Weekend Round Up August 13, 2026
By • August 13, 2026 0 576
Tomatoes and tiramisu, spies and basketball players — this weekend’s got it all. Watch hot air balloons ascend in Fort Washington. Observe a tea ceremony at the National Press Club. Festival options: African diaspora films at George Washington University, Asian food across from the National Gallery and dinosaurs at Because Science.
Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., celebrate Solanum lycopersicum at a Tomato Party at Common Good City Farm, 300 V St. NW. Attendees will taste tomato varieties, eat foods made from tomatoes and take part in tomato-themed crafts and games. Admission is free, but — since the party is also a back-to-school fundraiser — you can make a donation to support the farm’s food access and youth programs, drop off new school supplies or donate at the bar in return for a mocktail or cocktail.
The National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C St. NW, is offering a free, one-hour Guided Tour of its headquarters, designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924, on Friday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. The tour of the building, which features classical, Byzantine, Egyptian and Art Deco motifs, visits the Great Hall, with iconography by Hildreth Meière, ceremonial rooms with architectural sculpture by Lee Lawrie and murals by Albert Herter and, in the 1970 wing, the Fred Kavli Auditorium.
Gates open at Rosecroft Raceway, 6336 Rosecroft Drive in Fort Washington, Maryland, at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, and Saturday, Aug. 15, for the DC Hot Air Balloon Festival. In addition to viewing the balloons — and taking a ride on a tethered one, weather permitting ($35, sold onsite only) — festivalgoers can eat, browse vendors, move to a DJ and visit a Kids Zone. Around 9 p.m., there will be a Hot Air Balloon Glow & Laser Show with music-synced balloon burns. Blankets and chairs are welcome. Single-day admission on Eventbrite is $33.85 for age 18 and up; $17.85 for ages 5 to 17.
As part of the three-day African Diaspora International Film Festival at George Washington University, the new documentary “A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Nonviolence,” directed by Karen Hayes, will be screened on Friday, Aug. 14, and Sunday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m. The Friday screening, at GW’s University Student Center, 800 21st St. NW, will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. VIP reception at Bindaas, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Sunday’s screening — following a 5:30 p.m. catered reception at the Student Center — is a benefit, with half the proceeds going to support the filmmaker and help complete production financing. Both screenings include a Q&A. Tickets are $30 for the Friday screening only, $45 for the Friday reception and screening and $40 for the Sunday reception and screening.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, at 12:30 p.m., Spyher’s Georgetown Spy Tour will set out from 30th and R Streets NW, by Oak Hill Cemetery. Participants visit sites with a former intelligence officer, who will share personal anecdotes and talk about the roles that residents played in espionage during World War II and the Cold War. After testing the theory of impersonal communication by reading a signal site and unloading a dead drop, the tour ends at Martin’s Tavern at 2 p.m. Tickets on Eventbrite are $86.66; $47.70 for ages 9 to 13.
A tea master from Kyoto and dedicated members of the Omotesenke School in the U.S. will conduct two public Omotesenke Tea Ceremonies (Shimin Chakai) on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the National Press Club, 519 14th St. NW. Premium matcha green tea will be paired with traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi) “with the utmost mindfulness and hospitality.” Seatings are at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.19 on Eventbrite.
“Sprinting towards the playoffs,” the WNBA’s Washington Mystics face the Los Angeles Sparks at CareFirst Arena, 1100 Oak Drive SE, on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m. Billed as Her Time to Play presented by CarMax, the night celebrates girls and women in basketball and the game’s ability to inspire. Tickets start at $114.95.
Visiting 20 cities, Panda Fest — which will take over Pennsylvania Avenue near 6th Street NW on Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16 — is one of the largest outdoor Asian food festivals in the U.S. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. At the event: over 90 food vendors, over 40 merchandise vendors, tastings, cultural showcases, a Panda inflatable and a Panda bounce house. Timed admission is $14 (age 6 and up), which includes a customized Panda pin “with DC feature” and a headband.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16, Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW (rear), presents “I Got Life: The Music of Nina Simone,” featuring vocalist Carol Riddick and bassist Gerald Veasley. Not including $7 in fees and a $15 food-and-beverage minimum, tickets are $60 on Saturday at 7 p.m., $50 on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. and $35 on Sunday at 5:30 and 8 p.m.
Because Science, a woman-owned science gift shop and event space at 1759 Columbia Road NW, hosts a Dinosaur Festival in its Craft Lab on Sunday, Aug. 16, from noon to 6 p.m. Designed for children aged 5 to 12, the festival invites families to discover the world of dinosaurs through free activities — including DIY Dino Magnets from 1 to 3 p.m. and DIY Dino Mask from 3 to 5 p.m. — and two $8 ticketed workshops: Dino Egg Smash! from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and Dino Terrarium Ornament from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Registration is available on Eventbrite.
On Sunday, Aug. 16, from 3 to 5 p.m., Italian-trained chef and coffee sommelier Antonia Petaccio leads a Traditional Tiramisu Making Workshop, also highlighting Takoma-based small-batchers Lost Sock Roasters, at Shop Made in DC, 1304 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Participants will build tiramisus to take home with a bag of Lost Sock coffee and “Antonia’s most meaningful tiramisu recipe.” Tickets are $53.55 on Eventbrite.
The Fix Community Darkroom, 4051 34th St. in Mount Rainier, Maryland, is offering a Photogram Workshop on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. In this hands-on introduction to the art of photograms, participants (age 13+) will learn their way around the darkroom while creating camera-less photographs using light, objects and photographic paper. No experience is required and all materials are provided. Tickets are $55.20 on Eventbrite.
