kovac is the author of the Georgetown thriller “Watch Us Fall.” More information on how to register can be found here.
