Smithsonian Institution
Things to do the week of March 10-13, 2025
We've gathered up things to do across the nation's capital, including museum exhibits, concerts, only-in-DC events and much more. Don't miss our things to do this weekend and things to do this month as well.
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Monday
Making a Statement
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian displays two gowns worn by Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone (Siksikaitsitapi [Blackfeet]/Nimiipuu [Nez Perce]) in a special installation. Four public programs are planned for Women's History Month as well. Both gowns were designed by Gucci and Indigenous artist Joe Big Mountain (Mohawk/Cree/Comanche) of Ironhorse Quillwork and were worn by Gladstone the evening of March 10, 2024, to the 96th Academy Awards and the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Gladstone was the first Native American nominated for best actress for her work in the film Killers of the Flower Moon.
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Free Admission
National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20560
Signature in the Schools: Failureland!
Signature Theatre Company’s 30th Signature in the Schools play sees area high school students perform an original comedy by playwright Dani Stoller about discovering your courage. Failureland! follows Tori as she questions herself right as she’s about to submit her college applications only to fall into an “enchanted haven” where she runs into Maya Angelou, Galileo and Vincent van Gogh. These figures share their own experiences with fear, failure and hope.
Tickets
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206
Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships – March 7-16
Kick off March Madness with the CAA Championships at CareFirst Arena in Congress Heights. You can enjoy both the men’s tournament (March 8-12) and the women’s tournament (March 7-16) across 9 straight days of high-stakes college basketball. The winner of each competition is granted an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
CareFirst Arena, 1100 Oak Drive SE, Washington, DC 20032
Tuesday
How to Be A Power Player: Tudor Edition
The Folger Shakespeare Library exhibit features more than 60 objects from the collection to demonstrate the dos and don’ts for how to be a successful courtier in 16th-century England. Social climbing was a sport in Tudor England and visitors can engage with the entire playbook and even create their own with a 21st-century spin. You can also draw your portrait, design a dinner menu and make your own rules.
Hours | Free Admission
Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Blooming Wonders: A Best of Spring Exhibition
ARTECHOUSE’s annual springtime exhibit has become a must-see for locals and visitors alike. This year’s display brings together past smash-hit cherry blossom-themed installations as well as a new interactive experience. Fix your gaze upon immense floral landscapes, spellbinding digital visualizations and surreal spring-themed environments. Use discount code 'AEF10' for 10% off your tickets.
Tickets
ARTECHOUSE, 1238 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20002
RIVERDANCE 30: The New Generation
Since emerging onto the cultural landscape 30 years ago, Riverdance has brought a Grammy Award-winning fusion of Irish and international dance to audiences all over the globe. Now, the show embarks on a special anniversary tour with new choreography and costumes as well as state-of-the-art motion graphics, lighting and projection.
Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566
Wednesday
Uncanny
The National Museum of Women in the Arts invites visitors to an exploration of unease across a range of surreal media. The only museum solely dedicated to championing women artists treads into new territory with Uncanny, which reveals women’s authorship of surreal narratives, revealing how the concept is used by these artists to regain agency and dissect feelings of revulsion, fear and discomfort.
Hours & Admission
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist
Through singular and daring prints and sculptures, Elizabeth Catlett became of the defining artist-activists of her day. Catlett has roots in DC, Chicago and New York but spent 60 years in Mexico, where she created art “for the people.” U.S. and Mexican injustices resonate throughout her work. The National Gallery of Art will display more than 150 of her creations, including rarely seen paintings and drawings.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
A Room in the Castle
The Folger Theatre co-produces a new play with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company that reimagines the stories of the women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to create both gut-busting comedy and heart-rending drama. Ophelia, her handmaid and Queen Gertrude are suffering at the hands of a wild prince’s antics and realize how dangerous their lives have become. The thriller explores how we can help each other through tough times and the responsibilities of one generation to another.
Tickets
Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Arena Stage
The Bedwetter: The Musical
You'll likely recognize comedian Sarah Silverman's signature wit from her stint on SNL or Comedy Central, her voice acting on Bob's Burgers, one of her many standup specials or even her bestselling comedic memoir The Bedwetter. In 2022, the latter was adapted for the stage by a Tony-nominated director (Anna Kauffman) and a Grammy- and Emmy-winning composer (Adam Schlesinger) – and now, you're in luck: lively "stories of courage, redemption and pee" take over Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater for a limited time this spring.
Tickets
Arena Stage, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Thursday
Atlantic-10 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
March Madness returns to Capital One Arena with the Atlantic-10 (A-10) Men’s Basketball Tournament, whose winner receives an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. All 15 league teams will participate with games running from Wednesday through Sunday. Last year, Duquesne captured its first A-10 title in more than four decades by defeating VCU in the championship game. Over the last 10 years, eight different programs have claimed the championship, making this one of the most exciting conference tournaments in the country.
Tickets
Capital One Arena, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
The Artist’s Experience: From Brotherman to Batman
Visit Phillips@THEARC for a distinctive exhibition of the vitality of comic book art. From Brotherman to Batman focuses on 20 Black artists from across the spectrum of comic books, including Dawud Anyabwile (creator of Brotherman), Denys Cowan (co-founder of Milestone Media and legendary Batman illustrator for DC Comics) and many others. Dive deep into how each panel of a comic book page tells a story as well as how these fascinating creatives break the confines of the art form.
Wednesday & Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
Phillips@THEARC, 1801 Mississippi Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20020
A South Fourty: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South
The National Building Museum’s new exhibit is dedicated to distinctive modern architecture and contemporary design practices in the American South. The display aims to provide an overview of the current vibrancy of contemporary architecture through illustrated profiles of buildings and practices, statements of principles and observations by those who build in the region.
Hours & Admission
National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
It’s A Mother****ing Pleasure
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, along with the award-winning and disability-led theatre company FlawBored, invite you to explore disability rights and wrongs. The searing satire focuses on PR firm “Rize” as they team up with Ross, a Blind influencer who’s ready to profit off the guilt of non-disabled, anxious people. Prepare yourself for a sensational examination of identity politics and the cost of doing the right thing.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Kunene and The King
In its U.S. premiere, this play written and performed by Tony-winner John Kani is sure to enthrall audiences at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre. Kunene and The King concerns Lunga Kunene (played by Kani), who has been charged with the care of a classical actor (played by Edward Gero) who was just offered a career-defining role as King Lear. The Bard serves as a unifier in this stirring tale set 25 years after the fall of apartheid.
Tickets
Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
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