Happy Monday, DC!
Pop vocalist Olivia Rodrigo arrives in DC for a highly-anticipated performance at Capital One Arena. Also, there’s a chance to listen to local punk bands at the library, or see La Bohème at Wolf Trap.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
July 15-July 21
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- Olivia Rodrigo concert. Two years ago Olivia Rodrigo performed for her DC fans at the Anthem. This weekend, the “Vampire” singer returns to DC for a concert on a much larger scale. She’s bringing her pop vocals to a sold-out Capital One Arena in promotion of her most recent album, Guts (Sat, $458+, Capital One Arena).
- “La Bohème” opera. Puccini’s La Bohème has been a springboard for pop culture since the show’s premiere in 1896. The classic tale of young artists struggling to get by in the big city of Paris is being revived at Wolf Trap and features the National Symphony Orchestra, Eric Taylor as Rodolfo, and Amanda Batista as Mimi (Fri, $28+, Vienna).
- DC Punk Archive rooftop shows. In addition to exploring the DC Public Library’s DC Punk Archive, fans of the genre can relive the area’s punk and indie sounds at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library rooftop concert series. The summer shows kick off this week with hardcore performances by Flowers for the Dead, Sex Faces, and Tripping Corpse. Next month, Supreme Commander, Cryptid Summer, and Drivel will close out the annual showcase (Wed, August 14, free, MLK Library).
- Julia Masli’s Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Prepare to laugh along with award-winning clown Julia Masli at her newest comedy show Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Every night takes a different approach as Masli uses humor and wit to solve the audience’s problems (Wed through August 3, $15+, Penn Quarter).
- “Forces for Change” exhibit at NMAAHC. Social justice activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune was a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement. A major exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will honor Bethune and other Black women who have driven social change. The show includes 75 images, 35 artifacts, a film, and an eight-foot-tall plaster sculpture of Bethune (opens Fri, free, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Arts and Drafts happy hour at Calico invites guests to create plant or animal self-portraits (Mon, free, Blagden Alley).
- Author Karen Outen introduces her debut novel Dixon, Descending to readers at Busboys and Poets (Tues, free, but rsvp encouraged, Takoma).
- It’s the last chance to take a guided tour of the “Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction” exhibit (Wed, free, National Gallery of Art).
- Make pony bead lizard keychains to kick off the Get Crafty workshop series (Wed, free, Dupont).
- Micro paint with neighbors at Phillips at THEARC (Wed, free, but registration required, Southeast DC).
- Award-winning author Boyce Thompson visits Politics and Prose to discuss innovations crafted with mass timber (Wed, free, Northwest DC).
- Art Therapist Katherine Pedrick teaches a paper bead-making workshop (Fri, free, but registration encouraged, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
Community and heritage:
- Learn about fish species that spend time on land from fish biologist Noah Bressman (Tues, $13+, Penn Social).
Theater and shows:
- Beautiful follows the musical career of singer Carole King (through August 25, $31+, Olney).
- Capital Fringe Festival returns this summer with a ton of diverse local performances and productions (closes Sun, $15, various locations).
- See productions led by the graduates of Shakespeare Theatre Company (Wed through July 27, $20, Downtown).
- Comedian Patton Oswalt fills Lyric Baltimore with laughter this week (Fri, $48+, Baltimore).
- Four humor writers share new stories and jokes at Humor Books: ALIVE (Sat, $15, Kennedy Center).
Music and concerts:
- See teen rockers Birthday Girl DC play at Fort Reno Park (Mon, free, Fort Reno).
- Take your lunch break at Wilson Plaza, and enjoy live blues, salsa, and more performances throughout the summer (weekdays through September 27, free, Downtown).
- Indie rockers DIIV play at Howard Theatre (Tues, $32+, Shaw).
- Listen to funk and blues melodies performed by local band Pebble to Pearl at Rock the Dock (Wed, free, Wharf).
- Max Rosado & The 7th St. Band and rock cover band 7 Deadlies perform at MGM’s Patio Jam (Wed-Thurs, free, National Harbor).
- Charley Crockett performs two sold-out shows at 9:30 Club; tickets are still available from third-party sellers (Wed-Thurs, $47+, Shaw).
- Joy Viver headlines the Fort Reno summer concert this week (Thurs, free, Fort Reno).
- Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen is live in concert at Nats Stadium (Fri, $37+, Nationals Park).
- Rock group Third Eye Blind makes a tour stop at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Fri, $35+, Columbia).
- Music legend Dionne Warwick sings at Warner Theatre (Fri, $44+, Downtown).
- See favorite boy band members Joey Fatone and AJ McLean (Sat, $30+, National Harbor).
- Hip-hop veteran Nas celebrates the 30th anniversary of his album Illmatic at Wolf Trap with the National Symphony Orchestra (Sun, $59+, Vienna).
- Have a music-filled evening with Pretenders at Warner Theatre (Sat-Sun, $47+, Downtown).
Exercise and wellness:
- Move your body at an outdoor Zumba class at Water Park (Mon, free, Arlington).
- Dancing on the Waterfront teaches a country line dancing session for all to enjoy (Tues, free Georgetown).
Things to do with kids:
- You can make bracelets, paint a flower pot, or craft a sun catcher at Family Craft Hour (Fri, free admission, Brookland).
- Bike with the family to Yards Park to cool down with ice cream at the splash pad (Sat, free, Navy Yard).
If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
