Thursday
Passport to Patriotism at the Art Museum of the Americas
201 18th Street NW, D.C., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., free (through Oct. 18)
If the wife of a Trump golf club manager curated a contemporary museum exhibition, what art would she hang on the walls? This is not a theoretical question. The Organization of American States tapped Erin Scavino, the wife of Dan Scavino, Trump’s longtime aide now serving as the White House director of the Presidential Personnel Office, to helm Passport to Patriotism. The exhibit, celebrating America’s 250th birthday, opens Thursday and runs through Oct. 18. Erin Scavino has no background in art curation or art history, but she does run the State Department’s Art in Embassies program and chose a mix of American flag photography and mixed-media pop-art paintings for her first big curation project.
“The President’s Own” Latin Jazz Ensemble at Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Md., 7:30 p.m., free
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Lose the lottery for Jazz in the Garden again? Sorry. But if you have a car, try jazz at Glen Echo instead. Tonight “The President’s Own” Latin Jazz Ensemble, featuring musicians from D.C.’s top U.S. Marine Corps band, makes its annual appearance at the historic Glen Echo Park. The setlist includes tunes by Chick Corea, Tito Puente’s “Cha Cha Cha,” and for the Disney demographic, Alan Menken’s “Under the Sea” calypso.
More to explore: Faction of Fools’ “Leftover Lazzi: A Commedia Cabaret” at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
Friday
The Funset at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D Street NW, D.C., 6 p.m., free
The Penn Quarter theater and Downtown DC BID team up to offer this free indoor dance party with tunes spun by DJ Jahsonic and Harry Hotter. Guzzle gratis Topo Chico while supplies last, and watch local artist Urshula Dunn create a live installation in the theater lobby.
Otakon at the Washington Convention Center
8 a.m. to 10 p.m., $70 adults, children 8 and under free
Cosplay the day away at this 30th annual gathering for fans of all things Asian sci-fi, including anime, music and video games. Festivities include a live-art action (Ballroom C), 30 custom-painted cars (Hall D) plus a K-Pop concert, dance parties and Lyra’s Formal Ball. Dress code: Whatever the character you’re portraying would wear to prom.
More to explore: A live taping of the Broadway musical “Hadestown” screens at local cinemas
Saturday
All the Feelings Tour with Metric, Broken Social Scene and Stars
At the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. NW, D.C., 7 p.m., $74
Tariffs, bans on American booze and the 51st State blues. Canadians have lots of feelings about Washington at the moment. For more positive vibes, head to the Anthem to catch Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene, plus Metric and Stars, on the All the Feelings tour. The three bands have long shared personnel but rarely share a tour bus. This is your chance to see Stars and Metric form a brass section for their pals, as well as play their own up-tempo, angst-fueled sets.
Washington Sculptors Group: Sculpture NOW 2026 at Harmony Hall Arts Center
10701 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington, Md., opening reception 2 to 4 p.m., free.
Men on horseback may be the most common monuments in the District, but more than 400 local artists belong to this society promoting three-dimensional artwork. The Washington Sculptors Group kicks off its annual juried group show this weekend and keeps the doors open through Sept. 5.
More to explore:
Celebrate Dark Star Park Day in Rosslyn
Sunday
Maryland Youth Ballet performs “Sleeping Beauty” at Wolf Trap
551 Trap Road, Vienna, Va., 10:30 a.m., $14
For the youngest dance fans, there’s no better way to experience ballet for the first time than at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods. Gasp at the beauty of Princess Aurora, giggle with the fairies, or yell when Maleficent casts a spell. All’s fair at this outdoor, abridged staging of the classic story ballet.
Imagining Shakespeare: Mythmaking and Storytelling in the Regency Era
At the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE, D.C., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., suggested donation $15
When the Folger Shakespeare Library opened its new exhibition space in 2024, the entrances were designed to accommodate the largest painting in the library’s vault: James Northcote’s massive depiction of the final scene in “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s the last day (for now) to see the painting yourself, plus 13 other Regency-era works featuring familiar characters from Shakespeare’s plays.
More to explore: Live at the Lyceum Summer Sundays Chamber Music Series in Alexandria