Our end-of-the-week picks for Feb. 6-8, 2026
We've gathered up some fun things to do in DC this weekend. You can also read what else is going on during the week and throughout the month.
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Friday
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
Studio Theatre
Octet
How does an a cappella chamber musical featuring eight people who have stashed away their phones while trapped in a church basement sound? Octet at Studio Theare will be just that, as total strangers battle their digital dependency and make attempts at true connection through the power of their voices. Escape your screen with this theater-in-the-round performance.
Tickets
Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The preeminent modern dance company visits the Warner Theatre with a program that celebrates the company’s illustrious history and aims to bring audiences together in joy. Enjoy some of Ailey’s most famous compositions as well as programming from artists around the world.
Tickets
Warner Theatre, 513 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
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
Saturday
National Museum of African American History and Culture
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
Photo by Kate Capshaw
Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees
In honor of recent recipients of the Portrait of a Nation Award, the National Portrait Gallery showcases an exhibit dedicated to stunning work. The award elevates “extraordinary individuals who have made transformative contributions to the United States and its people.” This year’s group of honorees includes Jamie Dimon, business leader, by photographer Jason Alden; Temple Grandin, professor, inventor and groundbreaking researcher of animal science, by artist David Lenz; Joy Harjo, renowned poet, performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and 23rd U.S. poet laureate, by artist Joel Daniel Phillips; and Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning director, producer and writer, by artist Kate Capshaw.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20001
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
Keegan Theatre
John Doe
Zia is anti-social; in fact, she suffers from anthropophobia, the literal fear of people. Then there’s Doe, who is totally cool with watching people but is actually dead. And of course, only Zia can see him! She might (gasp) have to even interact with some people in order to help Doe figure out his forgotten life. Keegan Theatre’s Boiler Room Series commissioned this world premiere.
Tickets
Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
Sunday
National Museum of American History
How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories
A new exhibit at the National Museum of American History, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, explores California’s “Little Manila,” a community of Filipinos that thrived from the 1910s to the 1970s. Through more than 50 artifacts found in preserved steamer trunks (three of which are on display in the gallery), visitors can gain insight into what was once the largest population of Filipinos living outside of their home country.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Free Admission
National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560
The Phillips Collection
peter campus: there somewhere
The Phillips Collection showcases one of the leading figures in new media art with there somewhere. peter campus’ breakthrough videos from the early 1970s are displayed alongside four new, serene landscape works, which the artist has named “the phillips quartets”.
Hours & Admission
The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
National Building Museum
Winter Skate Spectacular
Don’t fret! The National Building Museum will bring back its indoor ice-skating rink this year. Sponsored by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District and Events DC, the Winter Skate Spectacular will offer daytime and after-hours skate sessions this year. Visitors can also enjoy The Wave, a 55-by-180-foot recycled aluminum space frame suspended in the Great Hall.
Tickets & More Information
National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Paranormal Activity
Shakespeare knew how to deal out some scares, so don’t be surprised that DC’s outstanding local theatre company named after The Bard is staging a new tale from the world-renowned Paranormal Activity universe. James and Lou relocate from Chicago to London and … well, you’ll just need to see this chilling production for yourself to find out what happens.
Tickets
Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Places to Stay
Need some inspiration for a place to stay in between events? Washington, DC is filled with a multitude of hotels to fit your needs. Whether you are looking for that specialty boutique hotel or booking at your favorite hotel brand, Washington, DC's booking engine has it all. Find your stay today!
Do you know where you’ll be dining pre- or post-event? From pop-up restaurants to award-winning hot spots to laid-back food halls, our DC food guide is perfect for helping you plan a more memorable experience.
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