The weekend is almost upon us, and Washingtonians are getting ready to make plans for how to spend their limited free time in one of the country’s best cities.
We’ve rounded up some of the best things to do this weekend in (and around) D.C.!
Attend the iconic Sailboat Show taking place in Annapolis this weekend
Annapolis is considered the ‘Sailing Capital of America’ for good reason, and this weekend’s Sailboat Show is a great to display as to how the capital of Maryland earned its nickname!
Those interested in attended can get tickets online from the event’s website, with general admission tickets costing just $32 per person for a day pass.
Widely regarded as one of the premier Renaissance festivals in the United States, the event transforms more than 25 acres into a bustling 16th-century English village complete with armored knights, costumed performers, artisan marketplaces, and one of the country’s most famous jousting tournaments.
This weekend is one of the most popular of the event’s multi-weekend run, which means that tickets are going fast, so if you are interesting in attending you’ll want to get your tickets ASAP.
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a fully interactive, 3D virtual reality experience that begins at the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory before launching visitors into space aboard the world’s most powerful telescopes.
Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the experience takes visitors on a breathtaking journey through the cosmos, from dazzling galaxies to the edge of a black hole.
The same minds behind the hit ‘Drunk Shakespeare’ show are hosting a ‘Drunk Dracula’ performance that is sure to both get you in the spirit of the season and make you bust a gut laughing.
The experience include craft cocktails being delivered straight to your seat while you watch the performers try to keep their act together after downing more than a few shots of their own before the show begins.
The 2026 Middleburg Film Festival is scheduled for October 15–18 in Middleburg, Virginia, bringing four days of films, filmmaker conversations and special events to the town about an hour from Washington, D.C.
The Middleburg Film Festival describes itself as four days of curated narrative and documentary films in intimate theater settings, with Q&As featuring filmmakers, actors, and other special guests.
There’s a reason it’s a classic date idea — you can’t beat movies with a snack and a drink!
Now, when you go to a movie at a participating Theater, you can get a discount on your drink and popcorn!
Learn more about discount tickets and vouchers for drinks & snacks here!
The long-secret undercroft beneath the Lincoln Memorial has been transformed into a massive immersive museum—and it’s open now!
The new immersive museum will feature historic exhibits, multimedia presentations, architectural views into the memorial’s foundations, and stories about how the Lincoln Memorial became one of the nation’s most important sites for protests, speeches, and civil rights history.
Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is a D.C. gem. Visitors are invited to explore an extravagant mansion, grab a bite to eat at Merriweather Café, and soak up the lush beauty of the outdoor gardens.
Tickets for adults are $15, with various discounts available for seniors, students, and children. Plan your visit here!
There’s no better place to pay respects on Memorial Day than here in D.C., where the city hosts some of the best events of the year, from the National Parade, National Concert, and events at the nation’s biggest cemetery for military veterans.
One of the most anticipated museum openings of the year, the National Geographic Museum in downtown DC at the Nat Geo HQ, is not something you want to skip!
The museum features loads of fantastic exhibits, including:
- A Photography Gallery showcasing iconic NatGeo imagery
- A Magazine Gallery dedicated to the publication’s storytelling history
- The Archives, featuring rare materials from the Society’s nearly 140-year history
- “Rolex Explorers Landing,” an exhibit following real-world exploration missions from oceans to outer space
- Outdoor nighttime projection experiences in the museum courtyard
Great Country Farms in Bluemont is bringing pumpkins, corn mazes, wagon rides and plenty of fall fun to Northern Virginia this season.
The farm’s pumpkin patch was recently ranked among the 10 best pumpkin patches in the country by the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
The farm’s Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival runs through Halloween, giving visitors plenty of time to pick pumpkins, explore the farm and enjoy classic autumn activities.
Attend the U.S. Oyster Festival and see the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship
Located in the small and charming town of Leonardtown, Maryland, the U.S. Oyster Festival is one of the most unique events of its kind in the entire United States of America!
The event will take place over two days, October 17th and 18th, and is expected to draw a crowd of over 22,000 throughout the weekend.
Tickets are available online now but will also be available at the gate:
- Single Day Pass – $15 per adult, $5 per youth (6-17 years old), & free for kids 5 and under.
- Weekend Pass – $25 per adult, $8 per youth (6-17 years old), & free for kids 5 and under.
