The Caribbean is most commonly known for its warm beaches and palm trees but another important part of the culture is its long history of folklore. Caribbean folk tales feature a wide range of characters and myths, but none are as popular as Anancy, a clever trickster in the form of a spider. Anancy has become a popular character all around the world, and has made appearances in the television show Sesame Street and the Justice League comic books. The Anancy Festival celebrates the Caribbean hero with story presentations, competitions, and games. There are storybooks for sale so you can pass on these tales yourself.
If you’re craving critically acclaimed cinema, excellent food, and thought-provoking discourse on social and environmental issues, check out the Reel Water Film Festival for a day of education and entertainment! The festival was founded last year with the mission of educating its attendees on water-related issues on a local and global scale. This year, the festival is in the recently renovated Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club and includes an afternoon of short films dealing with a range of relevant water topics. Stick around in the evening for a buffet dinner and a screening of the celebrated documentary Chasing Ice. At least half of the festival’s proceeds go to charitable organizations dedicated to global water causes (the remainder goes to funding next year’s festival).
Celebrate this Father’s Day with music and laughter! Newmyer Flyer's “Like Your Dad Did” at the Hamilton Live showcases Washington, DC area fathers performing with their children: Musicians playing together to appreciate the bond of family. Musicians include: Bill & Owen Danoff, Randy & Colin Thompson, Mike & Georgia Cotter, Jon & Ben Carroll, The Starks Famdamily, Todd & Ryan Wright, Cal & Cory Everett, Ron & Ryan Newmyer, Randy & Nate Ihara, Chuck & Michael Sullivan, Lea & John Morris, Bill Craig & Taylor Hitaffer. In addition to fatherhood related music, DC comedians Robert Mac and Big Al Goodwin poke fun at all things fatherly!
This Memorial Day weekend there’s plenty to do in the Washington, DC area besides going to the National Mall. Check out some of these DMV events this weekend.
Sometimes the best way to unwind after a long week is to discover or revisit a good movie. On Friday, The Alden Theatre of McLean Community Center is presenting E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial during their free Family Movie Night. This 1982 sci-fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is about a young boy named Elliott who finds a stranded extraterrestrial. Through trials and tribulations, he must find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet. Watch the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial trailer!
Friday, 7:30pm
Cost: Free
The Alden Theatre McLean Community Center 1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean, VA 22101
The school year is coming to an end and that means white sandy beaches and palm trees are on everyone’s mind. Just in time for summer vacation and in honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, the National Museum of the American Indian will be holding Eia Hawai’i: Celebrating Native Hawaiian Culture this Saturday and Sunday. This year, visitors can celebrate wayfinding, or navigation, and the Polynesian seafarers who discovered the Hawaiian Islands by watching and learning about hula, taking in a cooking demonstration, watching films and presentations, and meeting and greeting Hawaiian guests. There will also be a concert at 5pm on Saturday in the Welcome Plaza, featuring Amy Hanaiali’I Gilliom with opening act The Aloha Boys. Watch a preview of Amy Hanaiali'l Gilliom perform!
Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am to 5pm
Cost: Free
National Museum of the American Indian 4th Street and Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20013
Led by its iconic host and founder Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion has influenced popular culture since its first live radio broadcast in 1974. The program, listened to by millions each week, is performing live this weekend from Wolf Trap’s Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia. Special guests include harmonica player Howard Levy, singer Aoife O’Donovan, and folk music group The Milk Carton Kids. Discover the program’s signature brand of humor and storytelling through iconic segments like “The News from Lake Wobegon,” read by Keillor himself.
This Earth Day, join WETA Kids and America’s favorite monkey for a new one hour Curious George special: Curious George Swings into Spring. From spring fever to spring cleaning, from a canoe ride to a hot air balloon journey, George and his friends get WETA Kids ready to explore the outdoors this Earth Day. Tune into WETA Kids Monday, April 22 for the premiere and throughout the week to swing into spring with George again, and again!
You know it must be springtime if a curious monkey named George is dancing on the balcony at sunrise! The Man with the Yellow Hat is sure that George has spring fever, so he takes George to the park to experience all the wonders of spring. George is so excited about spring that he wants Hundley the dog to have spring fever, too, but Hundley and the Doorman are busy trying to win the Mayor’s spring cleaning prize. When a broken water pipe floods the building, Hundley has to stay with George in the country, and George tries to make sure Hundley enjoys spring, too. Even blooming flowers, baby animals and a canoe ride can’t make Hundley love spring. What’s worse – Hundley gets lost in the country! Searching for his lost friend, George accidentally launches a hot air balloon rally and, piloting a balloon, sails over the countryside. Luckily George manages to grab Hundley from a hilltop along the way. Together they balloon triumphantly to the city. The Man with the Yellow Hat and the Doorman stage a daring rooftop rescue. Not only are George and Hundley saved, but they manage to win the coveted Spring Building Prize! Finally, to George’s delight, Hundley now has spring fever, too!
WETA’s Start with a Bookoffers adults engaging ideas for getting kids into books and reading. The free resources from Start with a Book build on topics that children already like — dinosaurs, building, animals, sports, superheroes and music — so that parents, camp counselors, and others can have fun and interact meaningfully with children while helping to strengthen their reading skills.
In conjunction with the WETA Kids special episode Curious George Swings into Spring, WETA’s Start with a Book has three resource topics that relate to the show:
Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia? Check out our selection of cinematic spectacles, marching band talent, eclectic jazz, and more in your own backyard!
Begin the weekend with a night of culture and cuisine! The Workhouse Arts Center is celebrating India by hosting a dinner and movie! The Arts Center, a converted prison, will be presenting the film Saawariywa, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This Bollywood drama centers on a man and woman who meet in a small town and the past circumstances that prevent them from being together. Aroma Indian Restaurant will be catering the event with authentic Tandoori-style meats and vegetarian options.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the band members after football season is over? Well, sports might be seasonal but the music must go on. The Music Center at Strathmore brings visitors a unique musical performance in honor of the black marching band tradition. A group of 30 marching band members from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities come together to deliver a performance that embraces Motown, hip hop, pop and several other genres. Known for their explosive drum beats and cool rhythm, Drumline Live will certainly get your heart pumping and your feet moving. So if you’re in the mood for fun dance moves and customary band music, don’t miss HBCU’s “fifth quarter” performance.
Want another Friday night option? Start off on the right beat! Strathmore presents “Friday Night Eclectic: An Evening of Jazz with THIEFS.” THIEFS is a “grammatically incoherent” jazz group that intertwines aspects of modern composition and improvisation into a “boundary-less foundation” of beats. Led by drummer and vocalist Guillermo E. Brown, bassist Keith Witty, and saxophonist Christophe Panzani, THIEFS seamlessly shifts from fully electronic to acoustic with their sometimes mellow, other times harsher, grooves. During intermission, enjoy an original jazz dance performance inspired by Satomi Shirai’s photography.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is hosting a free Family Day Extravaganza, which is jam-packed with music-themed activities throughout the gallery. Get ready to groove by creating and wearing a button with your own band name and logo, complimented by music-themed face paint. Next, get down with some breakdancers from The Lab DC, learn how to scratch records like a DJ with DJ Scratch Academy, or make and play your own clay whistle. Leave your mark with a cause-worthy poster and original graffiti on a DIY tee. Afterwards, be sure to take a tour of the gallery, including their new “Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s” exhibition. (We’ll be airing our critics’ discussion of the exhibition later this month!) At the end of the day, march off in a send-off by percussionists Eddie Eatmon and Rivum Brigade.
Folger Theatre’s Henry V was originally supposed to close this weekend, but due to popular demand, they’ve extended the production’s run. If you can’t see it this weekend, see it next weekend. After that, you’re out of luck! Here’s what our critics have to say about the
Millions of Americans experience hunger every year. This documentary, directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush and starring the likes of Jeff Bridges and Tom Colicchio, not only explores causes of the problem, but also proposes solutions.
Based on the UK television show, this British film directed by Nick Love tells the story of a jaded detective (Ray Winstone) in the Flying Squad of London’s Metropolitan police.
wide range of characters and myths, but none are as popular as Anancy, a clever trickster in the form of a spider. Anancy has become a popular character all around the world, and has made appearances in the television show Sesame Street and the Justice League comic books. The Anancy Festival celebrates the Caribbean hero with story presentations, competitions, and games. There are storybooks for sale so you can pass on these tales yourself. 
festival is in the recently renovated Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club and includes an afternoon of short films dealing with a range of relevant water topics. Stick around in the evening for a buffet dinner and a screening of the celebrated documentary Chasing Ice. At least half of the festival’s proceeds go to charitable organizations dedicated to global water causes (the remainder goes to funding next year’s festival). 
Colin Thompson, Mike & Georgia Cotter, Jon & Ben Carroll, The Starks Famdamily, Todd & Ryan Wright, Cal & Cory Everett, Ron & Ryan Newmyer, Randy & Nate Ihara, Chuck & Michael Sullivan, Lea & John Morris, Bill Craig & Taylor Hitaffer. In addition to fatherhood related music, DC comedians Robert Mac and Big Al Goodwin poke fun at all things fatherly! 
On Friday, The Alden Theatre of McLean Community Center is presenting E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial during their free Family Movie Night. This 1982 sci-fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is about a young boy named Elliott who finds a stranded extraterrestrial. Through trials and tribulations, he must find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet. 
Heritage Month, the National Museum of the American Indian will be holding Eia Hawai’i: Celebrating Native Hawaiian Culture this Saturday and Sunday. This year, visitors can celebrate wayfinding, or navigation, and the Polynesian seafarers who discovered the Hawaiian Islands by watching and learning about hula, taking in a cooking demonstration, watching films and presentations, and meeting and greeting Hawaiian guests. There will also be a concert at 5pm on Saturday in the Welcome Plaza, featuring Amy Hanaiali’I Gilliom with opening act The Aloha Boys. 
This Earth Day, join WETA Kids and America’s favorite monkey for a new one hour Curious George special: 
performance in honor of the black marching band tradition. A group of 30 marching band members from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities come together to deliver a performance that embraces Motown, hip hop, pop and several other genres. Known for their explosive drum beats and cool rhythm, Drumline Live will certainly get your heart pumping and your feet moving. So if you’re in the mood for fun dance moves and customary band music, don’t miss HBCU’s “fifth quarter” performance. 
with music-themed activities throughout the gallery. Get ready to groove by creating and wearing a button with your own band name and logo, complimented by music-themed face paint. Next, get down with some breakdancers from The Lab DC, learn how to scratch records like a DJ with DJ Scratch Academy, or make and play your own clay whistle. Leave your mark with a cause-worthy poster and original graffiti on a DIY tee. Afterwards, be sure to take a tour of the gallery, including their new “Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s” exhibition. (We’ll be airing our critics’ discussion of the exhibition later this month!) At the end of the day, march off in a send-off by percussionists Eddie Eatmon and Rivum Brigade.