From fireworks on the water to new museum exhibits and festivals dedicated to both dogs and strawberry lovers, it’s sure to be a fun weekend.
WASHINGTON — There’s a whole host of activities, festivals, parties and more to help you celebrate some downtime this weekend. Enjoy checking out some of the most unique, celebratory events in and around the DMV!
Each week, WUSA9 gives you the details of at least nine local activities to try in your free time. We give you three ideas (and sometimes a bonus item or two) each week in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and it’s up to you to decide where to go!
Do you have any other events you think your neighbors should know about? Email time, location and description to [email protected].
direct current
- Friday 10 June from 6pm to 11pm
- 830 Ridge Road SE, Washington, DC 20019
- admission free
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this exciting summer program designed to provide young people of all ages with a cool activity to look forward to as the temperature rises.
The department hosts both “Late Night Hype” block parties and “Late Night Drip” pool parties – where one of DPR’s 23 outdoor pools stays open under the stars until 11pm for everyone. The two different events alternate every Friday evening from August! The kick-off event will be a pool party on Ridge Road. Bring the whole family to take a dip, groove to the music, and soak up the summer vibes.
TIED TOGETHER: DC is hosting family-friendly late-night pool parties this summer | Let yourself rise
- Pride Parade: Saturday, June 11, 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m
- Logan & Dupont Circle Neighborhoods, Washington, DC
- admission free
- Pride Festival: Sunday 12 June, 12pm to 10pm, exhibitions end at 7pm
- America’s Main Street, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC
- admission free
The famous Capital Pride Parade and Festival returns to the heart of DC this weekend. “Enjoy a full day of entertainment across three stages, food, drink and advocacy with over 300 exhibitors,” festival organizers said.
The festival is the largest annual event in the capital region! Please stop by and say hello to the WUSA9 team – we’ll be hanging out all day at both events. At the parade you will see our float!
- Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 June from 10am to 4pm
- Dock 5 at Union Market: 309 5th St NE, Washington, DC 20002
- Admission: $8 in advance online / $10 at the box office (kids 14 and under free)
All are welcome to head to Dock 5 at Union Market for a special event to do your shopping and support a variety of local small businesses. 60 emerging designers, small businesses and emerging artists have booths for you to stop by. Items from jewelry to housewares, gourmet snacks, art, clothing and more are available for purchase.
RELATED: Watch these outdoor movies all summer long in the DMV | Drive-in films enter the Union market
- Wharf Street SW Washington, DC 20024
- Saturday, June 11, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m
- admission free
The third annual Pride on the Pier begins Saturday right on the pier! The fireworks show starts at 9pm, while the hours before are filled with sounds from local DJs, performances, dancing and activities.
Virginia
- Friday June 10th to Sunday June 12th; 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
- 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121
- Admission: $40 members, $48 public
Celebrate the season with some beer in Mount Vernon! The historic property – George Washington’s former plantation – is hosting Summerfest this weekend. More than 30 craft beers from Virginia breweries are available for tasting, while each ticket includes a commemorative tasting cup and eight tickets. Additional tastings shared by the organizers can be purchased on site.
“Watch an 18th-century ice cream demonstration, discuss gardening with an 18th-century herbalist, and enjoy food made using traditional ingredients and methods from Half Crown Bakehouse,” organizers said .
- Saturday 11 June from 11am to 5pm
- B chord brewing; 34266 Williams Gap Road, Round Hill, Virginia
- admission free
On Saturday, enjoy a celebration of the great outdoors and the wonderful Appalachian Trail with a day of family-friendly music, food and live entertainment. Families can expect a variety of activities for the kids, from pony rides to nature-inspired crafts.
- Reopening on Friday June 10th
- Regular opening hours are Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays and Mondays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m
- 1315 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
- Admission: Free for residents of the city of Alexandria; $5 per non-resident adult, $3 per non-resident child ages 5-12
Freedom House welcomes the public back inside and spotlights three new exhibitions.
“The National Historic Landmark is what remains of a large complex dedicated to the trafficking of thousands of Black men, women and children between 1828 and 1861,” the organizers say. “The museum honors the lives and experiences of the enslaved and free black people who lived in and were trafficked through Alexandria. This museum seeks to reframe the history of white supremacists and provide visitors with an opportunity to learn, reflect and work for change.”
The three new exhibitions are as follows:
Herzogstr. 1315 highlights the stories of those brought from the Chesapeake Bay area, brought through 1315 Duke Street, and forced into slave markets in the Deep South.
Determined: The 400-year fight for black equalitya traveling exhibition of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, traces four centuries of black history in Virginia through stories of extraordinary people who fought for equality, profoundly shaping the nature of American society and the meaning of our collective ideals.
Before the ghosts are swept away is a series of paintings of African American sites by the late Sherry Z. Sanabria.
- Saturday 11 June from 11am to 2pm
- Westmore School Location, 11000 Berry Street, Fairfax, VA 22030
- admission free
This Fairfax festival welcomes the whole family – especially the furriest four-legged members! All are invited to enjoy a wide variety of vendors, canine activities, demonstrations, the K9 Splash Zone and more.
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Plus…check out the immersive Princess Diana Documentary Exhibition at Tysons Corner Mall! It’s opening weekend. Just in time for the first day, WUSA9 got an insight.
RELATED: Princess Diana ‘walk through documentary’ exhibition comes to Tysons Corner
Maryland
- Friday 10 June from 6pm to 9pm; Repeats until June 24th
- Banneker Pop-up Park – Lawn adjacent to parking garage – Montgomery County Conference Center, North Bethesda, MD, 20852
- admission free
Grab a sweet date or some of your most unattached friends and head to North Bethesda to dance the night away and learn a new move or two.
Friday Night Salsa, a free salsa dance party series by Víctor at Everything from DanzaShe’s coming to the Pike District. It takes place in a pop-up park at Grand Park Avenue and Banneker Street next to the Montgomery County Conference Center garage.
Food and drink will be flowing thanks to a number of on-site vendors. Attendees 21 and older can enjoy a selection of beer, wine and cocktails.
And even if you’re a little too shy to dance, everyone is welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets to set up in the park or relax in the Adirondack chairs and dine at the picnic tables.
Saturday 11 June from 10am to 5pm
Sandy Spring Museum; 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Springs, MD 20860
“The biggest event of the year and a party for the whole community. 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sandy Spring Museum’s Strawberry Festival!” The organizers have announced that. They shared that nothing heralds summer quite like the Strawberry Festival.
“Celebrate community with your neighbors from near and far at this annual event. Plan to spend the whole day enjoying live performances, pony rides and as much strawberry shortcake as your heart desires!”
Sunday 12 June from 1pm to 9pm
Veterans Plaza, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Join us for this colorful Silver Spring event that shares and celebrates Caribbean culture. Attendees can expect live performances while snacking at the international food court, or look for unique purchases at the Craft Village.
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