What To Do This Weekend in the DMV

Weekend Guide

What To Do This Weekend in the DMV

September 16, 2026 · by Claude Labbe, REALTOR | Douglas Elliman

Autumn street festival in Washington DC with vendor tents, food stalls, a live music stage, and crowds dancing under string bunting, framed by brick rowhouses in golden September afternoon light

Key Takeaways

  • The free H Street Festival takes over a mile-long stretch of H Street NE in Washington DC on Saturday, September 19 from noon to 7 PM, with fifteen stages, vendors, and family programming
  • The Avett Brothers play Wolf Trap's Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia on Friday and Saturday night, with Guster opening
  • Oktoberfest season opens across the region: Alexandria's festival runs Saturday at John Carlyle Square Park, and a three-day Oktoberfest starts Friday in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington
  • D.C. United hosts Charlotte FC at Audi Field on Saturday at 7:30 PM, and Malcolm Todd plays The Anthem on the Southwest Waterfront on Sunday night
  • Family picks include the free Capital Book Fest at Woodrow Wilson Plaza on Saturday morning, Come From Away at Ford's Theatre, and the opening of Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Festival in Germantown, Maryland

Looking for things to do this weekend in the DMV? The weekend of September 18 through 20 mixes street festivals, concerts, Oktoberfest, and soccer. H Street Festival takes over H Street NE on Saturday, the Avett Brothers play Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, Alexandria and Arlington kick off Oktoberfest season, and D.C. United hosts Charlotte FC at Audi Field. Here is your guide to the weekend.

Friday, September 18

The weekend starts with two nights of the Avett Brothers at Wolf Trap. The North Carolina folk-rock band brings its tour to the Filene Center on Friday and Saturday with Guster opening. Wolf Trap sits in Vienna, a town in Fairfax County, and it is the nation's only national park dedicated to the performing arts. Tickets and details are on the Wolf Trap show page. If you are weighing a move to the area, Claude's Fairfax area guide covers the towns and communities around the county.

The Filene Center amphitheater at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia at dusk with a folk-rock band performing on the illuminated stage, a large audience on the seats and lawn, and a deep blue early-autumn sky above the forested hillside

Downtown, Marc Maron brings his stand-up to the Warner Theatre on 13th Street NW on Friday night. In Maryland, the Washington Ukrainian Festival opens a three-day run in Silver Spring on Friday, and the free Long Branch Festival starts at Flower Avenue Park in Silver Spring from 5 to 9 PM before continuing Saturday. Over in Prince George's County, gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard plays The Gathering Place in Greater Capitol Heights on Friday at 7 PM.

In Arlington, the Courthaus Social Oktoberfest opens a three-day run at 2300 Clarendon Boulevard in the Clarendon neighborhood on Friday, with food and drink specials all weekend long.

Saturday, September 19

The main event is the H Street Festival. From noon to 7 PM, the festival closes a mile-long stretch of H Street NE in Washington DC to cars and fills it with roughly fifteen stages of music and dance, a couple hundred vendors, food, and children's programming. Admission is free, and the corridor is easy to reach by the H Street streetcar and nearby Metro stations. H Street Main Street's event page has the full lineup.

Also Saturday morning, the Capital Book Fest Children's Book & Learning Festival runs from 10 AM to 3 PM at Woodrow Wilson Plaza outside the Ronald Reagan Building, with children's authors, book signings, and art activities. It is free and family-friendly.

Around lunchtime, the city of Alexandria kicks off its Alexandria Oktoberfest at John Carlyle Square Park on John Carlyle Street from 11 AM to 6 PM, with Bavarian food, a beer garden, and live music in the Carlyle district. Visit Alexandria's event page has the details. For more on living in the city, see Claude's Alexandria guide, with its walkable Old Town streets and historic rowhouses.

Outdoor Oktoberfest beer garden in a Washington DC metro area plaza at dusk with long communal tables under string lights, blue and white Bavarian bunting, and a brass band on a small stage surrounded by low-rise brick buildings

Across the river in Arlington, the Courthaus Social Oktoberfest continues all day in the Clarendon neighborhood, with stein-holding and lederhosen contests plus food and drink specials. Arlington is a city of more than thirty neighborhoods, and Clarendon is one of its most walkable, steps from the Orange and Silver line Metro. See Claude's Arlington guide for more on the area.

Saturday night is soccer night. D.C. United hosts Charlotte FC at Audi Field in Buzzard Point at 7:30 PM in a late-season Eastern Conference match. Tickets are on the D.C. United official site. For comedy and theater, Steve Martin plays DAR Constitution Hall and T.J. Miller plays the Warner Theatre on Saturday night, while the Avett Brothers play their second night at Wolf Trap.

Maryland keeps its own pace on Saturday. The Long Branch Festival runs at Flower Avenue Park in Silver Spring until 9 PM, the Ukrainian Festival continues, Burtonsville Day runs at Columbia Park from 10 AM to 3 PM, and Butler's Orchard opens its Pumpkin Festival season in Germantown. Silver Branch Brewing Company hosts an Oktoberfest in downtown Silver Spring, rounding out a full festival day in Montgomery County.

Sunday, September 20

Sunday slows down before the work week. Malcolm Todd plays The Anthem on the Southwest Waterfront at 8 PM, one of the best rooms in the city for live music. Tickets are on the Anthem official site. The Tony-winning musical Come From Away continues its run at Ford's Theatre downtown through mid-October, a strong pick for a family matinee.

Farmers markets are a reliable weekend tradition across the DMV, and Sunday is a good morning for one. The FRESHFARM Dupont Circle Farmers Market runs Sunday mornings in the neighborhood, and the Ukrainian Festival in Silver Spring and the Courthaus Social Oktoberfest in Arlington both close out their final days.

Wherever you land, weekends like this show how the DMV's neighborhoods each carry their own rhythm, from the festival blocks of H Street NE and the waterfront tables of Alexandria to the urban villages of Arlington and the green open spaces of Montgomery County. For a look back at last weekend's events, read Claude's previous weekend guide. And if a weekend exploring the region has you thinking about putting down roots, the buying guide is a good place to start.

Claude Labbe

Claude Labbe

REALTOR · Douglas Elliman · DC, MD, VA

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What's happening this weekend in DC?
The weekend of September 18 through 20 is a full one. The free H Street Festival closes a mile-long stretch of H Street NE to cars on Saturday from noon to 7 PM with fifteen stages and vendors. The Avett Brothers play Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia on Friday and Saturday night. Alexandria and Arlington both kick off Oktoberfest season, D.C. United hosts Charlotte FC at Audi Field on Saturday at 7:30 PM, and Malcolm Todd plays The Anthem on Sunday night. The Capital Book Fest at Woodrow Wilson Plaza is the standout free family event on Saturday morning.
Is the H Street Festival free?
Yes. The H Street Festival on Saturday, September 19 is free and open to all ages from noon to 7 PM. It turns about a mile of H Street NE in Washington DC into a car-free festival corridor with roughly fifteen stages of music and dance, a couple hundred vendors, food, and children's programming. The organizer, H Street Main Street, publishes the full schedule on its event page.
Where can I celebrate Oktoberfest in the DMV this weekend?
Three solid options open this weekend. Alexandria Oktoberfest runs Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM at John Carlyle Square Park on John Carlyle Street, with Bavarian food, a beer garden, and live music. Courthaus Social in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington hosts a three-day Oktoberfest Friday through Sunday at 2300 Clarendon Boulevard with stein-holding and lederhosen contests. In Montgomery County, Silver Branch Brewing Company hosts an Oktoberfest in downtown Silver Spring on Saturday.
What concerts are in the DMV the weekend of September 18?
The Avett Brothers headline Wolf Trap's Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia on Friday and Saturday with Guster opening. Marc Maron does stand-up at the Warner Theatre on Friday, and Steve Martin plays DAR Constitution Hall on Saturday. In Maryland, Tasha Cobbs Leonard plays The Gathering Place in Greater Capitol Heights on Friday night. Malcolm Todd closes the weekend at The Anthem on the Southwest Waterfront on Sunday at 8 PM.
What family-friendly activities are happening in the DMV this weekend?
The Capital Book Fest Children's Book & Learning Festival runs Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM at Woodrow Wilson Plaza in downtown DC with authors, book signings, and art activities, and it is free. The H Street Festival on Saturday afternoon is all-ages with dedicated children's programming. Butler's Orchard opens its Pumpkin Festival season in Germantown, Maryland on Saturday. And Come From Away at Ford's Theatre, running through mid-October, is a strong family theater pick in downtown DC.

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