Free in DC: Things to do Tonight – Sunday!

Photo by PoPville flickr user mediaslave

Hello PoP fans, It’s Amy from Free in DC with a list of great free and family friendly events happening this weekend. In addition to the usual fabulous free things to do in this city in the eve, there are a bunch of festivals and special events during the day so put on some sunscreen and comfy shoes and enjoy!

This weekend… Lots of Art and lots Jazz!
Thursday, June 3rd – Sunday, June 6th
All events are Free unless otherwise noted

Tonight…
Mix and mingle with local artists DECOY, Whys, Strike, and Civil51 from 5-7pm tonight at the Opening of “Art in Crisis” at Busboys and Poets 5th & K St, NW, organized by the Rivera Project and DC51, as they invite you to explore the fusion of art and activism. Afterward you can walk over to Long View Gallery for the Opening for Anna U. Davis‘ new exhibit featuring her pen and ink drawings rather than her usual colorful mosaic collage works, 6:30-9:30pm. You can head over to “Phillips after Five” in Dupont from 5-8:30pm for donation based admission to the museum, live jazz, cash bar, and more. Tonight at National Geographic, you can also enjoy Two Free Concerts as part of the Rhythm Road Series, Chen Lo and the Liberation Family at  6pm and Little Joe McLerran Quartet at 7:15pm. Want to get your 80’s groove on? Dance to DJ Solaries at Deja Vu from 9pm-2am at Chief Ike’s in Adams Morgan, 21+ $5 cover.

Continues after the jump.

During the Day this weekend…

This Saturday and Sunday you enjoy Jazz N’ Families live music and events at The Phillips Collection as part of the Annual Museum Walk Weekend in Dupont and Kalorama, Ten museums including The Textile Museum and The Phillips Collection will host special events and family friendly activities all weekend as they open their doors for free! Also participating: The Anderson House, Dumbarton House, Woodrow Wilson House, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House and Meridian International Center. Other festivals and special events this weekend include DanceAfrica DC‘s Free Outdoor Performances & African Style Market Place with food, crafts, art, clothing, dance, live music, a children’s tent and more on Saturday and Sunday during the day, near the Brookland Metro at Dance Place in NE and WPA’s Art Parade at noon on the Capitol Riverfront near the Navy Yard metro to see all kinds of moving art and more!

Saturday morning you can hop on your bike or put your running shoes on and explore the NE area of DC along the brand new Metropolitan Branch Trail near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro at the Trail’s Grand Opening “Meet the Met” Event from 10am-2pm and while you are there, be sure to check out the Edgewood Mural and the launch of the Edgewood Art’s Market from 10am-6pm. New yoga studio Stroga now offers a Community Yoga Class that is donation based from 10:15 -11:45am on Saturdays in Adams Morgan. You can also head over to Barracks Row Main Street for “Jazz in June” along 8th St SE on Saturday from 1-4pm for live music in the streets, specials and more. If you haven’t been to Barracks Row before, it’s close to the Eastern Market Metro so you might even want to head up there early to enjoy a stroll through the indoor food market and outdoor flea market and arts market and maybe even enjoy brunch at one of the many cafes with outdoor seating.

Sunday you can also head over to Stroga in Adams Morgan for a benefit to raise funds for volunteers heading to Haiti and enjoy a Complimentary Brunch and Silent Auction Fundraiser from 11am-2pm. At 2pm The Writer’s Center in Bethesda hosts their free Open Door Reading Series with poet and performance artist M.L. Liebler and poet Cliff Bernierand and The House of Sweden will host a Free Outdoor Performance by a 60 Piece Symphony by the Georgetown Harbor at 3pm, advance RSVP is required for this event. Every Sunday this summer you can enjoy Live Music Outdoors by Eastern Market from 10:30am ’til about 2pm. This Sunday also is the opening day for the International VSA Festival which focuses on Arts and Disabilities and runs through next Saturday the 12th and features lots of events at various locations, some of which are free.
At night this weekend…

This Friday night “Jazz in the Garden” continues at the National Sculpture Garden, 5-8:30pm and NYC’s Golda Solomon is back in DC for Po’ Jazz, a unique fusion of poetry and jazz at The Potter’s House from 7-10:30pm for her Annual Benefit event for the Beacon House. Friday night you can also enjoy some Free Improv from 7-10pm at BloomBars, an Art Opening at the Honfleur and an Art Opening at Alliance Francaise featuring photography by local artist Yacouba. Friday night there is going to be a rockin’ Benefit Concert for Whitman Walker Clinic at The Fridge, featuring an amazing lineup of local bands, including my friends in Mother, the headlining band. Five musical acts perform at this all ages benefit event from 8pm-Midnight, cover is $8. No Kings Collective and ReadysetDC are at it again with their newest Pop-up event, Activation 440, this Friday and Saturday from 5-10pm near the Shaw Metro, free but advance RSVP is required. Saturday from 4-8pm, Evolve Urban Arts Project hosts an Art Opening at the Pierce School Lofts in NE.

Sunday night Busboys and Poets 5th & K St hosts a Free Forum on Arts & Activism in conjunction with the “Art in Crisis” exhibit from 5-7pm with local artists and activists Cesar Maxit and Favianna Rodriguez, who Utne Magazine notes as one the 50 visionaries changing your world. Also on Sunday… it’s the last free indoor concert of the season at the National Gallery of Art at 6:30pm with Music by Spanish Composers featuring Joaquin Achúcarro on the piano, and there is the weekly donation based Meditation with IMCW at All Souls, 6pm, and BloomBars weekly cozy living room concert seeming music series “Seed the Sound Sundays” from 8-10:30pm.