The Weekend Scene: 10+ things to do around DC Oct. 6-8

Subscribe to The Weekend Scene newsletter to get our picks every Wednesday, plus a look ahead to events that might sell out.

We finally made it to spooky season!

📺 Watch News4 now: Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

But first, we need you to vote on the least consequential but most adorable ballot of the year: D.C.’s Next Zoo Animal Obsession!

Speaking of decision 2023, Beyoncé movie fans to the left, Swiftie movie fans to the right … You can be both, meet in the middle, as Renais-eras (yeah?) saves movie theaters like Barbenheimer.

We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.

Enjoy our last day of summer-like weather. Big changes are coming for the weekend, including chilly temps and showers.

Because They’re Funny

📅 Fri. to Sun.
📍 The Wharf
💲 $20-$80 per show
🔗 Details

The Wharf is where the laughs are this weekend as a comedy festival takes over The Anthem, Union Stage and Pearl Street Warehouse with a variety of shows putting extra emphasis on D.C.’s place as a comedy city.

Between the DMV Black Comedy Homecoming Show; a night with Nicole Byer and Maryland’s own Ego Nwodim; a breakout comedian competition and late-night laughs, how can you resist?

Club Quarantine Residency

📅 Fri. to Sun.
📍 The Kennedy Center
💲 $49-$89 per show
🔗 Details

D-Nice is bringing the viral hit Club Quarantine from the virtual space to the real world. News4's Tommy McFly talks to the first rap artist to headline and sell out the Kennedy Center's Opera House about his next big event in D.C. this weekend.

Washington DC Oct 4, 2023

What is DC's next zoo animal obsession? Here's the big winner

Things to Do DC Sep 26, 2023

Fall Festivals: Where to find corn mazes, pumpkin patches and more in Maryland and Virginia

Waterford Fair

📅 Fri. to Sun.
📍 Waterford, Virginia
💲 $20 for adults; free for kids under 12
🔗 Details

Way before most of us were born, the Waterford Fair had its big debut 79 years ago. It’s still going on today as one of the largest and oldest juried craft fairs in the country.

Head out to the historic village in Loudoun County for a fall festival and arts fair with live music, glimpses into 1800s life, children’s activities, food and local libations.

🚘 It’s worth the one-hour trip from downtown D.C.

College Park Day

📅 Sat., noon to 6 p.m.
📍 College Park Aviation Museum & Airport (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.)
💲 Free
🔗 Details

Two stages of live music, free entry to the College Park Aviation Museum, kids’ activities, a helicopter fly-in, pumpkin painting and more are the ingredients for a cheap, fun family day out in Prince George’s County.

Close enough to “Mean Girls” Day, 2000s cover band So Fetch will perform. The Starlight Anthem, Black Masala and Laundry World round up the lineup.
Kids will love big wheel races, stilt walkers, The Great Zucchini and other children’s entertainers.
Food and beer will be on sale, too.
Free parking and shuttles, including from Metro, are available. See details on the event’s Facebook page.

Haunted Houses

🔗 Here’s our guide

Gather up your ghouls! No matter where you live, there’s a scare close by.

🎃 Tommy checked out Prince George’s County favorite Laurel’s House of Horror this week, which is built inside an abandoned theater.
😱 Here’s why Field of Screams has been voted one of the country’s top haunted attractions.
😈 In Virginia, Workhouse Arts Center’s Haunt: Game Over has live bands every weekend, plus sensory-friendly time slots on Oct. 15.

Haunted house creators spend their year dreaming up the perfect nightmare. News4’s Tommy McFLY got a look at the process at Field of Screams Maryland.

Oktoberfest

Raise a stein to wash down your last Oktoberfest pretzels.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery is tapping the final kegs of their month-long party all weekend.

Several towns are hosting some of the last major celebrations of the season this weekend, including Mount Airy (Sat.), Vienna (Sat.) and Gaithersburg (Sun.).

If you're up for a trip out toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, Oktoberfest at the Frontier Culture Museum is happening on Saturday.

Here's our full guide to Oktoberfest.

Army Ten-Miler

📅 Sun., race set to begin at 7:50 a.m.
📍 Starts on Route 110 in Arlington
💲 $99 (adult)/$25 (youth)
🔗 Details

Sunday's race is set to begin at 7:50 a.m. on Route 110. Participants will cross the Key Bridge into D.C. and pass iconic sites, including the Lincoln Memorial; Korean War Memorial; Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Washington Monument.

Here's what to know about road closures and directions for spectators.

Music Snob's concert picks

Cellar Door Tribute, 8 p.m. Saturday, The Hamilton, $35

A celebration of the iconic, intimate venue in Georgetown from 1963-1982. Several artists, including Last Train Home, The Airport 77’s, The Kennedys and The Slickee Boys, pay tribute to some of the noteworthy artists who played there, including Tom Waits, The Everly Brothers, Kris Kristofferson and The Slickee Boys. Details.

Poison Ruin, 7 p.m. Sunday, Songbyrd, $15/$18

The anthemic Philly punks take on the medieval imagery more common in heavy metal on one of the best heavy albums of the year, “Harvest.” Details.