Thursday, July 16, 2026
If your taste in music leans to bluegrass, folk, baroque or jazz, you can indulge this weekend at the Postal Museum, Fort Totten, Grace Church and the Kreeger Museum, respectively. View an artistic, A.I.-assisted illumination of the Smithsonian Castle’s red sandstone façade on Friday and Saturday night. And where better to assume the lotus pose than at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens’ Lotus and Water Lily Festival on Saturday and Sunday?
Stamps and a String Band
“Whether you’re a stamp enthusiast or just curious about the art behind postage,” tonight, Thursday, July 16, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, presents King Street Bluegrass at Bluegrass Forever, an evening of listening, dancing, exhibit browsing and hands-on activities such as printmaking. Admission is free (there will be a cash bar) and registration is recommended.
Cocoa Products From Occoquan
Also tonight, at 7 p.m., the DC Chocolate Society hosts A Summer Evening of Chocolate & Gelato at the Chocolate House, 1904 18th St. NW. The tasting will feature items created at Potomac Chocolate of Occoquan, Virginia, with owner and chocolate maker Ben Rasmussen on hand. Email [email protected] to get on the waitlist.
William Thornton’s Genius
Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, 1644 31st St. NW in Georgetown, offers a lunchtime architecture tour of Tudor Place, “The Making of a Masterpiece,” on Friday, July 17, from noon to 1 p.m. Tickets are $12.23 on Eventbrite.
Folk Music at the Fort
On July 17 from 6 to 8 p.m., folk singer-songwriter Justin Trawick will perform at Art Place Fort Totten, 400 Galloway St. NE, as part of the free concert series Fridays at Fort Totten, organized by DC Fray. Also at the event: food, community vendors, games “and good vibes.”
18th-Century Keyboardists
The 31st Bach Festival at Grace Church, 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW, concludes on Friday, July 17, with a 7 p.m. concert by organist David Bond, who will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Tickets are $35; $15 for students and those under 18.
Lighting Up the Castle
Participants in a Smithsonian Dreams: Castle Illuminations event on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, will view a 20-minute “custom A.I. data sculpture” by Turkish American artist Refik Anadol at 9 and 10 p.m. The Smithsonian Castle, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW, will be open until 8:30 p.m. and the Arts and Industries Building next door will be open until 11 p.m., with food and drinks available for purchase.
Birds in the Trees
DC Bird Alliance leads a free Summer Bird Walk, organized by Friends of the National Arboretum, through a few of the 451 acres of green space at the U.S. National Arboretum, 2400 R St. NE, on Saturday, July 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. Join the waitlist on Eventbrite.
Byrd With a Y
On Saturday, July 18, at 3 p.m., Jazz at The Kreeger — a collaboration between saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed and the Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road NW — presents the Eric Byrd Trio. Winner of the 2026 Wammie for Best Jazz Artist-Group, the trio features Byrd on piano and vocals, Will Hazel on upright bass and Alphonso Young Jr. on drums. Tickets are $35, including admission to the galleries and sculpture garden.
The Plant Life Aquatic
This year’s Lotus and Water Lily Festival at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE, will take place on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free, but onsite registration is required for: yoga at 9 a.m., forest bathing at 11 a.m. and total body strength and conditioning at 1 p.m. on Saturday; and yoga at 10 a.m., mindfulness and meditation at noon and yoga at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Once Upon a Sunday Dreary
On Sunday, July 19, from 1 to 3 p.m., DC Horror Book Club offers a Dead of Summer Horror Writing Workshop at Solid State Books, 600F H St. NE, “with local writers, exercises, and prompts to get your spooky brain ticking!” Tickets are $17.85 on Eventbrite.
Rainbow History on Foot
An LGBTQ History Walking Tour of East Dupont and 17th Street, offered by the Rainbow History Project, will meet at the Dupont Circle fountain on Sunday, July 19, at 2 p.m. Registration is required on Eventbrite for the 60-to-90-minute tour, with donations accepted.
The Man Who Will Be King
Cultural journalist and author Stephanie Green will share the story of Prince William’s American heritage — as told in her just-published book “American Crown: From Revolutionaries to Royalty” — on Sunday, July 19, at 2 p.m. at a talk and signing at Barnes & Noble Georgetown, 3040 M St. NW, 3rd Floor. Admission is free.