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When Saturday comes in with the rain, we know all too well that you’ll be looking for ways to get out of the woods and stay stay stay inside.
✨ Luckily, Taylor Swift is making all the movie theaters shimmer, and you can fill the blank space before seeing “The Eras Tour” at these parties, brunches and other pregame events.
Sunday will be a better day for outdoor activities including the Bethesda Row Arts Festival, visiting pumpkin patches and the White House Fall Garden Tour. But remember your umbrella because showers are in the forecast.
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Drum roll (Taylor's Version), please! 🥁 You made our wildest dreams come true by voting in the first round of D.C.’s Next Animal Obsession.
Spoiler alert: Today was a fairytale for the opossum. See the results and vote in round two here!
What to do indoors this weekend in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Rain in the forecast doesn't mean you have to stay at home (although we fully endorse a cozy Saturday watching the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the Rugby World Cup and the Illinois vs. Maryland college football game on NBC4!).
Here are some great things to do indoors:
National Building Museum's Big Build
Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., National Building Museum (D.C.), free
The Big Build is back on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Roofers, plumbers, designers, artisans, and more will open dozens of booths to let kids try activities including writing a light, pouring concrete and hammering nails. Plus, there will be opportunities to climb inside construction equipment. Best of all, it's free!
Washington Capitals Home Opener
Fri., 7:30 p.m., Capital One Arena, $79+
The Caps face the Penguins in their first game of the regular season on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena. Tickets start at $79.
On the Square
Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., DC History Center at 801 K Street NW, D.C., free
DC History Center at the Carnegie Library's free community day celebration has crafts, tours, talks and more. Check in on the building's second floor.
Walk about 3 minutes over to the Touchstone Gallery for crafts from 1-3 p.m. (best for people aged 3 and up). From 4-7 p.m., listen to live music while exploring the gallery with a complimentary beverage.
Fall Fest
Sat., 1-6 p.m., The View of DC (1201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington), free (GA) or $15 for cider tastings
Rosslyn's Fall Fest is bringing live music, cider tastings and a pie eating contest inside for some rain-proof autumnal fun. There will be cash bar and games. All ages are welcome to attend the festivities.
DC Wine Fest
Sat., Dock 5 at Union Market, $35-$65
The unlimited wine sampling event returns for its fall edition on Saturday at Union Market's Dock 5. There are multiple sessions to choose from; tickets cost $35-$65.
"The Others" movie brunch
Sun., Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (DC Bryant Street and Crystal City), $11 for movie ticket
You can see why "The Others" makes a good pick for a Halloween brunch movie: It stars Nicole Kidman, goes for eerie, creepy vibes and is rated 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's about a mother caring for her children who have a photosensitivity disease during World War II.
During the movie, you can order brunch from Alamo Drafthouse's menu.
Feeding Hope Festival
Sun., Dock 5 at Union Market, $100
World Central Kitchen is raising funds with a day of food and cooking demos at Dock 5 at Union Market. Tickets cost $100 and come with unlimited tasting portions from more than 15 food partners. It's happening Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Theater
It’s a great weekend to go to the theater around the DMV (and not just for Taylor!).
First, “Mrs. Doubtfire” is saying helloooo at The National Theatre through Sunday. You can enter a lottery for $25 tickets.
Also, DC Theatre Week has extended its run through Sunday. Complete listings and the discounted tickets are available from TodayTix. Here are some options that caught our eye:
- “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” has brought a gaffe-prone president and the women who clean up his messes from Broadway to D.C’s Arena Stage. The $40 Theatre Week deal is a steep discount.
- "The Mountaintop" at Round House Theatre is a historical reimagining of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night on earth. Actors Ro Boddie and Renea Brown spoke with Jummy Olabanji about the new iteration of the award-winning play.
- In the mood for something spooky? “Monstress,” an immersive horror experience in Silver Spring, and “Macbeth in Stride" employs a soundtrack of pop, rock, gospel and R&B as Lady Macbeth examines “what it means to be an ambitious Black woman.” There's also “The Tell-Tale Heart” at Synetic Theater in Crystal City.
- Family-friendly options include bilingual play “Picasso” and “Cirque du Soleil: Echo."
- “Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard” is about Atalanta's first Black mayor (here's our preview).
Haunted Houses
Laurel’s House of Horrors is the area’s biggest indoor haunt. Built inside an abandoned movie theater, this season’s haunted house offers new chilling experiences in an eerie 28,000-square-foot space.
Can you make it through the horrifying funhouse inside Dulles Town Center? Navigate disorienting mirrors, eerie crowns and unsettling illusions at Scream.
Here's our full list of haunted houses and ghost tours for a spooky fun October.
Museums and exhibits
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is hosting special talks and tours highlighting its Afrofuturism exhibit (you'll still need to reserve free museum passes), and the National Gallery of Art will debut a photography exhibit on Sunday.
In Hyattsville, the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center is hosting events for the “Big and Little Inks” exhibition opening weekend, including a reception on Friday. Entry is free. The exhibition will be on display through Nov. 26.
In Tysons, Andy Yoder's "Overboard" sneaker exhibit is open and free to visit. You'll find it in Tysons Corner Center on the lower level near Barnes & Noble.
ARETCHOUSE's new exhibit, Beyond Light, immerses visitors in the beauty of the universe. Here's our preview.
Journey to space
The moon will complete a graceful journey between the sun and the Earth during a partial solar eclipse in the D.C. area on Saturday, Oct. 14.
The eclipse will begin locally around noon and end at about 2:40 p.m., NOVAC said. It will peak in D.C. at about 1:19 p.m.
The bad news: The weather will not do you any favors to actually observe the eclipse.
The good news: Planetariums and museums are coming through for casual astronomers. Just remember to double-check an event’s website before you go out in the rain.
- In Virginia: The Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center has its Second Saturday Sungazing.
- In the District: Rock Creek Park's planetarium will offer six viewings of the 30-minute film "Eclipse: The Sun Revealed," and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum will host Soar Together at Air and Space Family Day: Exploring Eclipses.
- In Maryland: While it's not linked to the eclipse, NASA Goddard Visitor Center's Sunday Experiment about NASA's next flagship telescope telescope is great for kids aged 5-10, and it's free.
More things to do
White House Fall Garden Tours
📅 Sat. and Sun.
📍 The White House
💲 Free
🔗 Details
The White House is opening its gardens for one weekend.
Timed tickets are required for each visitor. The National Park Service will distribute tickets at the White House Visitor Center each day starting at 8:30 a.m. It’s first come, first served, and one ticket per person.
Capital City Africa Cup
📅 Sat., 5 p.m.
📍 Audi Field
💲 $20
🔗 Details
D.C. United will go against Ghana Premier League’s Medeama SC in a friendly match. Tickets were available for $20 as of Wednesday.
The match anchors D.C.'s first-ever Capital City Africa Week which is sharing Ghanaian culture.
Events include a Ghana Village craft fair at Howard University from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday and a fashion pop-up.
RESCHEDULED: PorchFest
📅 Nov 4., 2-6 p.m.
📍 Adams Morgan
💲 Free
🔗 Details
PorchFest has been rescheduled to Nov. 4 due to the rainy forecast.
Concerts this weekend
Gregory Alan Isakov, 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Anthem, $46-$76
Indie-folk singer-songwriter with a calming-to-soaring voice makes beautiful melancholy. He’s touring off “Appaloosa Bones,” released in August. Details.
Devendra Banhart, 8 p.m. Saturday, Howard Theatre, $30-$60
Singer-songwriter was the cream of the freak folk crop of the aughts with his enchanting, idiosyncratic songs. Recent release “Flying Wig,” is a mellower, synth-riding collection. Details.
The Wild Feathers, 8 p.m. Saturday, Hamilton, $15 (bar/standing)/$25 (seated)
Breezy, uplifting country rock group celebrates 10 years as a band. Details.
Weekend events in DC
Kim Petras
Thurs., The Anthem, $59.50-$99.50
Adoption event: Lucky Dog Happy Hour And Pup Party
Fri., 5-7 p.m., The Darcy Hotel (Northwest D.C.), free
Snallygaster
Sat., The Wharf, $65 (GA)
City Ridge Fall Fest
Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Ridge (Northwest D.C.), free
Weekend events in Maryland
LL Cool J book signing
Fri., National Harbor, $55
Maryland Million Day horse races
Sat., Laurel Park, free entry
Noir City DC film festival
10/13-10/26, AFI Silver Theatre (Silver Spring), $15 per screening
Weekend events in Virginia
Lucketts Fall Market
Fri. to Sun., The Old Lucketts Store and Vintage Markets (Berryville, Virginia), $15-$45
Friendship Friday with the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
Fri., 5-8 p.m., Nighthawk Brewery (1201 S. Joyce Street, Arlington), free
Archaeology on the Waterfront
Sat., 7 Pioneer Mill Way, free (Registration is required for your preferred time slot)
Classic Car Show
Sun., National Museum of the Marine Corps, free
Paws in the Park
Sun., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oronco Bay Park, free
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