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Black History Month programs, live theater, concerts, dancing and Super Bowl festivities fill the Washington region’s calendar for the weekend of Feb. 6-9, 2025.

Black History Month events

The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices will help open an annual Frederick Douglass birthday celebration from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 8. Held offsite by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture at 2375 Elvans Road SE in Washington, the free event also features an Ebony Sonshine puppet show and jazz from the Finn Murphy Quartet. Information is available at 301-587-3835 or info@revelsdc.org.

A legal panel examining the landmark Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd. in Fairfax. Mary Bauer, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, is among the expected participants discussing the origins, challenges and importance of the 1967 ruling that invalidated state bans on interracial marriage. A short question-and-answer session will follow.

The free public program, presented by the City of Fairfax and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, accompanies the Virginia Opera world premiere of Loving v. Virginia. The opera, scheduled for May 3-4, was composed by Damien Peter, with a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo and direction by Denise Graves. It recounts how Mildred and Richard Loving challenged their criminal prosecution and forced exile from Virginia, ultimately securing a major civil-rights victory.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues its annual Kennedy Center engagement through Feb. 9 at the Opera House, 2700 F St. NW. The season honors Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison and combines new pieces with contemporary favorites. Every performance concludes with Revelations, the company’s signature 1960 work, which has been seen by more than 25 million people across 71 countries.

The Black Opry Revue comes to the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. Acisse Jay, Sug Daniels, Mel Washington and Justin Golden will showcase the Black roots and continuing connections among country, blues, folk and Americana. Tickets cost $30, $25 for students and seniors, and $20 for residents of the community center’s district.

Washington pianist, composer and producer Sequoia “REDWOOD” Snyder performs at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in Studio K at the Kennedy Center’s REACH. The 24-year-old artist blends contemporary jazz with other Black musical traditions and has performed with Rodney Whitaker, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kenny Barron, Cory Henry and R&B group The Internet.

The Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main St., is also presenting Frederick Douglass: Advocate for Equality. The banner exhibition uses Douglass’ words, photographs and documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection to explore his escape from slavery, abolitionist work and campaign for equality during the Jim Crow era. Family activities include creating an original exhibition panel. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Monday and closed Tuesdays.

Food, books and local music

The City of Falls Church’s second annual Restaurant Week continues through Feb. 9, giving diners a final weekend to try participating local restaurants.

The Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., hosts its monthly New Yorker Discussion Group from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. Participants may attend in the Upper Level Conference Room or join through Zoom. A virtual invitation is available from Pete Sullivan at psullivan@fallschurchva.gov or 703-248-5088.

Local writer Diana Rojas will discuss her debut fiction collection, Litany of Saints: A Triptych, from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the same library. Published by Arte Público Press in April 2024, the work follows immigrant characters confronting cultural dissonance, divided identities and tensions between individual desires and community expectations. Rojas, an NYU graduate who has lived in five countries, resides in Washington.

Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, 130 N. Washington St., presents The Coozies at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, followed by A Promising Local Band at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Crescendo Studios, 8101A Route 29 in Falls Church, hosts Think Different: Tribute Jam at 7 p.m. Friday. The celebration falls on what would have been producer Nujabes’ 51st birthday and marks 25 years since he and Substantial first met. Substantial and The Sun’s Hues—Stephanie Gayle, Jonathan Smalls, AJ Rios and Lizzie Blue—will perform alongside DJ RBI, live visual artist Shani Shih and break dancers. Javier Starks will host, while AJ Rios and Lizzie Blue will present beat sets. VIP admission includes early entry, a meeting with Substantial, a signed poster and stickers.

Honey Funk performs from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Settle Down Easy Brewing Co., 2822 Fallfax Drive in Falls Church.

A busy theater calendar

Nova Nightsky Theatre stages Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love at Falls Church Presbyterian Church, 225 E. Broad St. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6-7, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. Directed by Chris D’Angelo and stage-managed by Hannah Ruth Blackwell, the drama follows Eddie and May’s volatile relationship inside a Mojave Desert motel room.

Signature Theatre’s production of JOB runs through March 16 at 4200 Campbell Ave. in Arlington. The psychological thriller centers on a young tech employee whose workplace breakdown goes viral. Before returning to work, she must undergo an evaluation with a crisis therapist, but the appointment develops into a confrontation as their secrets surface.

At 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road in Tysons, The Lake Effect runs from Feb. 6 through Feb. 23. Alex Levy directs Rajiv Joseph’s drama about estranged siblings reunited in Cleveland after their father’s sudden death. As they close his failing Indian restaurant during a severe winter storm, painful family memories and long-concealed secrets emerge. The theater can be reached at 703-854-1856.

The world-premiere stage musical Schmigadoon! continues through Feb. 9 at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. Based on the Apple TV series, it follows New York doctors Josh and Melissa, whose attempt to rescue their relationship leads them into a magical town governed by the conventions of Golden Age musicals.

The Arlington Players open The Play That Goes Wrong at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 S. Old Glebe Road. Performances are listed for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 and 9, with an additional 3 p.m. show Feb. 9. Directed by Maureen Dawson, the farce depicts an accident-prone university drama society struggling through a disastrous 1920s murder mystery.

Dominion Stage presents Anthony Giardina’s The City of Conversation at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Feb. 15 at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive in Arlington. Jessie Roberts directs the three-decade political drama about Georgetown hostess Hester Ferris, whose influential dinner parties and liberal convictions collide with her son’s return alongside an ambitious Reagan conservative. The online code “HESTER5” discounts general admission by $5.

The Little Theatre of Alexandria opens Roald Dahl’s Matilda on Feb. 8 at 600 Wolfe St., with performances continuing through March 1. The musical follows the brilliant, book-loving Matilda Wormwood as she joins Miss Honey and her friends in standing up to cruel adults, including the fearsome headmistress known as the Trunchbull.

Constellation Theatre Company presents Nick Payne’s Constellations from Feb. 6 through March 25 at 1835 14th St. NW in Washington. Directed by Nikki Mirza, the love story follows two people through alternate possibilities involving everything from ballroom dancing and beekeeping to adversity, destiny and hope.

GALA Hispanic Theatre stages the U.S. premiere of Fuenteovejuna from Feb. 6 through March 2 at 3333 14th St. NW. José Luis Arellano directs Juan Mayorga’s version of Lope de Vega’s 1613 drama about a town uniting against a corrupt and brutal commander. Presented in Spanish with English subtitles, performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

A Feb. 9 talkback will include George Mason University Spanish professor Antonio Carreño-Rodríguez, Arellano, poetry and verse consultant David Peralto, and cast members. The theater’s gala and press night is at 8 p.m. Feb. 8. Standard tickets range from $48 to $50, with discounted rates for seniors, military members, groups and patrons age 25 or younger.

At Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW, GUAC continues through Feb. 16. Written and performed by Manuel Oliver, co-written by James Clements and directed by Michael Cotey, the production follows Oliver’s transformation into an activist after his son, Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, was killed in the Parkland school shooting. The show combines grief, humor, remembrance and a call for change.

Robert Askins’ Tony-nominated comedy Hand to God runs through March 2 at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Directed by Josh Sticklin, it follows a grieving Texas teenager whose puppet develops a disturbing personality, throwing his relationships with his mother, pastor, peers and religious community into turmoil.

Dancing at Glen Echo

Capital Blues Dance begins with a lesson from 8:15 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, followed by dancing until 11:30 p.m. in the Back Room at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Admission is $10 at the door. More information is available at 703-596-5724 or info@capitalblues.org.

Friday Night Dancers host a beginner-friendly contra dance and occasional squares in the Spanish Ballroom on Feb. 7. A lesson runs from 7:30 to 8 p.m., followed by social dancing until 11 p.m. Musicians Megan Wobus, Charley Beller, Ken Kolodner and Rachel Eddy will perform, with Jordan Kammeyer calling the dances. No experience or partner is required.

A separate swing event features Craig Gildner & The Ivy City 6 with Leigh Pilzer, performing music associated with Count Basie, Lester Young, Al Cohn and Coleman Hawkins. Amanda and Skylar will lead a beginner lesson, and Kyle Seymour will DJ. Admission is $25 and includes the lesson.

More performances and a Super Bowl party

Fairfax Academy’s Musical Theatre and Actors Studio presents Once Upon a One More Time at Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run. Performances begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, and at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. One of the first school productions of the show in the country, the musical uses 23 Britney Spears songs to tell a revisionist fairy-tale story in which classic heroines encounter copies of The Feminine Mystique and set out to redefine their futures.

Dogwood Tavern, 132 W. Broad St. in downtown Falls Church, closes the weekend with a Super Bowl LIX party on Sunday, Feb. 9. The gathering features chicken-wing specials, with advance ordering available.