Weekend Round Up August 27, 2026
By • August 27, 2026 0 431
Catch two gallery talks about single works of art on Friday, one at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the other at the National Museum of Asian Art. Then roll gnocchi at La Cosecha. This weekend’s musical artists: Breonna Sharde’, Secret Society and Son Cubano Subterraneo. Remember: Summer Restaurant Week ends this Sunday. Be seated!
Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 27, the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW, is open from 5 to 8 p.m. The garden’s Summer Evening Hours, a free drop-in program on the Conservatory Terrace, features live music by Breonna Sharde’ — a blend of “soul, jazz, and bossa nova with a vibrant hint of disco.” Available for purchase: lemonade, botanical non-alcoholic mocktails and snacks from Vintage Views and gourmet ice cream and non-dairy sorbet from Here’s The Scoop.
Also tonight, Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m., Bold Fork Books, 3064 Mount Pleasant St. NW, hosts food writer and recipe developer Grace Elkus, a former editor at Real Simple and The Kitchn, in conversation with Jaicel Asegurado about “Protein-Packed Vegetarian,” Elkus’s debut cookbook. Tickets on Eventbrite are $14.97 or $40 with a signed copy of the cookbook.
On Friday, Aug. 28, at 12:15 p.m., Janina López, the Will Barnet Foundation Predoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 800 G St. NW, will give a half-hour Art Bites Gallery Talk on Frank Romero’s 1986 painting “Death of Rubén Salazar.” Following an anti-Vietnam War protest in East Los Angeles, Salazar and two others were killed when police fired tear-gas canisters into the Silver Dollar Bar and Café. Meet in the G Street lobby. The talk is free, with registration encouraged.
Then, at 3 p.m. on Friday, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW, will present a 20-minute spotlight talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia, on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia. Nearly 20 feet long, the newly conserved 11th-century sculpture “Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean” — originally part of a temple in Angkor — depicts the Hindu deity dreaming the universe into existence.
Also on Friday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., La Cosecha (Spanish for “the harvest”), 1280 4th St. NE in Union Market District, hosts R&B & Gnocchi Nights: Rollin With the Classics, an interactive pasta-making experience. Guided by Chef Cassandra, participants will make potato gnocchi from scratch “while vibing to a curated R&B soundtrack.” Tickets are $65 on CocuSocial.
Feel-good band Secret Society will give a free Rock the Dock concert on the Transit Pier floating stage at The Wharf, 970 Wharf St. SW, on Friday at 7 p.m. Attendees can bring in food from any Wharf restaurant or purchase pizza at Union Pie’s stageside kiosk. On the pier, Cantina Bambina sells Pacifico beer and mixed drinks.
The Sovereign, 1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW, welcomes Bob Montgomery of Hill Farmstead Brewery — founded in 2010 in Greensboro, Vermont — to lead a Rare Beer Tasting on Saturday, Aug. 29, from noon to 2:30 p.m. The array of lagers and ales will include Civil Disobedience: Blend #30 and Soignée: Plum & Raspberry Pomace. To be swallowed by each participant: one full-size beer and seven four-ounce pours. Tickets are $143.34.
Hill Family Biking’s Back to School Ride and Block Party, on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., combines a four-mile progressive bike ride with a block party at School Within School, 920 F St. NE. Riders can join at any Capitol Hill school on the route or start at School Within School. The block party attractions include a DJ, a foam machine, mural making with Chalk Riot, a balance bike course, a food truck, free Bread Par Avion cookies and a raffle for Daily Rider gift cards. Admission is free.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, from 7 to 10 p.m., the free Sounds of Africa Concert Series at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW, will feature Son Cubano Subterraneo playing Cuban son [rhymes with “tone”], the musical style at the core of salsa. The band’s members are singer Steven Falcon, Cuban tres player Josh Schneck, conga player Fran Vielma, bongo player and hand percussionist Eduardo Padua, guitarist Cristian Perez and bassist Jimmy Rioja. Drinks will be available for purchase.
Also on Saturday, Things To Do DC invites area residents to join a Full Moon Margarita Cruise, an hour of Potomac River sailing offering views of illuminated bridges, memorials and monuments, plus a cash bar and $5 margarita specials. The boat boards promptly at 8:45 p.m. at the westernmost part of the boardwalk at 3100 K St. NW. Tickets are $40.29 on Eventbrite.
Performers between the ages of 13 and 18 can enroll in an Audition Workshop for Teens on Sunday, Aug. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. The workshop will explore key audition techniques, provide individualized feedback and enable participating teens to practice in a low-pressure setting. Tuition is $125 (to inquire about need-based partial scholarships, email [email protected]).
Metropolitan Washington Summer Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, Aug. 30, with participating restaurants — including 15 in Georgetown, from 1789 and Alara to L’Avante-Garde and La Bonne Vache — offering three-course brunches and lunches for $25 or $35 and three-course dinners for $40, $55 or $65.
