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Memorial Day weekend arrives with ceremonies, parades and performances across Falls Church, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The May 22–26 lineup also overlaps with WorldPride DC and includes theater, art, comedy, dining, dance and outdoor recreation.

Memorial Day observances

Falls Church will hold its 43rd Annual Memorial Day Parade, Festival and Ceremony on Monday, May 26, around City Hall at 300 Park Ave. Admission is free, and the rain-or-shine program runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Beyer Memorial Day 3K Fun Run starts at 9 a.m. at Little Falls and Great Falls streets. Registration is not required. Bikes, scooters and rollerblades are prohibited, while leashed, well-behaved dogs are allowed.

At 11 a.m., the Greater Falls Church Veterans Council will lead a memorial ceremony featuring Virginia Del. Marcus B. Simon, an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. A blood drive will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The community parade begins at 2 p.m. on Park Avenue. Brown’s Hardware is the 2025 grand marshal, and the Quantico Marine Band will lead the procession. Cover band Road Street Avenue will perform near the grandstand at Little Falls Street and Park Avenue from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Festival attractions include food, vendors, inflatables and live entertainment. The Falls Church Community Center will remain closed because of an HVAC construction project. Portable restrooms will be placed behind City Hall, with a temporary water-bottle filling station in front of the Community Center.

In Washington, the National Memorial Day Parade returns to Constitution Avenue on May 26. Musical performances begin at 1 p.m., followed by the parade at 2 p.m. The event will also be televised.

The National Park Service is encouraging visitors to use the holiday to reflect at military memorials and monuments throughout the capital region and other national parks.

Fireworks open Wolf Trap’s summer season

“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band will launch Wolf Trap’s summer season Sunday, May 25, at the Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road in Vienna.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and the free concert starts at 8 p.m. The band, a professional musical organization with more than 225 years of history, will perform selections from popular musicals and military marching traditions.

Fireworks viewing areas are expected to open around 9:30 p.m., with the display beginning at approximately 9:45 p.m. Seating is general admission and available on a first-come basis. Registration provides an event reminder but does not guarantee entry, and the park will close upon reaching capacity.

WorldPride marks 50 years of Pride in Washington

WorldPride DC continues through June 8 as Washington commemorates the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the city.

The 2025 theme, “The Fabric of Freedom,” draws on the historic use of fabric to express identity and resistance. Events running from May 17 through June 8 bring together participants supporting LGBTQ+ equality, visibility and justice.

Dining, jazz and contemporary music

Cafe Kindred, at 450 N. Washington St. in Falls Church, has introduced warm-weather drinks including Lillet and Aperol spritzes and sparkling lemonades. The cafe will operate from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Memorial Day.

Godfrey’s Bakery & Cafe, 421 W. Broad St., will host the Stefan Schatz Trio for live jazz from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24.

At the Library of Congress, contemporary ensemble loadbang will perform with violinist Christopher Otto and pianist Ning Yu from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 30. The free, ticketed concert takes place in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE.

The program includes newly commissioned pieces by Hilda Paredes and Michael Finnissy, whose work draws on Walt Whitman materials held by the Library, as well as the premiere of a work for violin and piano. A conversation with the artists begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

ADA accommodations may be requested at least five business days ahead by calling 202-707-6362 or emailing ADA@loc.gov.

Comedy onstage and in the classroom

The rescheduled “Unexpectedly Funny” improv workshop will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, in the lower-level conference room at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave.

DMV comedy teacher Nikki Frias will lead games and group exercises designed to develop spontaneous thinking, communication and confidence. The program is suitable for all ages and experience levels, but registration is required.

The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., will present a $5 Comedy Night on Friday, May 23. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. Guests must be at least 18 unless accompanied by a parent, and valid identification is required. Tickets purchased at the box office carry a $1 fee.

New musicals join a packed theater calendar

The Tony Award-winning musical “Kimberly Akimbo” is playing at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, through June 1. Memorial Day weekend performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

The coming-of-age musical features a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori, choreography by Danny Mefford and direction by Jessica Stone.

Signature Theatre’s production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” runs through June 22 at 4200 Campbell Ave. in Arlington. Directed by Ethan Heard, the intimate rock musical follows Hedwig’s journey from Communist East Germany to the United States and explores trauma, identity and survival. It contains adult language and descriptions of trauma.

“Falsettos” continues through June 15 at the Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. The Tony Award-winning musical, staged for WorldPride, follows Marvin, his former wife Trina, their son Jason and Marvin’s lover Whizzer as they navigate family, relationships and the AIDS crisis. Kurt Boehm directs and choreographs, with music direction by Elisa Rosman.

Constellation Theatre Company’s “Head Over Heels,” featuring songs by the Go-Go’s, runs through June 1 at Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Inspired by Sir Philip Sidney’s “Arcadia,” the production mixes Renaissance romance, Greek comedy, fantasy and queer self-discovery. Allison Arkell Stockman directs.

At Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW, Julia Izumi’s world-premiere play “Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with live & active cultures!)” runs through June 1. Directed by Aileen Wen McGroddy, the work uses a fictional lecture by filmmaker Akira Kurosawa to examine movies, memory, cultural imperialism and artistic creation.

“Twelfth Night” continues through June 22 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. Performances over the holiday weekend are set for 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Mei Ann Teo directs Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identity, shipwrecked twins and tangled romance. Tickets range from $20 to $84. The production lasts about two hours and 15 minutes, including intermission, and contains sexual innuendo, stylized intimacy, adult language, simulated alcohol and tobacco use, haze and strobing lights.

The world-premiere musical “Senior Class” runs through June 22 at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Olney. The story follows two Broadway-obsessed students who create their own musical adaptation of “Pygmalion” after budget cuts prevent their school from staging “My Fair Lady.” Amy Anders Corcoran directs. Tickets cost $41 to $101, and the show runs approximately two hours and 15 minutes with intermission.

Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW, is presenting “We Are Gathered” through June 25. Oscar-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney’s new queer love story follows W. Tre and Free as an anniversary forces them to confront uncertainty, family pressure, fear and a secret. During select performances, couples can exchange marriage vows onstage through the accompanying “Love Takes Center Stage” experience.

Exhibitions span insects, portraits and city scenes

The National Gallery of Art’s new exhibition “Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World” runs through Nov. 2 in Gallery 23 on the ground floor of the West Building. Admission is free, and passes are not required.

Nearly 75 paintings, prints and drawings depicting insects and other creatures appear alongside specimens and taxidermy from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The exhibition examines how artists including Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel helped expand natural-history knowledge during the 16th and 17th centuries. It also includes a new film by Dario Robleto.

“Faces & Figures” remains at the Falls Church Arts gallery, 700-B W. Broad St., through June 1. The juried exhibition explores the human form through photography, drawing, sculpture, folk art and other approaches.

Juror Teresa Oaxaca is a Washington-based painter whose training includes the Angel Academy of Art and Florence Academy, an apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum and study at The Art League in Alexandria.

Admission is free. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The works are also available for purchase.

Principle Gallery, 208 King St. in Alexandria, is showing paintings by Geoffrey Johnson through June 9. The North Carolina-born contemporary impressionist is known for monochromatic, sepia-toned scenes that place crowds and city life between abstraction and realism.

Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in downtown Falls Church is hosting Pamela Huffman’s solo exhibition, “In the Absence of Nurture… Nature,” through June 15.

Artworks Fine Art Studios, at 819 W. Broad St., is also accepting registrations for local art courses.

Dance workshops offer Bollywood, Bhangra and waltz

The final “DanceFit for Body & Mind: Bollywood & Bhangra” class will run from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Saturday, May 24, in the Hall of Mirrors Dance Studio at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.

The class introduces Bhangra, a celebratory folk dance from Punjab in northern India, along with Bollywood movement influenced by Indian classical and folk traditions. Admission is $15 and may be paid by cash, check or credit card.

A Viennese Waltz workshop follows from noon to 2 p.m. in Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom. Instructors Todd and Migle will teach social waltz fundamentals and supervise practice dancing.

Admission at the door is cash only and costs $20, or $10 for full-time students. Advance electronic payment is available before the event by contacting Todd at 202-361-8633 or dsedance@gmail.com.

Water parks reopen for summer

NOVA Parks’ five water parks open Saturday, May 24. Annual passes start at $80 per person during the spring sale and include entry to all five parks, early admission, concession and retail discounts, and savings on other NOVA Parks attractions and events.