And so it is Labor Day Weekend. This is kind of it, folks. Yes, it is still summer for a few more weeks and it could easily remain sandal weather though October; however, it is time to get serious. Pools will close and the summer film series will end. Despair not! The encroaching autumn also means fall festival season begins soon. After that, we roll right into the holidays. Onward!
Burnt Sienna plays at Yards Park Friday night. Photo courtesy of Yards Park.
How are you spending this holiday weekend? Here are some thoughts:
Tonight, take a bike ride along the Anacostia. The Anacostia Watershed Society will lead a bike ride around the newly connected portions of the Anacostia River Trail. Scientists will talk about the history surrounding the river as well as the plants and animals that make it home. The tour will kick off at 5:30 at the 11th Street Bridge on the Anacostia side. Register and learn more here.
Gather ye other sad non-beach bound friends for a round or two of Bingo at Union Market. Unlike other bar-based games, bingo requires little knowledge or skills: just a quick eagle eye and, of course, some luck. DC Fray hosts the weekly event.
If there are still tickets (because everyone wants to go see “Twitter personality” Tim Krepp), you can go listen to some spooky tales of consumption and pox at Congressional Cemetery. More details here.
Friday night’s concert at Capitol Riverfront’s Yard’s Park is the Philadelphia-based homage to that classic crayon, Burnt Sienna. There are only a few more Fridays left so get down there. The concert is 7 to 9 p.m.
You can also go see Marie and Rosetta at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Read Maria’s review here.
Saturday, take the kids to the Folger Shakespeare Library for the season’s first Shake Up Your Saturdays event. The theme is “Thunder, Lightning, or in Rain” and participants will explore the sun and storms of Shakespeare’s worlds. There are two sessions: 10-11 a.m. is for ages 4-7 and 11 a.m.-12 noon is best for ages 7-11. Register in advance here.
If you love books, you need to go to the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival, happening at the Washington Convention Center (which is almost technically Ward 6). The festival goes from 9 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. BOOKS!
Want to hang out at the District Wharf? Want to shop? Then you’ll love Shop the Square on Saturday, September 1 from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. You can walk about, enjoy local retailers and special Labor Day promotions and take in the chill Wharf atmosphere. Good luck getting anyone to give up the swings, though.
That night, indulge in some nostalgia. I am usually pretty open about my love for the 90s (I was young and childless…) and I am very pleased to see some 90s fashion choices coming back. I am so tickled when I spot a youngster sporting a choker. If you, too, are an old person, you might enjoy Back to the 90s at the Rock and Roll Hotel which is a concert series consisting of three bands who pay homage to 20 different 90s bands. Yes, Nirvana is one. They also channel Paul Ryan’s favorite, Rage Against the Machine. Tickets are $15 and the doors open at 8 p.m. The concert starts at 9 p.m., which seems a little late for this crowd, but it is a long weekend.
Sunday, make it an all-sports day. You can take in the Nationals game at 1:35 p.m. and when that is over, head right over to Audi field to watch DC United take on Atlanta. You can do it! You have all day Monday to recover!