Things to Do in Washington DC This Week: September 14 – 20, 2026

Monday and Tuesday: a quiet start

Nothing big lands on Monday or Tuesday in the District this week. Use the two days to grab WalkingTown spots, which open in the schedule before the tours start Saturday, and to sort out Garth Brooks tickets if you want a seat for Friday or Saturday. Across the river, John Fogerty and Steve Winwood play Wolf Trap on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday: the Reagan Building market adds its makers, and jazz at Hillwood

Capital Harvest on the Plaza

The weekly market on Woodrow Wilson Plaza runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and September 16 is a third Wednesday, which means the Capital Arts Collective sets up alongside the produce and prepared food with jewelry, paintings, candles and home goods. Federal Triangle and Metro Center are both a short walk.

Jazz in the Gardens at Hillwood

Hillwood’s garden concert series closes its season with a Nat King Cole tribute at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, with vocalist Phillip Manuel and saxophonist Marshall Keys. Tickets are $30 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for kids 6 to 18.

Thursday: the Botanic Garden stays open late, salsa at The Wharf and free national parks

Summer Evening Hours with Josee Molavi

The U.S. Botanic Garden keeps the conservatory and gardens open until 8 p.m. for its last summer evening of the year, with soul-jazz singer Josee Molavi from 5 p.m. and the America’s State Flowers exhibit still up. Lemonade, botanical mocktails and ice cream are sold on site. Entry is free and no ticket is needed.

Salsa on the waterfront

The Wharf’s free Dancing on the Waterfront series goes salsa Thursday: a lesson at 6 p.m. at M Street Landing, then open dancing with a DJ over the water.

Thursday is also Constitution Day, a fee-free day at every National Park Service site that charges admission, which makes it the day to drive out to Great Falls Park.

Friday: Garth Brooks, night one

Blame It All On My Roots at Capital One Arena

Garth Brooks opens a two-night stand at Capital One Arena, 8 p.m. with doors at 6:30 p.m., after stops in Indianapolis, Denver and Chicago on the tour. Gallery Place-Chinatown is under the building, so skip the garage.

Earlier Friday, Get Flee Marketplace sets up its vintage and maker market on Kogan Plaza at George Washington University from noon to 5 p.m., and in Silver Spring, Montgomery Parks opens Bottleworks Lane Park at 1110 East-West Highway from 5 to 7 p.m. with music and food trucks.

Saturday: two free street festivals and the start of WalkingTown

H Street Festival

H Street NE closes from 3rd to 15th Street from noon to 7 p.m. for 15 themed staging areas: music across genres, dance, youth performances, fashion, heritage arts and poetry, with kids programming and every bar and restaurant on the corridor spilling onto the sidewalk. Admission is free. Union Station is a ten-minute walk from the west end, and the streetcar does not run through the closed blocks during the festival, so plan on walking.

Sawasdee DC Thai Festival

The Royal Thai Embassy closes Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd and 6th Streets from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for 45 Thai food vendors, traditional dance, T-pop acts, Muay Thai demonstrations and Thai massage. It is free at the gate, the exhibition booths hand out tote bags and souvenirs while supplies last, and the Sawasdee Hub is running a drawing for a flight ticket. Archives and Judiciary Square are the closest stations.

WalkingTown begins

Events DC’s free tour program runs eight days from Saturday, September 19 through Saturday, September 26, with more than 50 guided walking and biking tours through neighborhoods in all eight wards. Individual tours fill, so pick yours from the schedule early.

Garth Brooks plays his second night at 8 p.m., and the Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival in Rockville and opening weekend at Butler’s Orchard are in the Maryland section below.

Sunday: WalkingTown tours and a community day at the harbor

Sunday is the second day of WalkingTown tours. Across the river in Maryland, National Harbor holds its first Community Day on the plaza with free games, health screenings and live entertainment, details in the Maryland section.

Two Northern Virginia events worth the trip

50th Annual Falls Church Festival

The City Hall grounds host the 50th festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with three bands in the beer garden, inflatables, pony rides and a craft tent. Admission is free; ride tickets are $1 or $25 for a wristband and Taste Tickets are $3.

Oktoberfest in Old Town Alexandria

John Carlyle Square, a short walk from the King Street Metro station, runs a free, pet-friendly Oktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday with a beer garden, German music, bratwurst, pretzels and strudel.

Cox Farms in Centreville also opens its Fall Festival Saturday at $25 for dated online tickets, and the Reston Multicultural Festival fills Reston Town Center from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free. Both are in the Northern Virginia guide.

Maryland events worth the drive

Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival in Rockville

The Square at Rockville Town Center hosts the free Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with tea vendors, performances, live music and food. Maryland Avenue closes for it, and the Rockville Metro station is a five-minute walk.

Parks Ale Trail at Lake Needwood

Montgomery Parks turns Lake Needwood into a beer festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday: nine breweries at the main area, a mid-hike beer garden at Needwood Mansion on a 2.5-mile loop, King Soul on the main stage, food trucks and lawn games. Attendance is free, drinks are paid, and leashed dogs are welcome.

Washington Ukrainian Festival

St. Andrew’s in Silver Spring runs three days: Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. is food sales only and free, Saturday runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a $20 ticket good both days, and Sunday runs 11 a.m. to dusk for $15. Under 21 is free. Kalush Orchestra, the 2022 Eurovision winners, headline a lineup of more than ten acts, and the kitchen turns out varenyky, borshch and holubtsi.

Pumpkin Festival opens at Butler’s Orchard

Germantown’s Butler’s Orchard opens its 46th Pumpkin Festival Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m. Opening weekend is priced below the October peak.

National Harbor Community Day

National Harbor holds its first Community Day Sunday on the plaza by the water, with free family games, health screenings and live entertainment. The organizers have not posted hours, so check the announcement before driving.

More Saturday options in Maryland: Children’s Day at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton is free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with crafts, a puppet show and picnics allowed; Montgomery County’s free Hispanic Heritage Month Unity Festival runs beside the Wheaton Metro station; the free Celebrate Africa Festival fills Fairwood Park in Bowie from 1 to 6 p.m. with a parade of nations at 3:15 p.m.; and the Maryland Renaissance Festival continues in Crownsville both days with online-only tickets at $31 for adults. Soorp Khatch in Bethesda holds its Armenian Food Festival Friday through Sunday, and St. George in Cabin John and St. Mary in Cooksville both run Egyptian festivals Saturday and Sunday, with hours on the church pages. The Big Dill pickle party at Power Plant Live in Baltimore is sold out. Maryland Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through September 27.

Free things to do in Washington DC this week

• Wednesday: Capital Harvest on the Plaza with the Capital Arts Collective, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Thursday: U.S. Botanic Garden evening hours with Josee Molavi until 8 p.m., salsa at The Wharf from 6 p.m., and free entry at national parks for Constitution Day.
• Saturday: H Street Festival from noon to 7 p.m. and Sawasdee DC Thai Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday through September 26: WalkingTown tours across all eight wards.

Planning tips before you go

• Do both festivals on Saturday: Sawasdee DC opens at 11 a.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue and H Street starts at noon, about a mile and a half apart. Start Thai, finish on H Street.
• Book WalkingTown early: The popular neighborhood tours fill in the first days after the schedule opens.
• Skip the garage for Garth: Gallery Place-Chinatown sits under Capital One Arena, and the streets around it close before an 8 p.m. arena show.
• Bring a bag to the Thai festival: Tote bags and souvenirs at the embassy booths go while supplies last, and the food lines are long by 1 p.m.
• Check Butler’s last entry: The orchard stops admitting at 4:30 p.m. even though the festival runs to 6 p.m.

Frequently asked questions