Summer comes to an end with an array of local festivals such as DC Jazz Fest and Adams Morgan Day, and Ethel Cain is a headliner at All Things Go Music Festival. Also, Theatre Week is a great way to score cheap tickets to a new play.    Arts and culture: Americ an Icons is the kickoff theme for fall’s National Gallery Nights (September 10, free, but registration is required via a ticket lottery August 31-September 3, National Gallery of Art). Experience art nearly round-the-clock—painting, photography, fashion, music, and dining—during the District’s 15th Art All Night (September 11-12, free, multiple DC locations). Meet the cast of the HBO comedy Insecure (September 11, $95+, National Harbor). Sit in on conversations with moviemakers and watch a number of cultural films at AFI Latin American Film Festival (September 16 through October 7, $10+, Silver Spring). Discover the heritage of African American quilts in the new exhibit “Routed West” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (opens September 18, $16, free for ages under 21, Downtown). K-pop group Aespa brings hyperpop tunes to Capital One Arena (September 22, $49.50+, Capital One Arena). Shop jewelry, purses, scarves, clothing, and other wearable art at the Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show (September 25-27, $20+, Smithsonian Institution Arts and Industries Building). Browse jury-selected creations including sculptures, paintings, jewelry, pottery, textiles, and more at the Alexandria Old Town Art Festival (September 26-27, free, Alexandria). Festival-goers can buy autumn produce and snacks from Freshfarm market vendors and shop for handmade items and vintage products from URBNmarket at Mosaic Fall Festival (September 25-26, free, Fairfax). Watch an art parade and shop vendors at the Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival (September 27, free, Wheaton). Community and heritage: Adams Morgan Day is a lively neighborhood celebration with live music, family entertainment, and art (September 13, free, Adams Morgan). Ukrainian dance, traditional crafts, face painting for kids, and a beer garden are back at Ukrainian Festival (September 18-20, free on Fri and for ages under 21, $15+ for Sat-Sun, Silver Spring). Falls Church’s artsy family-friendly festival turns 50 (September 19, free, $3 taste tickets, Falls Church). Celebrate local culture and history on a guided tour during Walking Town (September 19-26, free, various locations). H Street Festival showcases local eateries, vendors, and fashions, and offers kids’ activities and contests (September 19, free, H Street Corridor). Kick off fall in your best lederhosen or dirndl at Lovettsville Oktoberfest (September 26, free, Lovettsville). Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture has The Reunion to mark their 10th anniversary (September 24-27, free, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture). Check out ancestral fashions, Latin music, folk dance, and a lively parade on Pennsylvania Avenue at Fiesta DC (September 26-27, free, Downtown). Theater and shows: Watch a movie screening of Hook accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra (September 5, $40+, Wolf Trap). Signature Theatre pays homage to some of Broadway’s lead women from the Golden Age (September 8-20, $61, Arlington). Venus—a dark comedy about dating—opens at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (September 9 through October 4, $20+, Penn Quarter). DC’s high-energy dance crew Step Afrika! marks the country’s 250th anniversary with a moving new production (September 10 through November 1, $77+, Southwest DC). Get tickets to the heart-warming true story Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre (September 10 through October 18, $20+, Penn Quarter). Actor Brian Cox—best known for his role in HBO’s Succession— is the lead star in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Score (September 11 through October 18, $43+, Downtown). Keegan Theatre premieres A Beautiful Blue Morning Sky. The concert tells stories of September 11 (September 11-13, donations welcome, Dupont Circle). Theatre Week invites locals to catch several area performances at a discounted rate (September 24 through October 11, $25+, various participating theaters). Helen Hayes winner Psalmayene 24 directs Shakespeare comedy Measure for Measure at Folger Theatre (September 23 through October 26, $20+, Capitol Hill). Wish You Were Here invites audiences into an Iranian story of friendship and change (September 23 through November 1, $42+, Logan Circle). Music: Jazz artists Dan Murray, Herb Scott, and several others play around town at this year’s DC Jazz Fest (September 2-6, $29+, Wharf, Downtown). Bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana bands play at the Watermelon Pickers’ Fest (September 10-12, $87+, Berryville). Listen to Robyn live in concert to help raise funds for social and environmental nonprofit PLUS1 (September 9, $146+, Wharf). Rosslyn Jazz Fest ushers in another weekend of contemporary jazz performances (September 12, free, Arlington). Watch live music performances across multiple stages at the Takoma Park Folk Festival (September 27, free, Takoma Park). Ethel Cain, Brandi Carlile, and Mitski are some of the headliners of All Things Go Music Festival (September 25-27, $149+, Columbia). Charli XCX arrives in DC to promote her latest album Music, Fashion, Film (September 28, $102+, Capital One Arena). Things to do with kids: Food, art, agriculture, and family fun are what you can look forward to at the DC State Fair (September 6, free, Downtown). Charles County Fair returns with carnival rides, live bands, and animal contests (September 17-20, $10 for adults, free for ages 10 and under, La Plata). Kiddos can play on rope swings, visit farm animals, venture through a tractor museum, and ride an enormous slide at Cox Farms Festival (September 19 through November 8, $15+, Centreville). Meet farm animals and ride amusement attractions at the State Fair of Virginia (September 25 through October 4, $12+ for ages 5 to 12, $14.50+ for adults, free for ages 4 and younger, Doswell).   A version of this article appears in the August 2026 issue of Washingtonian. The post September Culture Guide: 39 Things to Do in the DC Area first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less