Break out your favorite fall jacket if you haven’t already. The new season is here along with a cool weekend weather report with lows in the 50s and a welcome break from this week’s seemingly constant rain.
DC is marking the end of September with the annual Art All Night event across the city, autumn-themed festivals, Latino and Turkish cultural months — plus unexpected finds like opera at Nationals Park.
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Art: DC shows off its creative side this Saturday with Art All Night: Made in DC. It’s a free festival that showcases all forms of art that come out of the District, such as painting, photography, crafts, fashion, theater, dance, sculpture, fashion, music, film and poetry. The city stays out late for this annual event — from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Sunday — to find art all over town. Find the events in eight neighborhoods: Shaw, Tenleytown, Minnesota Avenue, North Capitol, Dupont Circle, H Street NE, Congress Heights and Deanwood. Thank Mayor Muriel Bowser, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development for collaborating on this year’s event.
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Adult-Oriented Fall Festival: Autumn is underway, especially in NoMa, where Wunder Garten is hosting Oktoberfest this whole weekend. Doors open on Friday at 3 p.m., and then the first keg is tapped at 4 p.m. Drinking and music (including classic German tunes and DJ Reuben) goes until midnight. The fun continues from noon to midnight on Saturday. Watch the Bavarian Olympics and stein-holding competition from 4 to 7 p.m., with music all day. Then on Sunday things wind down from noon to 10 p.m. with Dogtoberfest from 2 to 6 p.m. and music until 4 p.m. Cafe Berlin will serve traditional German food all three days.
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Family-Friendly Fall Festival: For a seasonal event you can bring the kids to, go north to Petworth for the Fall Fun Fest at the Armed Forces Retirement Home at Rock Creek Church Road and Randolph Street NW from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Timeless games like bobbing for apples and a pumpkin carving contest will engage the whole family. Then explore special interests with an auto show, music, an art show, a petting zoo and more. Food, drinks and live music from DJ Billy White and Karen Collins & The Backroads Band will keep the energy going throughout the day. Friends of the Soldiers Home suggests a $10 donation per group.
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Music: Baseball lovers and opera lovers unite this Saturday for Opera in the Outfield. The Washington National Opera will present a simulcast of its production of The Barber of Seville — and it’s free for everyone. Doors open at 5 p.m.; the show starts at 7 p.m. Seating is available in the stands as well as the outfield grass, so bring a fabric blanket if you’d like to stretch out. Wristbands for field access will be distributed beginning at 5 p.m. from a table near the Center Field Plaza.
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Ward 8 Neighborhoods: The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum hosts its second annual Community Block Party this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day’s free activities celebrate A Right to the City, a current exhibition at the museum that looks back at the history of neighborhood change and civic engagement in DC (read more about the exhibit here). Visitors will enjoy food trucks, art activities, a marketplace, and a dance floor with live entertainment by Crazee Praise Nation, Blackbyrds, Black Alley, and the Musicianship Washington Youth Choir with an Aretha Franklin tribute.
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Ward 2 Neighborhoods: Bask in Georgetown’s rich history with a Literary Walking Tour on Saturday. From noon to 2 p.m., professional tour guide Dwane Starlin will share information about homes connected to such famous writers as John Kennedy, Sinclair Lewis, Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn, Katherine Anne Porter and Herman Wouk. The walk costs $19.90 to $22, with free admission available for kids 3 and under. It begins at 27th and Q streets NW, near the east garden of Dumbarton House.
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Food and Drink: Dine on DC delights from vendors such as DC Empanadas, DC Slices, Tapas Truck, Red Hook Lobster Pound and Taco’s Matadores at Truckeroo, which gathers the best food trucks in the District each month. The event runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. this Friday in the Bullpen at 1201 Half St. SE. It’s sponsored by DC’s Mix 107.3 radio station.
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International Culture: The Turkish Festival on Sunday honors Turkish Heritage Month. Organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC, the event cultivates understanding between Turkey and the U.S. Each year, approximately 20,000 people enjoy the free activities that include food, music, dance, arts, crafts, fortune telling and more. The fair is at Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 12th and 14th streets from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Local Culture: Fiesta DC (also known as the Latino Festival) is this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Constitution Avenue NW from 9th and 14th streets. The fest showcases Latino culture in the District during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) with a wide variety of entertainment, including a beauty pageant, a science fair, arts and crafts, food and dance. There is also a congregation of diplomats, nonprofits and community leaders. Fiesta DC is organized by a nonprofit that hosts events throughout the year to support community members with ties to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
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Dance: Enjoy a local dance performance at Culture Shock DC on Saturday at 8 p.m. or Sunday at 3 and 7 p.m. The show, called Volume IV: The Enlightenment, incorporates hip-hop, spoken word, live music and 150 dancers. The Culture Shock Dance Troupe aspires to make a positive impact in the city by using urban dance as a teaching tool. Tickets for this weekend’s presentations cost $30 for general admission, $25 for affiliates, and $20 for university students and kids age 17 and under.
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