Free(dom).

4th of July

The best day of the year for free events, and there is no better place in the country to celebrate the nation’s independence. Starting the day off with an Independence Day Parade at 11:45 a.m., find yourself en route on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, and enjoy the marching bands, the military persons, the floats, and whatever else happens to be coming down the street.

After the parade, head down to the National Mall anytime between 11:00 a.m .and 5:00 p.m. to witness the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an experience filled with music and dance performances, storytelling, and cultural discussion. The themes of this year’s program are Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture, The Americas: A Musical World, and Wales Smithsonian Cymru. For more information on the programs and the festival itself, head over to the website.

When you’ve finished getting culturally certified by the Folklife Festival, head over to the Washington Monument grounds for a 6:00 p.m. concert, featuring the U.S. Army Concert Band and the U.S. Army Band Downrange. Make your way to the Southwest corner of the grounds to see the troops.

If you haven’t been musically sated by this point, head down to the West Lawn of the Capitol Building by 8:00 p.m. for the 4th of July tradition, including a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra. If you’re more into the pop scene, we can’t bring back the King for you, but the concert will be sure to satisfy your needs too, with performances by Aretha Franklin, Natasha Bedingfield, and even the cast of Sesame Street.

When all is said and done, you’ll surely want to find a spot on the National Mall by 9:15 pm for fireworks (they’re scheduled for “at dark,” but generally begin around that time). Launched from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and up over the Washington Monument, the District’s monuments provide a perfect backdrop. This is not to be missed.

First Friday

On the first Friday of the month, Dupont Circle’s many art galleries open their doors a little later. Head down along R Street and Connecticut Avenue from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm this Friday and see what this long-standing celebration of the area’s art scene still has going for it. Drawing in artists, art lovers, and the simply curious, you’re bound to fit in somewhere; even if it’s just next to the free offering of wine and snacks.

You Bloom. We Bloom.

BloomBars in Columbia Heights will be hosting a fundraiser this Thursday, July 2nd, at 9:30 pm. This art ‘blooming’ experience, located at 3222 11th St, NW, hosts any and every possible experience that can help growing artists grow. As a non-profit group, their doors are open as a performance space, art gallery, theatre, dance studio, screening room, and center for wellness. So head down to this fundraiser, completely donation based, in an effort to ‘bloom’ their impact on the community

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 1:33 pm and is filed under Leisure, Vox Populi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.