Washington, DC hosts some of the country's biggest annual events, from the National Cherry Blossom Festival each spring to a Fourth of July fireworks show on the National Mall, the National Book Festival in late summer, DC JazzFest in September, and the Washington Auto Show every January.
In brief
Washington, DC hosts some of the country's biggest annual events, from the National Cherry Blossom Festival each spring to a record-breaking Fourth of July fireworks show on the National Mall, the Library of Congress National Book Festival in late summer, DC JazzFest in September, and the Washington Auto Show every January. Here's a month-by-month look at what actually happens, with real dates and specifics.
The year's major DC events, season by season
January: Washington Auto Show
The Auto Show opens daily between January 23 and February 1 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers designates it one of the nation's top five auto shows. Known on the auto show circuit as the 'Public Policy Show,' the 10-day public run is preceded by a Public Policy Preview Day of special events and announcements for officials in government, industry, and the media. Ticket prices are $15 on weekdays and $20 on weekends for adults, $7 for children aged 6-12, and free for children 5 and under.
March-April: National Cherry Blossom Festival
What began with a gift of trees from Japan at the Tidal Basin in 1912 now spans four weeks in Washington, DC, and neighboring communities in Maryland and Virginia. The 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival ran March 20 to April 12. The cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on March 26, 2026.
The 2024 festival drew 1.6 million attendees to Washington, DC and its surrounding areas, eclipsing the pre-pandemic 2019 estimate of 1.5 million attendees. The parade is a highlight. It runs along Constitution Avenue NW, between 7th and 17th Streets. Spectators can catch it for free along the route. Peak bloom timing depends on weather conditions and is announced by the National Park Service 10-14 days in advance.
July 4: Independence Day on the National Mall
In a typical year, the National Park Service hosts the fireworks on the Mall. In 2026 - America's 250th birthday - the scale went well beyond the usual. The fireworks show began around 10:30 p.m. and 850,000 shells were launched from 10 sites in the District, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, eight Potomac River barges, and West Potomac Park. The production, led by Pennsylvania-based Pyrotecnico, aimed to shatter the existing Guinness World Record of 810,904 fireworks set in the Philippines in 2016.
The National Independence Day Parade begins at 10:30 a.m., starting at 3rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW, running south along 3rd Street before heading west at Independence Avenue SW and ending at 12th Street SW. Those looking to attend are encouraged to take Metro or rideshare; use Federal Triangle or Smithsonian stations on the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines.
August: National Book Festival
The 26th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival is held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public; Politics and Prose is the official bookseller on site. 2026 marks the first year attendees must reserve free entry tickets in advance.
The festival's Main Stage gathers some of today's most powerful voices for speaking engagements, with some sticking around for book signings. This year's lineup includes Martin Scorsese, Kate McKinnon, Cynthia Erivo, Tia Williams, and Ann Patchett. Attendance grew from about 25,000 at the first festival to more than 200,000 in 2019.
September: DC JazzFest
DC JazzFest runs September 2-6, 2026, across 20 venues spanning a dozen neighborhoods across Washington, DC. The 2026 theme is 'The Future of Jazz: America's Next 250 Years.' The Wharf is especially central during the main weekend of September 5-6, with additional events at Arena Stage, The Hamilton, Union Stage, and Pearl Street Warehouse. Headliners include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joshua Redman, Kurt Elling, Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, Danilo Pérez, Bill Frisell, and Nate Smith.
December: National Christmas Tree Lighting
The free annual National Christmas Tree Lighting takes place at President's Park on the White House Ellipse, where a conifer is surrounded by trees decorated with handmade ornaments from 56 U.S. states and territories. The tree is accompanied by nightly musical performances throughout the holiday season. The 2026 lighting is scheduled for December 4.
Other major recurring events worth knowing
DC Restaurant Week: The summer edition (August 24-30) features special prix-fixe pricing at more than 150 restaurants across the city.
DC JazzFest at The Wharf: Weekend shows on September 5-6 anchor the five-day festival.
Holiday Boat Parade at The Wharf: Over 60 decorated boats parade up the Washington Channel alongside live music, Santa photo ops, fireworks, and other holiday activities.
Oktoberfest: Beer lovers can celebrate Oktoberfest and German culture throughout September and October at various beer gardens, including the Polka on the Pier and the Dachshund Dash at The Wharf.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
