Things to do the week of Sept. 9-12, 2024
We've gathered up some things to do across the nation's capital, including museum exhibits, concerts, only-in-DC events and much more. Don't miss our things to do this weekend and things to do this month as well.
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Monday
Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment
Discover the origins of one of the most important art movements in history thanks to a new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. The museum is replicating a legendary exhibit from Paris in 1874 that helped bring about the dawn of Impressionism. In the display, you will be able to view beloved paintings by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissaro and many more.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
In the Library: Life in the Impressionists’ Paris
A companion piece to Paris 1874, the National Gallery of Art displays dozens of photographs and prints in its Library Atrium. The exhibit provides insight and context for the great late 19th-century Impressionist works as the images illuminate a society changing rapidly thanks to industrialization, widespread military clashes, new technologies and the redefinition of urban spaces.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
Built to Spill
As the rare indie band to make great use of the guitar solo and offer a catalogue filled with singalong anthems, Built to Spill has built a career that spans three decades, amassing both critical acclaim and a dedicated fan following. One of their finest and most beloved long players, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so cue a tour on which Built To Spill will play the classic in its entirety. Throw on your comfiest jacket and jeans, idle up to one of 9:30 Club’s two bars, order a beer and savor some of the best songs in indie rock history.
7 p.m. | Tickets
9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Tuesday
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, will showcase the imprint of Asian Americans on the physical and cultural terrain of the nation's capital. Installed in a gallery that overlooks DC's Chinatown, the exhibition features examples of cultural products that feature Chinese, Korean and Japanese heritage and/or express coalitional Asian American and BIPOC identities. These include displays of artwork, material culture, images and other graphic material drawn from Smithsonian collections and shared by local lenders, including community members and repositories such as the DC History Center and the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. A free celebration on Sept. 7 marks the exhibit's opening.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th & G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004
Comedy of Errors
One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays shows that The Bard knew how to make audiences chuckle as well as he knew how to make them cry. Hilarity ensues in a case of mistaken identities as Artistic Director Simon Godwin directs an uproarious affair that will add some rock ‘n’ roll to a humorously topsy-turvy family saga.
Tickets
Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Primary Trust
Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize and a highly acclaimed New York Times Critic’s Pick, Primary Trust makes its DC-area premiere thanks to Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. Kenneth is a frequent patron of Wally’s Tiki Bar until a job loss prompts him to re-examine the past. Funny and emotional in equal measure, Primary Trust is not to be missed this fall.
Tickets
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206
Soft Power
Billed as a “visionary musical fantasia,” Soft Power details the story of a Chinese American playwright attacked by an unknown assailant soon after the 2016 election. The playwright then imagines a Golden Age musical comedy featuring a Chinese theater producer and Hillary Clinton. The new political satire from Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori debuts at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va.
Tickets
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206
Wednesday
National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra's DC ORIGINALITY
Through vibrant musical selections of U Street jazz to native Go-go, the NSO collaborates with remarkable local artists to celebrate the "Cultural Beat of Capital City". Featuring tunes from homegrown heroes such as Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, Duke Ellington, John Philip Sousa and more, this event is a can't-miss, only-in-DC experience.
8 p.m. | Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566
The Comeuppance
Set in nearby Prince George’s County, Md., The Comeuppance concerns the self-proclaimed “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” on the night of their 20th high school reunion. A mystical force makes these friends face the past head-on and reckon with an uncertain future. Penned by MacArthur Genius Award winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play garnered a New York Times Critic’s Pick.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
An Evening with PJ Harvey
One of the most acclaimed and adventurous rock stars to emerge over the last 30 years visits The Anthem in DC. PJ Harvey redefined alternative rock upon the release of her debut LP in 1992, crafting hard-biting songs from a woman’s perspective featuring relentless guitars, unapologetic lyrics and her sky-searing voice. Her influence is immeasurable.
8 p.m. | Tickets
The Anthem, 901 Wharf Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil's OVO
The newest spectacle from French-Canadian phenomenon Cirque du Soleil comes to DC for five days only. OVO follows the unlikely love story between a clumsy insect and an elegant ladybug, featuring all of the circus arts that have made the franchise so beloved: mind-bending costumes, magical music and high-flying acrobatics.
Tickets
Capital One Arena, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Thursday
KYGO WORLD TOUR* – Sept. 12
Record-breaking EDM artist KYGO will visit the Merriweather Post Pavilion for one night this September. The Norwegian superstar is sure to keep crowds on their feet with electronic hits like “It Ain’t Me” (feat. Selena Gomez) and remixes of popular tracks like "Higher Love."
7 p.m. | Tickets
Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044
National Gallery Nights: A Night in Paris
Returning this fall season, National Gallery Nights is a popular (and free) way to spend an evening immersed in art in the nation’s capital. The September edition leans all the way into the museum’s latest exhibit, Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment, by showcasing paintings by Monet, Renoir, Degas and other famous Impressionists. You can also enjoy French music, film, art and food as well as cabaret performances. Activity on the 4th Street Plaza is open to all; registration is required to enter the East Building.
6-9 p.m. | Free Admission | Register
National Gallery of Art, 4th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
James Taylor / Wolf Trap
James Taylor & His All-Star Band
For five decades, James Taylor has set the standard for American singer-songwriters. Celebrate the beauty of soft rock with the six-time Grammy Award-winner and his lauded band, who are sure to entertain with hits like “Fire and Rain,” “How Sweet It Is,” “Carolina In My Mind" and “You’ve Got A Friend."
8 p.m. | Tickets
Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182
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