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Northern Virginia and Washington-area calendars are overflowing this weekend with theater, concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, Earth Day programs and outdoor gatherings. Highlights include alpaca happy hours, Falls Church Arts Day, a waterfront music festival and several productions entering their final weekends.

Theater takes center stage

Creative Cauldron, 127 E. Broad St., continues its free Bold New Voices Festival with professionally staged readings Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. through May 9. The initiative develops plays and musicals by women and underserved writers, with audience feedback helping determine a production for the 2026-27 season.

The festival selections are Sarah Lina Sparks’ museum-set monster comedy “The C Word”; Gaelyn D. Smith’s political, semi-autobiographical cabaret “Live From My Dad’s Couch”; Danielle Moore and Zachary Sloan’s big-band musical comedy “His Girl Friday”; and Diana Burbano’s plague drama “Policarpa: Apocalypse Sur Amerikka.”

Meridian High School will present “Amadeus” at 7:30 p.m. April 23-25, with doors opening at 7 p.m. A ticket link is expected to be announced.

Nova Nightsky Theater stages “Anthropology,” a thriller about a grieving woman who builds an AI version of her late sister, at Falls Church Presbyterian Church’s Memorial Hall. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. April 16-17, 1 p.m. April 18 and 7 p.m. April 19.

At 1st Stage in Tysons, Lauren Yee’s “Young Americans” follows parallel cross-country trips taken by an immigrant couple and, 20 years later, a father and his 21-year-old daughter. Shows run through April 26. Performances April 16-19 include open-captioned options, with audio description April 19 at 2 p.m. and a masks-required show April 18 at 7:30 p.m. Post-show conversations are planned for April 18 and 19.

The Puppet Co. in Glen Echo closes its rod-puppet production of “Cinderella” on April 19. The approximately 45-minute show is recommended for ages 5 and older, with $18 admission and no ticket required for children under 2.

The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s adaptation of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” ends April 18. The 1967-set drama examines the racial and generational tensions that erupt when a white couple’s daughter brings home her Black fiancé. Reserved seats cost $26.

Vienna Theatre Company opens “My Fair Lady” on April 17 at 120 Cherry St. SE. Evening performances continue April 18, 24 and 25 and May 1-2, with 2 p.m. matinees April 19 and 26 and May 3.

Sasha Velour’s “Travesty,” an 80-minute drag performance tracing the queer history of a single place across time, has been extended at Woolly Mammoth through April 19.

The Folger’s D.C.-inspired production of “As You Like It” also enters its final weekend, with performances April 16-19. Tickets range from $20 to $109.

Tracy Letts’ “The Minutes,” a dark satire about a small-town council meeting and the truths buried beneath civic ritual, continues its D.C. premiere at Keegan Theatre through May 3.

Ford’s Theatre presents the musical “1776” through May 16. An ASL-interpreted performance is scheduled for April 16 at 7 p.m., followed by a sensory-friendly performance April 25, audio description May 2 and another ASL-interpreted performance May 9.

“Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” continues at Mosaic Theater through May 3, with limited tickets remaining. The musical follows John Lewis from ages 18 to 28, including the influence of Emmett Till’s murder and Lewis’ leadership in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Appropriate” is nearly sold out at Olney Theatre Center, where it runs through April 26. The three-hour, R-rated family satire follows siblings confronting their late father’s disturbing legacy. Tickets cost $52 to $116.

NextStop Theatre Company closes “Guards at the Taj” on April 19. Set in a fictionalized version of India in 1648, the 90-minute dark comedy follows two imperial guards whose orders force them to question beauty, loyalty and friendship. The production includes theatrical gore, simulated violence and flashing lights.

Concerts range from chamber music to hip-hop

The 9th Street Quartet performs “Sounds of Home at 250” at 7:30 p.m. April 18 at the Falls Church Episcopal. The program explores belonging through music by Jessie Montgomery, Kevin Puts, Steven Snowden, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Stephen Gorbos, Gabriela Lena Frank and Reena Esmail. Admission is $25 and free for students and youth.

Celtic Underground performs at 5:30 p.m. April 18 at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack.

George Mason University marks 55 years of Mason Bands with a 7:30 p.m. concert April 17 at the Center for the Arts. The Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony and Alumni Band will perform, with former directors Anthony J. Maiello, Mark Camphouse and Joseph Kanyan returning. The program includes Paul Hindemith’s “Symphony in B-flat” and the premiere of an anniversary work by Andrea Reinkemeyer. Tickets are $24 for the public, $19 for seniors and $9 for students.

Four-time Latin Grammy winner and Buena Vista Social Club founding member Eliades Ochoa performs at Strathmore at 8 p.m. April 19. Tickets range from $28 to $68.

Trio Niche appears at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center in Fairfax from 8 to 10 p.m. April 17. Admission is free.

Dolce Suono Ensemble gives a free, ticketed Library of Congress concert from 8 to 10 p.m. April 18. The chamber program includes Mozart, Irving Fine, Ned Rorem and Zhou Tian, plus the premiere of David Serkin Ludwig’s “Woman in Gold.”

The District Sounds Festival runs from 3 to 9 p.m. April 18 at the Wharf. D.C. Public Schools students will share the bill with international artists, a flamenco-versus-tap battle and the Carly Harvey Band. D.C. rapper Oddisee closes the festival with an 80-person orchestra. The all-ages event costs $6 to $12.

Falls Church celebrates art

The Meridian International Baccalaureate Art Show holds public opening nights April 15-16.

Falls Church Arts Day takes over the Cherry Hill Farmhouse grounds April 18, with April 25 reserved as the rain date. Artwork, public installations and live music will complement the nearby Saturday farmers market. Parking is available on Park Avenue, at the Community Center and City Hall campus, and in the Kaiser Permanente garage.

Falls Church Arts opens “250 and Counting” on April 18. The exhibition features 66 multimedia works reflecting on American life since the Declaration of Independence and imagining the country’s future.

Brian Conn’s “The Birds of NoVA,” a photography collection inspired by pandemic-era nature walks, remains at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters through April 19.

The Spotlight on the Arts Festival opens at Capital One Hall at 7 p.m. April 24. The $35 event includes live performances and finalists from an art contest that drew nearly 400 entries. Attendees will vote for a $500 Community Choice Award, while juried prizes include a $1,500 grand prize, $1,000 second prize and $500 student award.

Michele Montalbano appears at the closing event for “Reverie is not the same as ‘Doing Nothing’” from 5 to 7 p.m. April 25 at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art.

The National Gallery of Art holds a 90-minute “Finding Awe” workshop centered on Billy Morrow Jackson’s “Eve” beginning at 2:15 p.m. April 17. The program uses close observation and group discussion to explore awe, creativity and empathy.

“Mary Cassatt,” featuring about 40 paintings, drawings and prints marking a century since the artist’s death, remains at the National Gallery through Aug. 30. Admission is free.

Nick Cave’s immersive “Mammoth” exhibition continues at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through Jan. 3, 2027. The free installation combines fabricated mammoth remains, video and transformed found objects while exploring family history, identity and humanity’s relationship with the landscape.

“Paper as Politic” remains at George Mason University’s Art and Design Building through April 23. Curated by Helen Frederick, Nicole Donnelly and Jeffrey Kenney, the exhibition uses paintings, prints, books, collage and sculpture to address propaganda, censorship, race, democracy and resistance.

Recent work by Janet Loren Hill and Andrew Casto is on display at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston through July 25. Hill’s shaped paintings and Casto’s ceramic and mixed-media vessels meet through shared interests in humor, the body and environmental disruption.

“Miró and the United States” continues at the Phillips Collection through July 5. Its 75 works by more than 30 artists examine Joan Miró’s exchanges with figures including Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler.

The National Portrait Gallery’s 2025 Teen Portrait Competition exhibition runs through Aug. 30. Winners Matilda Myers of Maryland and Kate Stermer of California are among 19 finalists chosen from more than 1,100 submissions representing 48 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and Washington.

“Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean” remains at the National Museum of Asian Art through Sept. 7. The exhibition reunites surviving pieces of a nearly 20-foot Cambodian bronze of Vishnu, allowing the sculpture’s monumental scale to be seen for the first time in centuries.

The Rubell Museum DC presents “Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift” through fall 2026. Four large quilts created during Kincaid’s 2023 Miami residency explore ancestry, identity, place and community.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts displays approximately 80 works by nearly 70 artists in “Making Their Mark” through July 26. The exhibition connects generations of artists who challenged conventions through painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and other media.

Film explores democracy and early Westerns

The League of Women Voters of Falls Church hosts a Defending Democracy Film Festival and fundraiser from 2:30 to 5 p.m. April 19 at Paragon Theater in Founders Row. The $40 ticket includes 10 raffle entries, with attendance capped at 55.

The program includes “Home Front Heroes,” about Rosie the Riveter, and “Women’s March,” a documentary on democracy and human rights. Falls Church native Colter Adams will discuss his work assisting immigrant families in Minnesota, and Jennifer Tabola will lead a conversation about political engagement. Proceeds support local voter guides, registration efforts, candidate forums and public programs.

The National Gallery screens José Luis Guerín’s 122-minute “Good Valley Stories” at 2 p.m. April 18. The film blends documentary and fiction to portray residents of Vallbona, a district of Barcelona.

A free cine-concert at 2 p.m. April 19 pairs the 1903 short “The Great Train Robbery” with the 1920 Western “Sand!” Pianist Andrew Simpson will provide live accompaniment, and Courtney Holschuh of the Library of Congress will introduce the program.

Earth Day arrives early

The Providence District holds an Earth Day celebration April 18.

Idylwood Studios follows with a free Earth Day pop-up from 3 to 7 p.m. April 22 at 7617 Idylwood Road in Falls Church. Vendors and community organizations will focus on recycling, repair, composting and reuse, with hands-on demonstrations planned.

Participants include Berryfine Goods, Jenny Newberry Art, Fillagreen, Future Acres Farm, Luci’s Mobile Library, Mend a Hand, Paloma Vintage Designs and Rokatree. Scout troops and community groups are also expected.

Commons Park launches warm-weather programming

West Falls begins free live music at Commons Park from 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday starting April 17. The rotating lineup includes James Stevens and Laura Farrell.

A 30-minute workout led by Balanced Female Fitness opens the HIIT & Happy Hour event at 5:30 p.m. April 29, followed by specials at Honoo Ramen Bar until 7 p.m.

A free trivia tournament runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays from May 7 through June 11. Barre3 also begins a $10 outdoor fitness series from 9 to 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month starting May 9. Commons Park is at 201 W. Falls Station Blvd.

Comedy offers workshops and headline acts

Comedy instructor Nikki Frias leads “Unexpectedly Funny,” an improv workshop for adults and teens, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. April 18 at Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Registration closes when the session begins.

The State Theatre hosts its $5 Comedy Night on April 17. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8:30 p.m. Guests under 18 must attend with a parent or guardian.

W. Kamau Bell brings his “Who’s With Me?” stand-up show to Strathmore at 7:30 p.m. April 17. Tickets range from $28 to $75.

History, dancing and outdoor art round out the calendar

The National Archives’ “Road to Revolution” series continues through April 30, using federal records to explore the varied paths toward independence and the experiences of Native Americans, free and enslaved Black people, and women. “Behind the Ink of the Declaration of Independence” also remains on view through April 30.

Kiti Gartner & the Drifting Valentines lead a honky-tonk dance April 17 at Glen Echo Park’s Bumper Car Pavilion. A beginner two-step lesson starts at 7:30 p.m., followed by dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $22, same-day admission is $27 and a two-dance package costs $40.

Nova Parks holds “Art in the Park” from 2 to 3 p.m. April 18 at Winkler Botanical Preserve in Alexandria. Participants will gather natural materials during a hike, then create temporary outdoor sculptures that will remain until the elements reshape them.

The Flourish spring market runs from noon to 4 p.m. April 18 at Virginia Square in Arlington. More than 20 local vendors will join food sellers, music and a wild-clay pigment activity. Indoor programming includes yoga at 11 a.m., a sound bath at 2 p.m. and an artist talk with James Stephen Terrell at 3:30 p.m.

Friendly miniature alpacas visit Peruvian Brothers, 1450 South Eads St., from 5 to 7 p.m. April 16, 23 and 30 as part of the restaurant’s April happy-hour series.

Looking ahead, the 23rd Georgetown French Market returns April 24-26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 40 independent shops, cafés and galleries along Wisconsin Avenue between O Street and Reservoir Road will offer sidewalk sales, food specials and entertainment.