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Cooler weather is bringing a packed slate of outdoor activities, cultural celebrations and performing arts to Falls Church and the wider Washington region from Sept. 18-21, 2025.

The weekend’s local highlights include Falls Church’s Park(ing) Day, a free Vietnamese heritage celebration, an outdoor screening of “Moana 2” and the opening of Little City Concerts’ third season. Author talks, gardening lessons, theater productions, museum exhibitions and outdoor adventures offer plenty of additional options.

Falls Church events

Falls Church will mark Park(ing) Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, outside Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave. The annual global event transforms parking spaces into temporary parks intended to encourage new thinking about urban land use. Games, displays and other activities are planned on the North Virginia Avenue side of the library.

Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave., will host a free Sunset Cinema screening of “Moana 2” on Friday, Sept. 19. Food trucks open at 6:15 p.m., and the movie begins at 7:15 p.m. beside the barn and playground. Visitors may bring chairs, blankets, picnics and leashed, well-behaved dogs. Popcorn, drinks, snacks and food-truck fare will be available for purchase. Inclement weather would move the screening to the following Friday.

The Sunset Cinema series continues Oct. 17 with the people’s-choice selection, “Shrek.” Food trucks will open at 5:45 p.m., followed by the movie at 6:45 p.m.

Vietnamese Heritage Day runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Cherry Hill Farmhouse, 312 Park Ave. Presented with the Vietnamese Literary and Artistic Club, the free event will feature live music, dance, antiques and traditional food for sale.

Author Brendan Slocumb returns to Mary Riley Styles Public Library from 2-3 p.m. Saturday to discuss his third novel, “The Dark Maestro.” The thriller follows Curtis Wilson, a gifted Black cellist whose family enters witness protection after his father implicates former criminal associates.

Slocumb, also the author of “The Violin Conspiracy” and “Symphony of Secrets,” is a longtime music educator and performer. Bards Alley Bookshop will sell books at the program, and a signing will follow. Registration is required and closes at 2 p.m. Sept. 20.

Master Naturalist Amy Bolton will lead a session on creating year-round pollinator habitats from 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, in the library’s Upper Level Conference Room. The adult program will cover native trees, shrubs and perennials that support insects throughout their life cycles. Registration is required and closes when the session begins.

Music from taiko to reggae

Little City Concerts opens its third season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at The Falls Church Episcopal, 166 E. Broad St.

Fairfax Station-based Nen Daiko will perform Japanese taiko, combining coordinated drumming, movement and visual spectacle. The group, based at Ekoji Buddhist Temple, has performed around the region since 1994, including appearances at the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Kennedy Center and National Theatre.

Half of ticket revenue will benefit Hamkae Center, which organizes and provides services for Asian American communities in Virginia. General admission is $25, while students and young people may attend free. Tickets will be available in advance and at the door.

Organizers recommend hearing protection because the performance will reach rock-concert volume. Adult foam earplugs and a limited number of children’s earmuffs will be available. A reception sponsored by the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia will follow.

Ziggy Marley and Burning Spear will also share a bill at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road in Vienna. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and the reggae concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $57, including fees.

A crowded theater calendar

Nova Nightsky Theatre, 225 E. Broad St., continues “The Hatmaker’s Wife” through Sept. 28. Lauren Yee’s surreal play follows a young woman whose new home reveals the story of an elderly hatmaker and the wife who fled with his favorite hat. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19, 2 p.m. Sept. 20 and 7 p.m. Sept. 21.

The Logan Festival of Solo Performance runs through Sept. 28 at 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road in Tysons. Its three productions are:

  • “SPADURA,” written and performed by Dahéli Hall, uses stand-up, storytelling and props to examine aging, IVF and the fertility challenges Black women face. Open-captioned performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 and 27 and 2 p.m. Sept. 28.

  • “The Jewish Dog,” performed by Adam Meir and adapted from Asher Kravitz’s novel, recounts the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust through the eyes of a dog separated from his Jewish family and taken by the SS. Open-captioned performances are at 5 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28.

  • “George—Don’t Do That!” features Catherine Flye celebrating British comedian Joyce Grenfell through songs, sketches and reminiscences. Open-captioned performances are at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, 2 p.m. Sept. 27 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28.

“The Addams Family” comes to Capital One Hall in Tysons from Sept. 19-21. The musical follows Wednesday Addams after she falls for a young man from a respectable family and asks Gomez to hide the relationship from Morticia. Weekend performances are at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday. The production is recommended for ages 8 and older.

Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” continues through Sept. 27 at the Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St. Set in 1942, the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play follows two brothers sent to live with their formidable grandmother after their mother’s death. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Reserved seats are $26.

Mosaic Theater Company presents Kareem Fahmy’s “Dodi & Diana” at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE, through Oct. 5. The play follows Egyptian actress Samira and her financier husband, Jason, as they examine their marriage during the 25th anniversary of the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed. The production contains simulated sex, drug use, profanity and strobe effects.

GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW, continues Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” through Sept. 28. Performed in Spanish with English surtitles, the play centers on the relationship between political prisoner Valentín and movie-loving Molina inside an Argentine prison. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. A Sept. 21 discussion will feature LGBTQ+ advocates Jesse García and José Gutiérrez.

Richard Thomas stars in Hal Holbrook’s one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight!” at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The 90-minute production has no intermission and is recommended for ages 8 and older.

“The Great Privation (How to Flip Ten Cents Into a Dollar)” runs through Oct. 12 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. Nia Akilah Robinson’s play connects an African American mother and daughter guarding a grave from body snatchers in 1832 Philadelphia with a present-day mother and daughter working at a summer camp on the same land.

Folger Theatre opens Al Letson’s “Julius X” on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Running through Oct. 26, the play reframes Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” through Malcolm X, the Civil Rights Movement and 1960s Harlem. Tickets range from $20 to $90, and children younger than 4 are not admitted.

Chelsea Marcantel’s “Everything Is Wonderful” continues through Oct. 5 at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. The drama follows a young woman returning to her Amish community after a fatal accident, confronting grief, family secrets, faith and the limits of forgiveness.

“The American Five” opens Sept. 19 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW, and runs through Oct. 12. The play depicts Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Bayard Rustin, Stanley Levison and Clarence B. Jones planning the March on Washington and crafting the speech that helped define it. The production is recommended for ages 12 and older.

Tyrell Williams’ “Red Pitch” makes its U.S. premiere at Olney Theatre Center through Oct. 19. The 90-minute play follows three South London friends balancing soccer ambitions, neighborhood gentrification and the possible loss of their longtime playing field. Tickets range from $47 to $96, and the production carries PG-13-style guidance for language, violence and intense conversations.

Arena Stage’s updated revival of “Damn Yankees” continues through Nov. 9. The baseball musical retains songs including “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Who’s Got the Pain?” while introducing a new adaptation by Will Power and Doug Wright, with additional lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The roughly two-hour, 10-minute production includes haze, fog, strobes, bright lights and loud sounds.

Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Jocelyn Bioh’s “Merry Wives” through Oct. 5 at Harman Hall. The 90-minute adaptation moves Shakespeare’s comedy to contemporary Harlem, where Falstaff targets two West African wives who devise a plan to expose him. Tickets start at $39.

Signature Theatre’s “Play On!” continues through Oct. 5 at 4200 Campbell Ave. in Arlington. The musical relocates “Twelfth Night” to 1930s Harlem and pairs the story with Duke Ellington standards. It runs about two and a half hours and is recommended for ages 8 and older, though children younger than 6 are not admitted.

Film, art and museum programs

The National Gallery of Art will screen “Ulysses Jenkins: Video Griot” from 2-2:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, in its East Building Auditorium. The approximately 45-minute program includes “Dream City” and the “Video Griots Trilogy”: “Self Divination,” “Mutual Native Duplex” and “The Nomadics.”

The screening accompanies “Photography and the Black Arts Movement: 1955-1985,” which opens Sept. 21 and runs through Jan. 4, 2026. An introductory program from noon-1 p.m. Sunday will examine photography’s role in Black empowerment and social justice. The exhibition contains 150 works by more than 100 artists.

“Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues,” rated R for language and sexual references, is playing at Paragon Theaters Founders Row, 112 Founders Ave.

A free virtual edition of the National Gallery’s “Art of Looking” runs from 1-2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The adult discussion will focus on Peter Paul Rubens’ painting “Deborah Kip, Wife of Sir Balthasar Gerbier, and Her Children.” Registration is required.

Other continuing visual-arts exhibitions include:

  • “Chris Gregson: Expedition” at Fred Schnider Gallery of Art in Arlington through Oct. 27.

  • Works by realist painter and instructor Stephen Early at Principle Gallery in Alexandria.

  • “Weeds & Seeds” at Reston Art Gallery through Sept. 28.

  • “Justin Favela: Capilla de Maíz” at the Renwick Gallery. The installation fills the Rubenstein Grand Salon with gold fringe and piñata corncobs, connecting maize, agriculture, Mexican craft and North American identity.

  • “Material Witness” at Rubell Museum DC through fall 2026. Thirty artists use unconventional materials including squid ink, Coca-Cola, ostrich eggs, oil, lipstick, scrap metal and animal hides across 23 galleries.

  • Nine works by Claude Monet from the Kreeger Museum’s permanent collection.

  • “Layers,” featuring work by 68 local artists, at Falls Church Arts through Sept. 28.

  • “Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift” at Rubell Museum DC through fall 2026. Four large quilted works explore identity, ancestry, place and community.

  • “A Land and 河/River” at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston through Dec. 20. Kimberly M. Becoat examines urban displacement and Seneca Village, while Hong Hong explores water, migration, family and destruction through a paper installation.

  • “American Vignettes: Symbols, Society, and Satire” at Rubell Museum through fall 2025, bringing together nearly 100 works by more than 40 artists.

  • Cecilia Vicuña’s “Quipu Viscera” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The hanging wool installation evokes the female body and the ancient Andean system of knotted-string recordkeeping.

  • “American Voices and Visions,” the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s reinstalled modern and contemporary galleries, examining American art from the 1940s to today.

  • Fairfax Art League’s fall show at Fairfax City Hall.

History and outdoor adventures

The National Archives is displaying the complete U.S. Constitution and original Bill of Rights alongside the 17 constitutional amendments through Oct. 1. The presentation includes the rarely shown fifth page containing implementation instructions to the states and signed by George Washington as president of the Constitutional Convention.

Regular viewing hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Extended hours lasting until 7 p.m. are planned for Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28. Visitors should expect longer waits and are encouraged to reserve timed-entry tickets.

Families can learn about owls at Winkler Botanical Preserve, 5400 Roanoke Ave. in Alexandria, from 2-3 p.m. Saturday. Participants will study owl feathers and bones, learn which species inhabit the preserve and dissect an owl pellet. The program is intended for families with children 7 and older. Advance registration is required, and participants younger than 18 must attend with an adult.

The Potomac Paddle Off takes place from noon-4 p.m. Saturday at Thompson Boat Center, 2900 Virginia Ave. NW. Paddlers may enter a 1.5-mile route to Key Bridge and back or a 5K course to the Three Sisters rock formation and back. Kayaks and gear are included, and proceeds support Potomac Conservancy’s clean-water, land-protection and community work.

Washington native and 2004 Olympic rower Aquil Abdullah, the first African American man to qualify for the Olympic rowing competition, will serve as emcee. Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m., long-course heats start at 12:15 and 12:45 p.m., and short-course heats begin at 1:30 and 2 p.m. Awards are scheduled for 3 p.m., with the event concluding at 3:30 p.m.

Participants must be at least 16 to race in a single kayak. Younger paddlers may enter a double kayak with a parent or guardian. A Sept. 27 rain date is available.

Rock Creek Park will celebrate its 135th anniversary with “Punk Rocks!” at the Old Stone House, 3051 M St. NW. Free activities are planned for Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28.

The event combines Washington’s punk-rock heritage with the park’s geology, culture and natural history through workshops, hands-on programs and live activities. Congress established Rock Creek Park on Sept. 27, 1890.