Washington Parks & People will hold its annual Lights of Freedom event at Walter Pierce Park to honor thousands of people buried in Adams Morgan in the largest unmarked African American cemetery in DC. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the event has been rescheduled for Tuesday due to wet field conditions. (Photo by Hannah Moore)

The DC Lineup for this weekend: Finish your taxes — and then head out to a parade

By Jennifer Anne Mitchell On Apr 12, 2019 Last updated Apr 13, 2019

If you’re not cooped up this weekend finishing your taxes (friendly reminder: they’re due Monday, April 15), the District is full of ways to keep your left brain working after crunching numbers on all of those financial documents. A TEDx conference, a sustainability fair, a spelling bee and family day at the National Academy of Sciences are options for those looking to engage their analytical side.

To pay tribute to the historic 1862 end of slavery in DC, a parade and concert will be held in honor of Emancipation Day on Saturday. A neighborhood porch festival, a Japanese street fest, a Shakespeare birthday celebration and a brand-new LGBTQ+ art market are also on this weekend’s list.

The weather report calls for a continuation of April showers, with rain on Friday, clouds on Saturday and scattered thunderstorms on Sunday. The warm temperatures we’ve enjoyed throughout the week should continue, with a range of 61 to 78 degrees over the weekend.

1. History: Commemorate Emancipation Day in DC with Lights of Freedom, an event organized by Washington Parks & People to light more than 2,000 candles in honor of thousands of African Americans — many of them children — buried in Adams Morgan after having been freed during the Civil War. The burial grounds, located on the grounds of what is now Walter Pierce Park, are the largest unmarked African American cemetery in the capital, according to Washington Parks & People’s announcement of the event. Originally scheduled for Saturday evening, organizers announced Saturday morning that they had postponed the event until Tuesday due to wet field conditions. Candle lighting begins at 7:45 p.m. amid music from local church choirs, followed by a moment of silence at 9:15 p.m. Held in cooperation with the National Park Service and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, the ceremony has been held for the past eight years. Open to the public, it will be held at Walter Pierce Park, off Calvert Street NW at the east end of the Ellington Bridge. Volunteers are needed all day to help with the setup.

This year’s Emancipation Day Parade will take place Saturday afternoon along Pennsylvania Avenue NW. (2018 photo courtesy of the mayor’s office)

2. Festival: The DC government is also honoring Emancipation Day by hosting a parade, concert and fireworks on Saturday from 2 to 8:45 p.m., with post-parade festivities at Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW. Poet Taylor of WPGC 95.5 FM will host the parade, which kicks off at 2 p.m. at Pennsylvania Avenue and 10th Street NW and proceeds west to Freedom Plaza. The ceremony will acknowledge the two winners of the float design competition: “We Are Free” created by Center City Public Charter School and “The Greening of DC” designed by DC Public Schools’ Inspiring Youth Program. The concert and fireworks go from 3 to 8:45 p.m., hosted by Little Bacon Bear of WKYS 93.9 FM. The varied musical lineup includes hip-hop by Master Gee (of the Sugar Hill Gang) and Doug E. Fresh; go-go by EU featuring Sugar Bear; classic soul by Ayanna Gregory; and pop by Prakriti Deuja.

3. Education: TEDx comes to Foggy Bottom on Saturday with REACTION at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Speakers will discuss the ways in which communities and people “act and react” to various situations, according to the website. Tickets cost $16 for the GWU community and its students, and $20 for the general public. Watch the promo video for a sense of the theme. Speakers include a former CIA chief of disguise, a NASA scientist and a GWU anger analyst. Local talent is also represented with area comedian Jack Coleman, DC-born spoken word poet Alakkuu, and local historian and writer Mara Cherkasky.

4. Ward 5 Neighborhoods: Rhode Island Avenue Main Street’s annual Porch Fest is back on Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. The event is designed to bring the community together through music, dance and poetry as the area’s commercial and residential porches and stoops become stages for free performances. Registration and donation forms plus pre-orders for festival T-shirts and stickers are available online.

5. Environment: Engage with your local libraries as National Library Week concludes and join efforts that have made DC one of the nation’s solar leaders with a Sustainability Fair at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. Attendees will learn about eco-friendly practices like sustainable living, recycling, “upcycling” and composting from DC government agencies, local nonprofits and local businesses. Screenings of environmental films will take place from noon to 4 p.m. along with sustainable craft projects for kids. This free event is produced by the Cleveland Park Citizens Association in partnership with the DC Public Library.

The National Academy of Sciences will host a free family day on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of National Academy of Science and Institute for Genomic Biology)

6. Education: The National Academy of Sciences hosts a free family day at 2101 Constitution Ave. NWon Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. called “DecisionTown in the World of Genomics,” which will explain how science, engineering and medicine impact our daily choices. Activities include a seed vault run by the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, a courtroom where attendees will try their hand at being eyewitnesses, a medical center with a focus on DNA sequencing and personalized health, plus a laser light show. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, which applies science to societal challenges, will be coming to DC to join the National Academy of Sciences in presenting this event. The family day, which is open to the public, is geared toward kids ages 3 and up as well as their families. Registration is encouraged.

7. Education: East City Books is hosting its first-ever spelling bee on Saturday at 4 p.m. as part of its Second Saturday Happy Hour Series. No registration is required, and free drinks and snacks will be provided. The series continues on the second Saturday of next month with an Introvert’s Happy Hour on May 11. The bookstore is located at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.

8. Art: The DC Center for the LGBT Community is presenting its debut LGBTQ+ art market Arty Queers on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles and clothing. The marketplace will take place the first Saturday of every month at the center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Those interested in exhibiting at future events can register online.

9. Seasonal Festivals: The 59th annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival hosted by the Japan-America Society of Washington is on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is the biggest daylong celebration of Japanese culture in the U.S. and one of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s featured events. It takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th streets NW. The schedule on four stages includes a performance by the Keisho Center Children’s Choir, a calligraphy show, a fashion show, martial arts demonstrations and chances for kids to learn the Japanese language using balloons. There will also be hands-on art activities, as well as a Ginza Marketplace featuring Japanese home goods, accessories and artwork. Tickets cost $10 plus a $1.09 fee that goes toward planting cherry trees in the District. Children 12 and younger are free. … Also on Saturday, the National Cherry Blossom Parade happens nearby on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets NW. The event from 10 a.m. to noon celebrates the cherry blossoms with balloons, floats, marching bands from all over the nation and appearances by Miss America Nia Franklin, the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, Washington’s own Rayshun LaMarr from the 14th season of The Voice and many more. Grandstand seating starts at $20, but standing room is free.

Folger Shakespeare Library will host an open house celebration Sunday in honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday. (Photo by Jeff Malet courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library)

10. Theater: Celebrate William Shakespeare’s birthday with an open house celebration on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Activities on the front lawn will include sword fight demonstrations; Renaissance madrigals and songs sung by Washington Revels Gallery Voices; a parade featuring the U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corps; and a cake-cutting by a performer playing Queen Elizabeth I. Among the highlights inside the building are tours of the Founders’ Room, a performance by the WETA Classical Players, readings of Shakespeare’s sonnets by DC-area students, and an interactive “Shakespeare Insult and Compliment Rave.” The event is free and open to the public.

This post has been updated with information about the postponement of the Lights of Freedom event until Tuesday.