The 26 best things to do in D.C. this…
Bladensburg Independence Day at Bladensburg Waterfront Park
“The American Frontier” is the theme of Bladensburg’s July 5 celebrations, with a mechanical bull, pony rides, displays of birds of prey and dance-friendly music from DJ Flava of WKYS at the city’s Waterfront Park. Visit food trucks, play games and get faces painted before the fireworks begin at 9:07 p.m. Lawn chairs are welcome, and “cowboy and cowgirl gear” is requested. 6 to 9:30 p.m. Free.
Euro 2024 viewing party at Wunder Garten
Many bars have a particular team to root for during big international soccer tournaments: The Queen Vic is the place for England fans to drink pints, Lunas in Union Market is packed with fans backing Argentina for another trophy, the Grill from Ipanema welcomes Brazilian supporters to Adams Morgan, and the closed-for-the-summer Stable is popping up at the Midlands during Switzerland games. But few bars show a spirit of international cooperation like NoMa’s Wunder Garten. For the make-or-break Euro 2024 quarterfinal between Germany and Spain, the beer garden is hosting official viewing parties with both embassies. Sip on a liter of German beer or sip a Spanish lager while cheering on your favorite team, and don’t forget to pick up flags and other swag at the embassy’s tables. Noon. Free.
‘Destination Domino’ at the National Building Museum
More than 4 million subscribers on YouTube tune in to watch Lily Hevesh knock down gigantic domino structures and sculptures, and she’s about to have a very grand space to build in, thanks to a summer residency at the National Building Museum. Hevesh plans to create a design using more than 100,000 dominoes in the museum’s West Court and a 33-foot tower in the East Court — a structure that could break some domino records. Museum visitors can watch this domino artist in action, and there are domino-inspired events throughout the week to participate in, too. Hevesh’s 10 days of building at the museum end with a momentous Domino Topple on July 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., as the team knocks down more than 100,000 dominoes, revealing amazingly intricate chain reactions that will go on for eight minutes. Plan ahead: Free tickets for the topple are limited, and available online on a first-come, first-served basis. Through July 20. Free to $25.
Dino Safari Festival at Westfield Montgomery Mall
If your kids think dinosaurs are way cooler than fireworks, you might want to check out the illuminated LuminoCity’s Dino Safari Festival, which opened for a month-long run in Bethesda on Independence Day. This is the second time the dino light show is in Montgomery County, and families should expect to see more than 70 animated dinosaurs towering up to 46 feet tall and lit-up ice age animal sculptures. Free activities include a dino carousel and dino fossil hunt, and parents can pay extra for a dino bounce castle or a safari train. The festival runs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Through Aug. 4. $16-$20; free for children age 3 and younger.
‘Bridgerton’ Craft Soiree at Merry Pin
The craft store and cafe is hosting a Shondaland-themed crafting party, featuring DIY teapot cards and tea, cocktails and wine. Watch “Bridgerton” on the projector while enjoying a scone of your choice (including maple walnut and cranberry orange) that’s included in the ticket price. The event is 21 and up. 6 to 9 p.m. $12.
‘The Colored Museum’ at Studio Theatre
Before George C. Wolfe directed the original Broadway production of “Angels in America” or helmed the film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” he made a name for himself by writing this provocative 1986 satire, which is framed as a tour of 11 “exhibits” encapsulating the African American experience. Psalmayene 24, the D.C. director fresh off an inventive staging of “Metamorphoses” at the Folger Theatre, oversees a Studio Theatre revival that the company bills as “an innovative environmental production.” The cast will include Kelli Blackwell and Matthew Elijah Webb, both of whom appeared in Studio’s acclaimed “Fat Ham” production last fall. Through Aug. 11. $40-$90.
Five years ago, this Montreal-based musician took her own advice, walking away from performing electronic music in clubs and a lifestyle that had become unsustainable to “explore new horizons,” as she wrote on Instagram at the time. She switched gears, writing songs with a band and experimenting with new wave and lounge music on the album “Renegade Breakdown.” After touring with the band, she took an eight-month break from playing music for audiences until someone offered her a DJ gig in Mexico City, something she had never done professionally. But Davidson, who usually makes hard-charging club tracks with musical hardware, quickly fell in love with DJing once she realized the tools of the trade were instruments in their own right. Davidson was inspired by an interview with DJ Jazzy Jeff, an innovator of the form who said a DJ set needs a takeoff, a flight and a landing. Other than that, Davidson finds most rules “a bit limiting” and just tries to stay connected to the crowd, instead of in her own head. 10 p.m. $20-$30.
D.C. Does Dischord at the Black Cat
Celebration Summer bassist Greg Raelson, organizer of a new tribute album, “Yesterday and Today: DC Does Dischord,” cherished the local punk-rock label. Celebration Summer and Dot Dash are two of the 27 local acts that contributed a cover of a song from Dischord’s catalogue to the record. (Some of the proceeds from the album will benefit We Are Family D.C., which aids inner-city seniors.) The two groups are also among the six that will perform at a record-release show this weekend at the Black Cat. 7 p.m. $20.