DC is deep into a political and cultural reset in 2026. Mayor Muriel Bowser is leaving office after three terms, setting off the city's most open mayoral race in years. Meanwhile, major museum openings, an America 250th anniversary and a packed fall events calendar are keeping the region busy.
In brief
Washington, DC is in the middle of a significant political and cultural shift in 2026. Mayor Muriel Bowser is leaving office after three terms, triggering the city's most competitive mayoral race in a generation. At the same time, landmark museum openings, a yearlong America 250th anniversary and a packed fall calendar have the entire DMV region moving fast.
Bowser out, open race for mayor
On November 25, 2025, Bowser announced her intention not to seek re-election, saying "it was time for me to pass the baton onto the next set of leaders who are going to take our city to the next level." That decision carries real weight: D.C.'s mayoral ballot won't include Bowser's name for the first time in 12 years.
The 2026 DC elections may be the most consequential since the advent of home rule in 1975, set against a backdrop of greater federal intervention into the city's affairs, depleting federal resources and local budget pressures. The mayoral election is set for November 3, 2026; primary elections were held on June 16.
There's been scant public polling in the all-important Democratic primary, forcing political observers to read the tea leaves to determine who among the field of seven candidates is likely to emerge victorious. Key names in the race included Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie. Seats up for grabs also include D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson's position, the Democratic at-large seat held by Anita Bonds, and the Ward 5 and Ward 6 seats held by Zachary Parker and Charles Allen respectively.
Museum openings tied to America's 250th birthday
DC's cultural calendar got a jolt this summer. The National Geographic Society's Museum of Exploration opened at its global headquarters on June 26, with over 100,000 square feet of new public space. The $300 million revitalization is entirely bilingual in English and Spanish. The museum sits at 1600 M St. NW in downtown Washington. Tickets start at $22.99.
Coming up: the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden will reopen Saturday, October 31, 2026, following a four-year revitalization that repaired aging infrastructure and reorganized the 1.3-acre space. Sixty artworks - a 50% increase from before - will sit within a landscape of nearly 30,000 new plants and trees. The reflecting pool has been revamped and an underground passageway unlocked. Admission remains free.
Also this year, a new museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial opened, along with the complete expansion of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
RFK Stadium: demolition and a new Commanders home
The District is moving forward with plans to transform the RFK Stadium site into a major entertainment and mixed-use district. The project is advancing toward a new 65,000-seat stadium for the Commanders, and architect HKS released initial renderings in January 2026. Demolition of the old stadium is scheduled to be completed by late 2026.
What's on this fall
September is already full. The H Street Festival on September 19 draws thousands of attendees each year, with live music, dance performances, family-friendly activities and plenty of food vendors across multiple staging areas. The same day, Events DC runs WalkingTown DC from September 19-26, a free week-long public tour program with dozens of guided walking tours through DC neighborhoods.
The DC JazzFest ran September 2-6. Oktoberfest celebrations kick off in mid-September and run into October, with Bluejacket, Wunder Garten and The Wharf among the recurring venues.
On the practical side, DC residents dealing with DMV business should note: the Georgetown DMV Service Center experienced a significant water main break on February 5 and has remained closed to the public. An ACH/Electronic Check payment issue has also temporarily suspended that option for online transactions; the Office of the Chief Financial Officer is working to resolve it, and contactless, credit/debit card, cash and check payments are still accepted in person.
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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.
