A Guide to D.C.’s Best Annual Events
The District’s best festivals include both neighborhood celebrations and performances on the national stage. Visit Washington D.C. during one of the following events, and expect to be treated to theatre exhibitions, musical performances, art showcases, and cultural cuisine.
Season: Spring
Event: Cherry Blossom Festival
“Festival” is a term somewhat loosely applied to the activities surrounding Cherry Blossom season. What takes place is more of an association of celebrations, all of which encourage tourists to visit the District at its most beautiful. The early spring events include guided tours of the city’s best blooms, bike tours with knowledgeable park rangers, exhibitions of Japanese art, sporting events, and fireworks cruises on the Potomac. Most events are free to the public, and the omnipresent blossoms are sure to make your vacation more memorable and photogenic.
Visit: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
Season: Spring
Event: Earth Day on the National Mall
The Mall hosts the largest Earth Day celebration in the world, incorporating the nationally renowned Green Apple music festival. The events operate free-of-charge, though they come with a healthy political earful about the virtues of going green. Guests at the 2008 festival enjoyed performances by the Roots, O.A.R., and Toots and the Maytalls, as well as speeches by Chevy Chase and Edward Norton. While exhibitions on green technology and environmental action take place on the Mall’s expansive lawn, most of the musicians perform at D.C.’s major venues.
Visit: http://www.greenapplemusicfestival.com/
Season: Summer
Event: Capital Fringe Fest
Fringe Fest’s tagline promises “unjuried, risk-taking, independent performing arts,” and delivers D.C.’s wildest mix of events over a period of about two weeks in July. Performers include comedians, political playwrights, vaudevillians, and other promoters of on-stage mayhem. It’s an ideal program for theatre lovers, and other visitors are certain to find a light-hearted improv troupe or critically acclaimed play to suit their interests. During the festival’s zenith it sponsors upwards of twenty events in a single evening, so there are plenty of performances from which to choose.
Visit: http://www.capitalfringe.org/fringe-festival.html
Season: Summer
Event: Smithsonian Folklife Festival
This annual “international exposition of living cultural heritage” takes place on the lawn of the National Mall and runs for two weeks in July. Artists, storytellers, performers, craftspeople, and musicians congregate to share and celebrate their cultural traditions with the museum-going public, who can enjoy the free-of-charge festival at leisure. In the evenings, the Smithsonian sponsors outdoor concerts that are cultural explorations in their own right. This year’s festival featured a celebration of Texan music, exhibits on the art of Bhutan, and a tribute to NASA.
Visit: http://www.folklife.si.edu/center/festival.html
Season: Fall
Event: Adams Morgan Day
Adams Morgan is one of D.C.’s most culturally diverse areas, and its annual street fair reflects its composition. Political demonstrators, cultural dancers, craft merchants, and food vendors assemble to celebrate the neighborhood every September. Dance troupes hold workshops to instruct community members on their art, while clowns and carnival games entertain children. First-time visitors to the area will be able to enjoy the Morgan’s sundry ethnic cuisines in a lively street fair setting, and local entertainers provide family-friendly fun.
Visit: http://www.ammainstreet.org/
Season: Fall
Event: Duke Ellington Jazz Festival
This city-wide jazz celebration typically takes place in early October, when the District enjoys its finest weather. Over a hundred acts perform in the space of a few days, inhabiting the city’s most celebrated music venues and jazz clubs. The festival also organizes parties for jazz-based mingling, classes in jazz technique, and a “Jazz n’ Families” fun day that encourages the younger generation to explore the music’s complexities. If you’re not jazz-obsessed, you’ll at least enjoy the festival’s free performance event on the National Mall.
Visit: http://www.dejazzfest.org/
Depending on price and the location of your accommodations, your itinerary to D.C. may include flights into Reagan National Airport, Dulles Airport or Baltimore’s BWI Airport. Be sure to check out Hotels Cheap for the best discounted hotel rates.
Categories: Things to Do
