The Mindful Drinking Fest includes a booze-free rave. Photograph by Jennifer Chase.Happy Monday, DC! Enjoy the snow day at a community snowball fight on the National Mall. Later in the week, you can celebrate Dry January at Mindful Drinking Fest, or attend the opening of Downstate at Studio Theatre. Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend January 6–January 12 Mindful Drinking Fest. Here’s a great option for those practicing Dry (or damp) January. Mindful Drinking Fest returns to DC for a nonalcoholic party, tasting, and wellness workshops. Mocktail enthusiasts can sip the latest zero-proof beverages, attend dance parties, relax at morning yoga sessions, and connect with fellow mindful drinkers (Fri-Sun, $75+, Union Market). Downstate. Experience the opening of playwright Bruce Norris’s thrilling drama Downstate at Studio Theatre’s intimate venue. The provocative play set in a group home for registered sex offenders discusses the tensions of abuse and retribution (opens Wed, $65+, Logan Circle). A First Look: The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions. Watch two days’ worth of new plays by BIPOC playwrights at A First Look: The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions. This year’s live reading lineup will spotlight narratives on civil rights and American history (Fri-Sat, free, Penn Quarter). “Gordon Parks” exhibit at National Gallery of Art. It’s the last chance to see “Gordon Parks: Camera Portraits from the Corcoran Collection” at the National Gallery of Art. New York photographer Gordon Parks is famous for capturing images of everyday Black Americans during the early-to-mid 20th century. In addition to those portraits, Parks took pictures of some of the era’s most prominent figures, including boxer Muhammad Ali and conductor Leonard Bernstein. You can view about 25 of his special works in this exhibition before it closes this weekend (closes Sun, free, National Gallery of Art). RelatedJanuary Culture Guide: 45 Things to Do in the DC Area Want More Things to Do? Arts and culture: This new exhibit at The International Spy Museum is a deep-dive into the life of Baltimore-born spy Virginia Hall (daily, $27+, Southwest DC). Attend a Community Day at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Wed, free, Downtown). Practice drawing with fellow artists in a relaxed setting at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (Tues, $23, Hyattsville). A screening of the classic film Casablanca kicks off the Retro Replay series at Landmark E Street Cinema (Tues, $12, Downtown). Bring your favorite book to Lost Generation for a Silent Reading Party (Wed, free, Eckington). Participate in Speed Puzzling at Aslin Beer Co. (Wed, $20+, Alexandria). Watch the world premiere of grammar documentary Rebel With a Clause (Fri, $10, Downtown). Panelists unpack activist and writer James Baldwin’s works and research in a community conversation at Busboys and Poets (Thurs, donations welcome, Downtown). Learn introductory lighting and photography principles at a workshop with local artist Kat Thompson (Sat, $75, Georgetown). Community and heritage: Dress warm, and participate in a community-wide snowball fight on the National Mall (Mon, free, National Mall). Join a Profs & Pints history lecture about “The Wickedness of the Three-Fifths Clause” (Tues, $16, Chinatown). Theater and shows: Sing along with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington at open mic night (Wed, free, H Street Corridor). Comedian Craig Robinson does standup at the DC Improv (Thurs-Sun, $55+, Downtown). Experience a glow-in-the-dark ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty (Fri, $48+, Howard Theatre). Attend a Y2K -themed Burlesque and Variety show at DC Comedy Loft and Bier Baron Tavern (Sun, $20+, Dupont). Music and concerts: Robinson & Rohe perform American folk ballads at Hill Center (Fri, $20, Capitol Hill). Move your feet to Chappell Roan, Fletcher, Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius, and Kim Petras tunes at Sapphic Factory: Queer Joy Party (Sat, $20, Shaw). Indie bands battle it out on a basketball court in the Mosh Madness benefit concert to help raise funds for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (Sat, $15, Takoma Park). Bites and beverages: Decorate sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles, and then eat your creation with friends (Sat, $80, Georgetown). Things to do with kids: Kiddos can attend storytime, create art, and browse the Hirshhorn galleries during Storytime Studio (Wed, free, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum). Children ages 4 to 8 can sit in on a live reading of the imaginative book River of Mariposas by Mirelle Ortega (Fri, free, Smithsonian American History Museum). Watch a movie screening of the playful kids flick Kung Fu Panda at the Smithsonian (Sat, free, but registration required, Smithsonian American Art Museum). Storytelling and hands-on crafts features of Merry Pin’s Crafty Tales for young learners (Sat, free, Takoma Park).   If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.The post 27 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend first appeared on Washingtonian.