Welcome to the first weekend of Mariah’s SZN!
While fall is winding down with festivals and pumpkin chucking, there are signs that winter is coming, including that Reston Town Center's ice rink opens on Friday!
If you've been following our quest to find D.C.'s Next Animal Obsession (more than 155,000 voters were cast in!), we have big news.
Basil the one-eyed Virginia opossum has gone from the bottom of the heap to king of the News4 Zoo Bracket.
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It'll be a fantastic weekend to visit the zoo with mild temps and dry weather. And you have less than two weeks to go before the pandas will depart the National Zoo for China, so make sure to visit our new unofficial mascot Basil in the Small Mammal House.
Here's what else you can do this weekend around the D.C. area.
The Scene
The most fun things to do and places to be in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest
📅 Sat., 2-6 p.m.
💲 Free
🔗 Details
After a rain delay, Adams Morgan PorchFest is finally set to happen Saturday. Stop by dozens of performances on front porches and two main stages while roaming 18th Street NW, which will be closed to cars between Columbia and Kalorama Roads NW.
AdMo BID has a handy Google Map to help you find the music and local bars and restaurants offering discounts if you show your PorchFest wristband. Pick up your free wristband at the Truist Bank plaza or inside the pedestrian zone at 2424 18th Street NW.
Día De Los Muertos Unidos Benefit Festival
📅 Sat.
📍 Downtown D.C.
💲 Free
🔗 Details
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead, and this festival invites people of all backgrounds to celebrate.
On Saturday from 1-3 p.m. in Franklin Park, people will gather for face painting, performance and dance before the calavera (skull) parade down 14th Street. The festival continues at the Washington Monument grounds for the rest of the evening.
More for Day of the Dead:
Visit a traditional altar at The Mexican Cultural Institute in Columbia Heights or Dupont Underground’s Mágica Muerte exhibit.
Chuck your pumpkins
📍 Various locations
Say bye-bye to spooky season with some spectacular pumpkin smashing, launching and dropping.
There’s enough pumpkin destruction for Saturday and Sunday activities at Cox Farms in Centreville ($10-$25) and Great Country Farms in Bluemont ($12-$18).
While the Christmas season is coming in hot like cocoa, you can still find fall festival fun at Montpelier Farms in Upper Marlboro (general admission is $19 on weekends) and Pumpkin Village at Leesburg Animal Park ($17.95-$22.95).
DC Beer Fest
📅 Sat., noon to 3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m.
📍 Nationals Park
💲 $50 (GA)/$90 (VIP)
🔗 Details
The Nationals may be done for the season, but you can still spend an afternoon in the ballpark sampling from more than 80 breweries in Nats Park to a soundtrack from dueling pianos, DJs and cover bands.
True baseball fans can upgrade to VIP to access the warning tracks and dugouts, plus test out their batting skills with live pitching.
Note that Nationals Park security policies will be in effect. Any bag larger than a 5 by 7-inch clutch must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC. No one under 21 may enter the park.
Concerts this weekend
Cory Hanson, 7 p.m. Saturday, Songbyrd, $15/$17
The Wand frontman’s guitar-driven third solo LP is heavily influenced by ‘70s rock, though not as psychedelic as his other band. Details.
Mo Lowda & The Humble, 8 p.m. Saturday, Black Cat, $20/$25
Often branded as “alternative” or “indie,” this Philly band is grounded in traditional rock with ambitious songwriting and soulful vocals. Details.
Tortoise, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Black Cat, $30
The kings of post-rock. The mesmerizing instrumental quintet has been blending krautrock, jazz and dub for decades, blazing the trail for a quintessential ‘90s Chicago sound. Go get lost. Details.
Things to do in D.C.
Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival
Through Sun., screenings at MLK Jr. Memorial Library and Edlavitch DCJCC, $12 (individual screenings)/$65-$275 (festival passes)
Side Yards
Fri., 5:30 p.m., The Yards Park, free
Celebrity Memoir Book Club (live podcast)
Fri., Howard Theatre, $35
Czech Christmas Market
Sat., Embassy of the Czech Republic in Northwest D.C., free but tickets required
WABA’s The Cider Ride
Sat., begins and ends at metrobar, $60-$80 (adult)
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC: Selfies fall cabaret
Sat., 2 p.m. (ASL), 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Keegan Theatre in Northwest D.C., $40.50-$45
Iliza Shlesinger (standup comedy)
Sat., DAR Constitution Hall, $37 (before fees)
Black Hole Symphony
Sun., National Academy of Sciences in Northwest D.C., free
Things to do in Maryland
Alex Purdy's "Preseason Training" Album Release show
Fri., 8 p.m., Walt Whitman Basketball Gymnasium
Maryland Corn Maze: Bring Your Dog weekend
Sat. and Sun., Gambrills, $16.95-$17.95
Crochet coffee sleeve giveaway
Sat., 10 a.m., Bump 'n Grind Coffee Shop in Silver Spring, free
Taylor Swift Eras Night: The Finale
Sat., Elk Run Vineyards in Mount Airy, $20
The Washington Chorus and National Philharmonic: Anhelos Universales (Universal Longings)
Sun., 3 p.m., The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, $19+
Things to do in Virginia
1000 Miglia Warm-Up USA
Thurs. to Sun., Middleburg, free
Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion
Opens Fri., $9 (youth, senior, military), $11 (adult), $7 (skate rentals)
Chocolate Binge at the Chocolate Factory: River-Sea Chocolates Anniversary Party
Sat., noon to 5 p.m., Chantilly, $8
Purcellville Artisan Tour
Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free
Sushi Workshop
Sun., 4-6 p.m., Hank's Oyster Bar Old Town Alexandria, $64
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