National Museum of African American History and Culture
Things to do the week of Feb. 9-12, 2026
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
At the Vanguard
The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s new exhibit features more than 100 objects from the collections of five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Clark Atlanta, Florida A&M, Jackson State, Texas Southern, Tuskegee) in a stunning display of how these institutions have shaped American education and culture through innovation, ingenuity, resistance and activism.
Free Admission | Hours & Information
National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560
Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, who was dubbed “Grandma Moses” by the press, lived through the American Civil War, two world wars and the civil rights era. In the 1940s, she emerged as a central figure thanks to her unique tapestries of American life. The Smithsonian American Art Museum introduces her essential work to new generations with an in-depth exhibit.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004
Ice skate in DC
Lace up some skates and triple axel 'round the District at popular ice skating rinks at the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden, Washington Harbour in Georgetown, Canal Park in Capitol Riverfront and The Wharf. Make sure to read our detailed breakdown of each spot.
Tuesday
Big Things for Big Rooms
Explore the evolution of immersive, large-scale art from the late 1960s to today. The presentation of 10 artworks—five on view for the first time at the Hirshhorn—is drawn largely from the museum's collection. Organized in two parts, the exhibition offers a multisensorial investigation of how artists create installation works that expand the boundaries of an artwork and the role of the visitor.
Hours | Free Admission
Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Avenue & 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20560
National Symphony Orchestra: Brahms x Radiohead
Please note that the band Radiohead will not perform during this show. However, you are still in for a fascinating musical experience as elements of Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and tracks from Radiohead’s legendary LP OK Computer are gloriously synthesized. Steven Hackman composed the innovative mash-up for a full orchestra and three solo vocalists.
Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566
Arena Stage
Chez Joey
Prepare for a blockbuster at Arena Stage as Chez Joey lands at the historic playhouse. Co-directed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Savion Glover and actor, director and producer Tony Goldwyn, the set-in-1940s-Chicago show includes a Rodgers and Hart score as well as a spellbinding tale of a singer caught between a rich baroness and an ambitious chorus girl on his way to the top (he hopes).
Tickets
Arena Stage, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Wednesday
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
The World to Come
As the world crumbles, Fanny, Barbara, Ruth and Hal try to carry on their daily routines inside the SeaBreeze Hebrew Home for the Aging. The quartet take on armored nurses, an ostrich, bewildering prophecies and their own weakening bodies. The epic tale demonstrates how friendship and community can hold strong even in the face of disaster.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
American Ballet Theatre: The Winter's Tale
Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon interprets one of The Bard’s classics through emotional dance compositions and immersive set design. The Winter’s Tale is packed with jealousy, romance, redemption and ruminations on the passage of time.
Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566
Nine Inch Nails
Spearheaded by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails is one of the most innovative musical projects of the last 40 years. Across multiple multi-platinum studio albums and his work as a composer, Reznor has pushed the boundaries of an array of genres, from rock to metal to electronic to ambient to classical and beyond. Capital One Arena hosts Nine Inch Nails for one night only.
8 p.m. | Tickets
Capital One Arena, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Thursday
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters
DC artist Rik Freeman’s work is showcased in-depth at this free exhibition displayed at Phillips@THEARC. For more than three decades, Freeman has engaged history, community, resilience and joy in his work. Wade in the Waters zooms in on waterways – from the beaches of Bahia to the Anacostia River – and how they connect to the diaspora over generations.
Wednesday & Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
Phillips@THEARC, 1801 Mississippi Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20020
National Gallery of Art
National Gallery Nights
Make the National Gallery of Art’s East Building your after-hours escape with the return of National Gallery Nights. The exhibit The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art (one of the largest displays of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in North American history) inspires an immersive evening featuring the sounds of the didgeridoo, the chance to create your own fiber art and exploration of the Roof Terrace to take in masterpieces under DC’s night sky.
6-9 p.m. | Free Admission | Registration Required
National Gallery of Art East Building, 4th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565
The National Theatre
Stereophonic
The most Tony Award-winning show of 2024. The most Tony Award-nominated play of all time. Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of breaking up — or breaking through to superstardom. Featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the play is "... a staggering, ingeniously entertaining achievement," according to The New York Times.
Tickets
The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
Shakespeare Theatre Company
On Beckett
Bill Irwin is both a Tony Award-winning actor and a master clown. When he steps on the stage at Klein Theatre, he’ll explore both the comedy and tragedy of the essential work of Nobel Prize winner Samuell Beckett. The one-man show features physical and verbal comedy that makes Beckett’s writings accessible to all.
Tickets
Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
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