Weekend picks for families in and around Washington, DC

Easter, eggs and festivals galore have definitely begun. Many hopping events to check out this weekend! 

Arlington Festival of the Arts in Clarendon is going on Saturday & Sunday and is free. 

Celebrate the 2019 Cherokee Days Festival Friday through Sunday. The three federally recognized Cherokee tribes—Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians—come together to share the Cherokee story at the museum on the National Mall. This event showcases the shared history and cultural lifeways of the Cherokee people through storytelling, traditional flute playing, weaponry, wood-carving, beadwork, traditional games, basketweaving, and pottery-making, along with music and dance performances. This year, the festival coincides with the installation of the Treaty of New Echota (1835) in the museum’s exhibition “Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations.” Two banner exhibitions—”The Cherokee Culture” and “A Story of Cherokee Removal”—will be shown as part of the festival presentation.

The Washington Auto Show has revved into town and is at Washington Convention Center through Sunday. There is a lineup of family entertainment, including PBS Kids cartoon and action characters will be making an appearance this year at the revamped WHUT/PBS Kids Family Fun Zone.

A few park clean-ups going on this weekend:

-Join Tenleytown Main Street, friends, and neighbors in getting Tenleytown ready for spring! Saturday from 10:00am to 12:00pm.

–Pierce Mill is not running yet but they are planting with Casey Trees from 9:00-12:00 and mulching the orchard from 11:00-2:00 with free activities for children from 11:00-2:00: planting seeds and making birds’ nests!

Saturday

10:00am-12:00pm: Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
Giant colorful helium balloons, elaborate floats, marching bands from across the country, celebrity entertainers, and performers burst down the Parade route in a grand spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the Festival.

10:00am-11:30am: Easter brunch and egg hunt at Matchbox Restaurants 
All locations of the family-friendly neighborhood pizza bistro in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia invite kids to enjoy an Easter egg hunt around the restaurants during brunch from 10-11:30am. Prizes include fun items for the whole family, including a complimentary kids pizza party for up to six, brunch for two, a free kids pizza, free passes to a kids pizza class on June 22, plus candy, and more. Kids will receive an Easter coloring sheet to enjoy while they dine as well.

10:00am: The Children’s Hour at The House of the Temple
Sponsored by the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc., the Children’s Hour is a free, children’s show on the second Saturday of every month that is open to the public. Each month, we will feature a different entertainer, today is Peter McCory The One-Man Band.

10:30am-6:00pm: 59th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival
The Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival is the largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the United States and is proud to be the grand finale of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Performers and vendors travel from all over the country and the world to Washington, DC to share their love of Japanese culture and traditions with the Festival attendees. The festival runs along Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets, NW – anchored at the corner of 7th and Pennsylvania, Ave, NW.

11:00am: The Nitwits at Washington Improve Theater
Every NitWITs show is a high-energy, unique theater experience for families. You’ve never seen anything like it before! And you’ll never see anything like it again…because it is all made up right on the spot with the help of your suggestions. Audience members guide the cast in making up spontaneous stories and playing fun theater games in a family-friendly, relaxed atmosphere.This show is recommended for ages 6 and up.

11:00am-2:00pm: Cherry Blossom Performance at The National Arboretum
Celebrate spring with The Washington Ballet at the National Arboretum for a free performance. Enjoy cherry blossom inspired performances every half hour from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Meet and take photos with some of our dancers, do a craft, and learn about The Washington School of Ballet. Families may also want to visit the Ikebana International Exhibit and Kids Class that day. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging.

Sunday

10:30am–12:00pm: Make Room for Matzah
Join for hands-on Passover workshop to get ready for Passover and learn more about this tradition for your interfaith or Jewish family. Your family will make items to enliven your seder with hands-on projects, plus songs, stories and snacks.  Best for ages 3 and up. Register now

11:00am-2:00pm: Rumpus Room Family Dance Party
Rumpus Room is a family-friendly daytime dance party created by Marc Meistro & Steven Faith, DJs who wanted to share the nightclub experience with their children.
Rumpus Room transforms the club environment (think disco balls, lights, and of course music) into safe family-friendly fun. Prepare for a dance floor filled with little ones, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and caregivers. The soundtrack for Rumpus Room is always a family-friendly mix of popular dance hits, classics, children’s songs and more, all at a kid-friendly volume.  Rumpus Room is designed for kids 8 and under, but older siblings are welcome!

11:00am-11:45am: Sunday Funday at Imagination Stage
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, music, movement, and visual art. Each session you leave with a special take-home item we used or created that day, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home. These popular workshops are themed around beloved children’s books.- Not a Box is the featured story.

3:30 pm: An Afternoon in the Park with Nefesh Mountain
Pop-Ups to Pop In! presents a family friendly bluegrass concert from Nefesh Mountain. Doni Zasloff (Mamma Doni) and her husband Eric Lindberg create family friendly shows that infuse bluegrass music with Jewish heritage and tradition. Rain location is Ohr Kodesh Congregation in Chevy Chase, MD. Purchase tickets here.  

Related Posts:

Spring Break Camps for 2019

Summer Camps for 2019

Plan Ahead:

Nerf Night at Badlands: April 19

Rocklands Farm Chick Rental: April 20

New Pajama Jams at AMP by Strathmore:
Summer vacation may not start for months but playtime is year-round at AMP, and we’re bringing back our Pajama Jam series to prove it! Sing, dance, and strike a few (yoga) poses with Gina Chavez on April 7, Yogapalooza on April 28 and Moona Luna on June 16.