Weekend picks in and around Washington, DC

Friday
4:30pm-6:00pm: American Girl Valentine’s Cake Decorating
Your girl will enjoy this extra-sweet Valentine’s-inspired cake-decorating class in our store. After learning the basics of this tasty craft, girls can take their creative masterpiece home to admire—and eat with family! Each class will have an on-trend cake-decorating theme as well as two facilitators to help girls with any decorating questions they may have. Girls will leave with their personalized cake, plus each girl will receive the “American Girl Baking Cookbook.”

5:30pm-7:00pm: Fridays @ FUTURES: My Future Valentine
Start your weekend off right every Friday with a generous helping of fun and surprising brain snacks. ‘FUTURES’ is open late, plus bonus drop-in tours and special guests. Explore FUTURES and find inspiration for the future you want. Drop in to the Futures that Inspire hall to craft a Valentine for your dream future.  

6:00pm-8:30pm: Rockville Lantern Festival
Celebrated in many Asian countries, the Lantern Festival marks a major celebration on the 15th day of the first month on the lunar calendar. The Lantern Festival celebration will feature cultural performances, food, interactive calligraphy and cultural displays. Kids can take home beautiful personalized calligraphy after the celebration.

Saturday
10:00am AND 11:15am: Balloonacy at Imagination Stage
A beautiful, movement-based show that revisits the classic film “The Red Balloon.” Nothing can go right for the character of the old man, whose days are gray and dreary–until he is visited by a friendly red balloon. In the playful physical style of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the old man–an adult version of the boy in the film–regains his youthful spirit, with the help of the red balloon! Best for ages 1-11. 

1:00pm-2:00pm: Won’t You Be My Owlentine?
Love is in the air! And literally, for these beautiful birds of prey! Join to discuss the mating habits of these animals during their breeding season and get a picture with a live bird of prey!

1:00pm-3:00pm: Lunar New Year at Montgomery Mall
Join us for a family-friendly cultural celebration with a dragon dance, lion dance, live performances, kids activities, giveaways and more!

1:00pm-3:00pm: Save the Forests
Vines are strangling native trees and crowding out the understory bushes. Join our weed warriors to remove these invasive pests from the Little Falls Stream Valley Park. We are hosting seven work days in February. No experience necessary!

1:00pm-3:00pm: Sir Rulean’s Valentine’s Day Card Soiree
Join The Station for this family friendly Valentine’s Day Card Soiree in Bear Square. Decorate and design your own Valentine’s Day cards with glitter pens, gems, and The Station branded Sir Rulean stickers for someone you love. After participating in the event, redeem a complimentary hot cocoa made with love by Starbucks at The Station.

2:00pm: How to Say ‘Be Mine’ in the Animal World
Animals communicate in many ways. Learn how to express your affection in chimpanzee, toad, wolf and more on this outdoor Valentine’s Day walk and talk. The program at Lake Fairfax Park runs from 2 to 3 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. Children must be accompanied by an adult who is also registered in the class.

2:00pm-5:00pm: Wharf Winter Games
Missed your Olympic qualifier? Need a good laugh? Join us for the second annual Wharf Winter Games! Compete in multiple disciplines, from pin the tail on the Husky to ice corn hole and curling, and sign up for the one-of-a-kind Wharfarod sled races. Don’t worry, no actual dogs take part in this event, just you and your friends racing to collect the most gold and trying to win great prizes from the restaurants at The Wharf.

Sunday
10:00am AND 11:15am: Balloonacy at Imagination Stage
A beautiful, movement-based show that revisits the classic film “The Red Balloon.” Nothing can go right for the character of the old man, whose days are gray and dreary–until he is visited by a friendly red balloon. In the playful physical style of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the old man–an adult version of the boy in the film–regains his youthful spirit, with the help of the red balloon! Best for ages 1-11. 

12:00pm-3:00pm: Special Edition Crafternoon :: DIY VALENTINES CARDS at Shop Made in DC
Join on Sunday afternoons for crafternoons! Bring a project or come and make at our classroom table! They will have various art supplies available for you to come and craft in their space!

12:00pm AND 5:00pm: Laurie Berkner Virtual Valentine’s Day Concert
2 shows: 12p & 5p ET! Join Laurie Berkner for an 80+min LIVE interactive, virtual performance (plus pre-show!) for the whole family! Sing, dance, & play games through your device with Laurie as she performs fan favorites and Valentine’s songs, interacts with you through the screen, & brings in a few surprises – from her house to yours! Your ticket gives you access to BOTH shows (12p & 5pET) and helps the LBB team continue operations while we can’t tour! You can purchase a meet & greet add-on above. Group rates available, email  to inquire. Please note there will now be a 15% service fee added to tickets, which supports the wonderful folks at the platform that hosts our events.

2:00pm-5:00pm: Hike & Seek: I HEART Nature
This month work together with (or challenge!) your Valentine to nature trivia in a heart-themed scavenger hunt. Looking for a little adventure? Follow the clues and work together with your family to solve a new nature-themed puzzle each month in Hike & Seek. This outdoor-only program follows all best practices for social distancing.

3:00pm-7:00pm: Paint & Sip at AU Prosper
When was the last time you did something special with your children just to make memories? There’s going to be free food & drinks, music (DJ) , love, and happiness. The event space is made up into two sections one will be the Dance floor and the other will be holding the Paint and Sip. Come and make memories with us!! You’ll have a blast!!!

Ongoing
Smithsonian FUTURES is part exhibition, part festival!. FUTURES presents nearly 32,000 square feet of new immersive site-specific art installations, interactives, working experiments, inventions, speculative designs, and “artifacts of the future,” as well as historic objects and discoveries from 23 of the Smithsonian’s museums, major initiatives, and research centers. Of the nearly 150 objects on view, several are making their public debut: an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rover from Alphabet’s X that could transform agriculture; a Planetary Society space sail for deep space travel; a Loon internet balloon; the first full-scale Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome built in North America; the world’s first controlled thermonuclear fusion device; and more.

ARTECHOUSE has a new exhibit– Transient: Impermanent Paintings. Experience an immersive journey into artistic process, inspired by music and traditional painting techniques. This groundbreaking exhibition, originally composed as a live performance, presents a series of audiovisual paintings created by the artist in concert with generative algorithms. The exhibition employs technology as a lens to explore music for the 21st-century audience and rethink the traditional artistic techniques in the context of human-machine relationship.

Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails! is at National Children’s Museum through May 15. Step into the world of Thomas & Friends™ in our new exhibit, which features favorite engines and destinations from the popular children’s series alongside playful STEAM learning experiences. As Dreamers help Thomas and his engine friends Percy and Victor solve a variety of challenges, they’ll build foundational STEAM skills, like thinking mathematically and creatively, making comparisons, experimenting to solve problems, and reflecting on actions and results. Recommended for children ages 2-7, the exhibit features text in both English and Spanish.

DCPL’s Winter Challenge continues through the end of March. The DC Public Library and the Washington Wizards invite children and teens (ages 3 – 19) to stay active and engaged this winter season by participating. It’s easy! Register for Winter Challenge and pick up your Winter Challenge game board at your Neighborhood Library or sign up online. If you have participated in past reading programs, you can log in to your account with your username and password. Make sure your email is up to date as that is how the library and the Wizards will notify you about prizes.

Time sensitive
Single and ready to mingle! Humane Rescue Alliance adoption fees are being waived for dogs over 40 lbs starting Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13.

Get a photo journal for free from Tribery!

Enter to win tickets to Disney on Ice!

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