Washington, DC

17th Annual Doll & Teddy Bear Expo - This sounds like an interesting expo, especially since it is Around the World themed this year. This show is the largest showcase of dolls and teddy bears held in the United States. It is open to the public on Saturday, August 9 from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, August 10 from 10am to 3pm. It costs $15 for adults and $5 for kids under 12 (they can get in free if they were a scout uniform or globally inspired costume). It is being held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. There is also a trade only preview on Friday from 3pm to 5pm. I assume that means those in the related business and/or media.

Ladybug Release - This event is at 10am on Friday, August 8, 2008. It is a release of ladybugs at the National Museum of the American Indian. They are released into the Native Croplands area on the outside the south side of the museum.

SAAM I Am Family Day - This month’s Family Day at the Smithsonian American Art Museum is on Saturday, August 9, from 1pm to 4pm. The featured books are Market Day by Lois Ehlert and The Decoy by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer. There will be a craft activity as part of the program. Also, the usul scavenger hunt activity is available.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

There are few better cities to celebrate the 4th of July than the Nation’s Capital as far as wanting a historically significant setting for the holiday goes. It certainly is not really the top, as Boston and Philadelphia could claim better historic settings, but as a continuing important place for our government, Washington, D.C., certainly ranks up there in places to celebrate the 4th of July.

A Capitol Fourth - This annual concert is held on the West Lawn of the Capitol grounds. If you cannot get here in person or just do not want to deal with the crowds, you can watch the show on PBS starting at 8pm. Performers this year include Taylor Hicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Last year I was walking around taking night photography of the Capitol on July 2nd and you could get really close to the stage and watch some of the performers doing rehearsal. Pretty fun concert experience that I happened upon and that is saying something since I usually hate concerts.

Fireworks Over the Washington Monument - The show begins at 9:10pm weather permitting. There are many places to watch it around the District and across the river. One of the best places is sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but you probably should stake out your area early if you plan on sitting anywhere on the National Mall. Public Access to the Mall begins at 10am on the 4th.

4th of July Parade - The National Independence Day Parade is held on the traditional D.C. parade route of Constitution Avenue. It goes between 7th street and 17th street. The parade begins at 11:45pm and is expected to continue for 2 hours.

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet: This Saturday, May 24, a new temporary exhibit opens at the United States Botanic Gardens. One of the main focuses of the exhibit are 40 globe sculptures. The title of the new exhibit is called One Planet - Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Century. It continues until October 13, 2008, so there is plenty of time to get over there before it closes and probably less crowded opportunities than this Memorial Day weekend.

National Memorial Day Parade: The National Memorial Day parade is on Monday, May 26, at 2pm between the Capital and the White House on Constitution Avenue.

PBS National Memorial Day Concert: This concert is hosted by Gary Sinise (Mac on CSI: New York) and Joe Mantegna (David Rossi on Criminal Minds) and is held on the Capital West Lawn. This year’s concert will be on Sunday, May 25, at 8pm and if you cannot catch it in person check your local PBS station to watch it on television.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Hawaiian Festival: This festival is on Saturday and Sunday at the National Museum of the American Indian. Includes activities such as lei making and Hawaiian food and cooking demonstration.

KidSpy Festival: Tradecraft Try-Its: This event at the International Spy Museum involves mini-missions geared towards kids ages 7 and up. It includes lie detector tests, coded messages, moving like a ninja, and creating secret writing. It costs $12 per person and $10 if you are a member of the museum’s Spy Ring.

Night at the Museum A Behind-the-Scenes Experience: This event at the Udvar Hazy Center location of the National Air and Space Museum. It is on Saturday from 6pm to 9:30pm. At this event learn more about the museum and how it operates as well as see things you would not normally see at the museum.

Smithsonian Environment Research Center Open House: The SERC is having an open house this Saturday from 9am to 3:30pm. Activities include children’s games, boat rides, hay rides, climbing a solar radiation tower, and music.

Spring Wine Festival & Sunset Tour: This event at Mount Vernon is an evening event all days this weekend. It includes live jazz music and special Candlelit Mansion tours that include showing the rarely seen cellar.

The Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor: This is the inaugural year of this festival. The festival runs from 11am to 7pm this Saturday and 11am to 6pm this Sunday. Highlights of the festival include food and wine from around the world, Artisanal Products and Boutique Wines Pavilion, seminars, and guest chef demonstrations.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

22nd Annual Asian Arts and Crafts Festival: This festival is part of the Smithsonian’s Asia Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration. It is being held this Friday from 10am to 3:30pm in the Rotunda at the National Museum of Natural History. Art will include Thai fruit and vegetable carvings, Chinese paper folding, brush paintings, and Mongolian mask making.

FlutterFest!: This event is being held on Saturday at the National Museum of Natural History from 9am to 11am. The event costs $125 per family. It is a special exclusive access to the Butterflies exhibit at this museum. There will be special demonstrations on topics such as identifying butterflies and how to grow a butterfly garden. Other activities will include arts and crafts, storytelling, and face painting.

Lighting to Unite: This event at the Washington National Cathedral this weekend is a light show being projected on the Cathedral as part of the Cathedral’s celebration of its 100th year. The event is 8pm to midnight Friday through Sunday. On Saturday night there will also be live music.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

National Air and Space Museum Family Day: This month’s family day at the National Air and Space Museum National Mall location commemorates the 50th anniversary of NASA. The event is from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, May 3.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Family Day: This event at the National Postal Museum starts the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Heritage Month being celebrated throughout the Smithsonian. This event is on Sunday, May 4, from 11am to 3pm.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Behind the Barley: An Insider’s Look at Craft Brewing: This Smithsonian workshop is on Saturday from 1pm to 4:30pm at R.F.D. near Gallery Place - Chinatown Metro Stop. Speakers on craft beer include Jim Koch (Boston Beer Co.), Paul Shipman (Redhook Ales), and Charles Finkel (Merchant du Vin and Seattle’s Pike Brewing Company). This event costs $65 for Smithsonian members and $82 for non-members.

Bird Fest 2008: This festival is on both Saturday and Sunday at the National Zoo. Activities include demonstrations on bird banding, live migratory birds, bird arts and crafts, The Great Migration Challenge, Bird Quest, and taste testing of bird friendly coffee. Also, there will be free posters, temporary tattoos, and more.

Draft Day Party at Fed Ex Field: This event is this Saturday at Fed Ex Field starting at noon. The event is free, but you will need to fill out the form here to get your free invitation to get in to the event. This event includes the NFL Draft being shown on the JumboTron, passing and kicking activities on the field, tour of Redskin Locker Room, take photo with Super Bowl trophies, and 2008 Washington Redskin cheerleaders making their debut.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Earth Day Clean Up: Join the National Zoo for a special clean up in honor of the upcoming Earth Day. The clean up is scheduled for this Saturday from 9am to 11am with registration beginning at 8:30am. The clean up involves picking up debris around the Rock Creek that runs through the National Zoo and is in relation to this year being called the Year of the Frog by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Explore the Universe Family Day: This family day is at the National Mall location of the National Air and Space Museum. The event is from 10am to 3pm. Learn about the stars while learning about how Western and Native American astronomers experience the night sky.

Meet Amelia Family Day: This family day is at the National Postal Museum. The event is on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. There is also a show at 2pm called “Amelia Earhart: Dreams Take Fight.” Activity tables at this family day include ones about airmail routes, Earhart’s stamp and cover collections, and female pilots on stamps.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

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2008 Cherry Blossom Anacostia EcoTour: This sounds like an interesting bike ride tour. It is a 12 to 15 mile bike tour along which you will learn about local environmental achievements and learn about taking part in various beautification projects that are part of the Keep D.C. Beautiful Great American Cleanup project. The event is this Saturday from 8:30am to 8:30pm.

Lantern Lighting Ceremony: This is another event that is part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. This event is on Sunday from 2:30pm to 4pm. It is on the Tidal Basin near 17th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW. The 355-year-old stone lantern is lit in this ceremony that features Japanese performers, dignitaries, and the Cherry Blossom Princesses. This is the one event related to the festival I would like to see this weekend, but not sure if I want to brave the crowds to do it. I may just leave the braving the crowds for the following weekend because I do not plan on missing the parade.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks: The festival fireworks can be seen on the Southwest Waterfront from 8:30pm to 9pm on Saturday. The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s website recommends viewing from the East Potomac Park or the Southwest Waterfront promenade.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

42nd Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival: This year’s Kite Festival is on Saturday, March 29. The event is on the National Mall by the Washington Monument from 10am to 4pm. The event includes several different kite flying competitions as well as kite-making activities and exhibits on the history of kites.

Celebrating Women’s History Family Program: This is this month’s Family Day at the National Portrait Gallery. The event includes an art activity, a book reading, and a scavenger hunt. It is from noon to 4pm on Saturday, March 29.

National Cherry Blossom Festival: This year’s festival kicks off this Saturday, March 29, with a family day event at the National Building Museum from 10am to 3:30pm and the opening ceremony there from 4pm to 5:30pm.

The Lure of the Desert: The Western Oases of Egypt: This Smithsonian lecture is this Saturday, March 29, from 9:30am to 3pm. The lecture covers Alexander the Great and Egypt, The Oases of Egypt During the Hellenistic and Roman Periods, and The Oases of Egypt During the Hellenistic and Roman Periods. The cost is $60 for Smithsonian Members, $95 for Non-Smithsonian Members, and $54 for Senior Smithsonian Members.

This weekend the Washington Nationals play their first games at their new stadium. This includes an exhibition game on Saturday, March 29, and Opening Day 2008 on Sunday, March 30. Check out other weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

D.C. Environmental Film Festival: The festival ends this Saturday, March 22, 2008. Check the listing of films being shown, times, and locations here. Most of the films are free and many do not require reservations. Showings this weekend include A Life: The Story of Lady Bird Johnson at the National Portrait Gallery, Help, I’m A Fish at the Avalon Theatre, the World Premiere of Water First: Reaching the MDGS at the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and Papa Tortuga at the National Museum of Natural History.

The Mayans and Their Stairways to the Stars Lecture: This is a lecture on Friday evening at the Einstein Planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum. The lecture is about the Mayan Calendar and in part addresses why the Mayan Calendar predicts the world will end in 2012. It costs $45 for non-Smithsonian members to attend and $35 for Smithsonian Members.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

D.C. Environmental Film Festival: The festival began on March 11th and goes through March 22, 2008. Check the listing of films being shown, times, and locations here. Most if not all films are free and many do not require reservations. Showings this weekend include Arctic Tale on Saturday, March 15 at noon at the National Geographic Society’s Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium and Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole on Saturday, March 15 at 1pm at the National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium.

Kites of Asia Family Day: This family day on Saturday, March 15 from 10am to 3pm is at the National Air and Space Museum’s mall location. This event includes indoor kite flying, a demonstration of a dragon kite being made, Chinese Lion Dancers, and learning how to do Chinese calligraphy.

National Postal Museum’s 15th Birthday: The name for the museum’s celebration is called Nuestra Quinceañera:
A Celebration of Our 15 Years. The event is this Saturday, March 15 from 1pm to 3pm. It includes not just memories of the museum and its related theme of stamps, but also the theme of what a Quinceñera is, which for those who do not know is a 15th birthday celebration girls in Hispanic culture celebrate similar to a Sweet 16.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Go, Diego, Go Live: This is a live performance show based on the Nick Jr. Go, Diego, Go (a spin-off of Dora, the Explorer) show that appeals to preschoolers. The performances are at 7pm on Friday, 11am and 2pm on Saturday, and 11am, 2pm, and 5pm on Sunday. It is being held at the Warner Theater.

Oragami Workshop: This Friday at 2pm there is an Oragami Workshop at the Freer and Sackler Galleries. At this event learn to make birds and animals using the Japanese art of paper folding, Oragami.

What Makes Irish Literature?: This Smithsonian seminar is a good themed one for this month with St. Patrick’s Day coming up in a few weeks. It is being held from 9:30am to 4:15pm this Saturday at the S. Dillon Ripley Center. It costs $85 for Smithsonian Members, $76 for Senior Smithsonian Members, and $120 for non-members. The seminar is about Irish literature and what makes it unique. It starts with early Irish writings and continues through to contemporary writers.

Women in Aviation & Space: This event is being held this Saturday at the Udvar Hazy Center. At this event learn about famous female aviators and view local Girl Scout science projects. Plus, check out the new IMAX movie, Forces of Nature, that just started playing at the Udvar Hazy’s IMAX Theater.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Art + Coffee: This is an ongoing event on Saturdays at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is at 1:30pm in the Luce Foundation Center part of the museum. Here you can explore the area where many of the items not on display in the museum are stored and enjoy coffee and tea afterwards.

Create a Family Scrapbook: This special event is being held at the Anacostia Museum on Saturday at 10:30am. Bring in family mementos that are flat/on paper such as photos, documents, and certificates. They will be used as copies in creating a family scrapbook.

Music from Japan: Ancient Flutes/Modern Percussion: This is a performance at the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium. The event is at 4pm on Saturday, March 1. The performance includes traditional and new Japanese music with the main musician being Mayumi Miyata playing the mouth organ.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.

Capital Home and Garden Show: This show is being held at the Dulles Expo Show this weekend. Show highlights include Dazzling Highlights and pet products showcase. Hours are 5pm to 9pm today, 10am to 9:30pm tomorrow (Friday), 10am to 9:30pm Saturday, and 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Cost is $10 per adult, $3 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under.

Evidence Withheld: Forensic Finds that Didn’t Make it to the Courtroom: This is a Smithsonian All Day seminar on Saturday from 9:30am to 4:30pm. The topic evidence that was not allowed to be used in court. Cost is $85 for members of the Smithsonian, $126 for non-members, and $76 for Senior members.

Glass3: This art exhibit features international artists. It opened today and continues through March 9. It is at the Shops at Georgetown Park. Times at 12pm to 8pm daily, except only to 6pm on Sundays and it is closed on Saturdays.

Check out weekend sports playing in D.C. on the Sports Events Coming Up This Week post.

These are just few events this weekend. If you have any that you know about in the D.C. area this weekend that you would like to share, then please let us know in a comment to this post.