Your Destination Guide to Washington DC

Looking for something to do this weekend? We’ve got you covered. See below for a list of events going on this Labor Day in Washington, DC.

1. Abbey Road on the River – Beatles Tribute Festival: For its first time ever in Washington DC, the Abbey Road on the River Festival, which is the World’s largest Beatles inspired music festival, will be held over Labor Day on September 2nd – 6th. The event will be held at the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor, and will feature 50 concerts daily from Beatles tribute bands, representing countries from around the world. For more information, visit: www.abbeyroadontheriver.com

2. Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival: The ninth annual Page-to-Stage festival features more than 40 DC area theater companies in free readings and open rehearsals of works being developed by local, regional, and national playwrights, librettists, and composers. The event will be held September 4th – 6th from 2pm to 10pm each day. For more information, a schedule, and to see a list of participating theaters, visit: www.kennedy-center.org/calendar

3. National Symphony Orchestra Concert at the U.S. Capitol: Come to the U.S. Capitol (On the West Lawn, East Capitol and First Streets) on Sunday, September 5th at 8pm for a free concert by the National Symphony Orchestra Concert. This event is part of the Kennedy Center’s Prelude Festival, which includes free performances to kickoff the performing arts season in DC. For more information, visit: For more information, visit: www.kennedy-center.org

4. DC Blues Festival at the Carter Barron Amphitheater: Come to the Carter Barron Amphitheater at Rock Creek Park on September 4th from 1pm to 7pm and enjoy some outstanding local and national blues acts. This event is Free! For more information, visit: www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/cbarronschedule.htm

5. Old Towne Gaithersburg Parade: The Gaithersburg Parade will take place on Monday September 6th at 1pm, and will start at Summit and Diamond Avenues in Gaithersburg, MD. Come for high school marching bands, clowns, giant balloons, horses, fire engines, food, family fun and much more. These festivities are free!

6. Kensington Labor Day Parade: Kensington Labor Day Parade will take place on Monday September 6th, and will start at St. Paul’s St and Plyers Mill. The festival will located along Howard and Armory Avenues. Come for family fun with a parade, live music, arts and crafts, food and drink. These festivities are free!

7. Virginia Scottish Games: September 4th – 5th, 2010. Celebrate Virginia’s Scottish heritage in Old Town Alexandria with some fun Scottish Games. Come for piping & drumming, highland dancing, fiddling competitions, sheep-herding demonstrations, antique cars, family fun, and much more. These festivities are free! For more information, visit: www.vascottishgames.org

8. Washington Nationals Vs. the New York Mets Live at Nationals Park: Watch the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets on September 6th at 1:05pm. For more information, and to get your tickets, visit: www.nationals.com

9. Capitol Skyline Hotel Labor Day Party: Voted by many as the best swimming pool of all Washington DC hotels, the Capitol Skyline Hotel is a great place to end your Summer. Come to the hotel on September 5th to celebrate the final “Spik’d Sunday” pool party. Come not only for a competition-size pool with an enormous pool deck, but also for the $15 cover that includes a free burger with toppings and sides. For more information, visit: www.capitolskyline.com

10. Greenbelt Labor Day Festival: Celebrate Labor day at the annual Greenbelt Labor Day Festival from September 3rd – 6th. Come for a carnival, live bands and entertainment, an art show, a photo show, a Labor Day Parade and much more. These festivities are free! For more information, visit: greenbeltlaborday.com

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) is turning up the heat with the return of the flavor-filled fourth annual Vintage Crystal. The spice is back with more wines, food, music and dancing. Building on last year’s Latin-themed success, Crystal City will once again be serving up tasty tapas, tempting tequila, and a ton of fun.

Read More >

The Black Family Reunion Celebration is a two-day cultural event recognized as the largest family event in the nation, attracting more than 500,000 people each year to celebrate the strengths and traditional values of the African American family. Sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women, the celebration features themed pavilions that showcase African American businesses and organizations across a wide spectrum of industries such as health, education, and economic empowerment. Booths, stages, and other venues showcase celebrities, prominent experts, and performing artists. The weekend celebration begins on Friday evening with a VIP ceremony, then is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Both days close out with concerts on the National Mall.

For more information, call: 301-390-8408, or visit: www.ncnw.org/events/reunion.htm

Join Washington National Opera for Target Free Opera in the Outfield, a live simulcast of the Season Opening of A Masked Ball (Un Ballo in Maschera), featuring special events, kids activities, prizes and more at Nationals Park!

Read More >

Yum! DC Finally gets a Korean Taco Truck! The new TaKorean Truck serves a blend of Korean BBQ, with a twist of Mexican style, all made from scratch using the freshest ingredients available. TaKorean will serve vegetarian and vegan options, along with daily specials.

TaKorean is DC’s first and only Korean Taco truck, so stop by and see what it’s all about.

For a full menu, visit: takorean.com/menu/

To locate the truck, visit: takorean.com/locate-truck/

To follow the truck on facebook, visit: www.facebook.com/takorean

Come to Alexandria for Restaurant week – just five miles south of Washington, DC! During Alexandria Restaurant Week, more than 60 restaurants featuring Alexandria’s top culinarians will be offering special menus and pricing to entice visitors to take a stroll out of the Capitol. The restaurants are offering a $35 prix-fixe three course dinner or $35 dinner for two. A $3.50 sweet treat is offered at participating local bakeries, chocolatiers and dessert shops.

For a list of participating restaurants, visit: visitalexandriava.com

Come explore Cambodian arts, crafts, paintings and souvenirs, and Cambodian food at the Cambodian Community Day Festival this Sunday. The festival’s theme, “Cambodia, the Beautiful,” features entertainment by the Cambodian Mohoree Music Ensemble, classical and folk dances, and live band music and social dances. Admission is free.

The event will be held at Ben Brenman Park (5000 Duke St.). Get off at the Van Dorn St. Metro Station and walk to the park.

For more information, call: 703-883-4686, or vist: www.cambodiancommunityday.org/

DC Beer Week is a week-long celebration of beer culture in the nation’s capitol. With a line-up that features more than a dozen breweries and 25 restaurants, bars and pubs throughout the district. DC Beer Week 2010 is set to kick off on Sunday, August 22nd with a Pre-Beer Week Party for you true beer geeks at the Rock and Roll Hotel with the City Paper Lagerheads.

The 7-day event will feature daily tastings, dinners, happy hours, contests, a cruise, a ballgame and presentations by domestic and international breweries at participating venues.

This is a great time to explore the town and taste some great beer!

For more information, visit: www.dcbeerweek.com

Participating Restaurants Include:
18th Amendment
Belga Café
Beirgarten Haus
Big Hunt
Bread and Brew
Breadsoda
Capitol Lounge
Churchkey
Commonwealth Gastropub
Dino
District Chophouse
Granville Moore’s
H St Country Club
Hop and Wine
Justins Cafe
Kramerbooks and Afterwards Café
Liberty Tree
Meridian Point
Policy
Pizza Paradisio
Potomac Riverboat Company
Pour House
RFD
Rock and Roll Hote
Room 11
Star and Shamrock
The Red and the Black
The Reef
Thunder Burger
Trustys

From the international heart of Adams Morgan comes the Adams Morgan 18th Street Festival, a two-day extravaganza of fun and music across two headlining stages and other venues. The now-famous Columbia and Florida stages (located strategically on 18th Street at Columbia Road and at Florida Ave.) feature live music acts from all genres from Central and South America, Latin rock, salsa, jazz, to soul, funk, and American rock.

First held in 1978, the festival is the longest continuously running neighborhood festival in DC, with attendance ranging around 25,000. That’s pretty impressive, and for good reason: Adams Morgan knows how to put on a good show, and definitely knows how to highlight its own multicultural influences. This is a great, high-energy event and not to be missed.

Read More >

On display through the summer at the Goethe Institut is the photo exhibit Gute Aussichten. The title means “good views” and refers to the photographers’ defining characteristics: youth and talent. Urban domesticity dominates the subject matter of these photos, while the photos themselves are highly principled.

For more information, visit: www.goethe.de/ins/us/was/ver/en5976256v.htm