Maryland Renaissance Festival takes place on weekends from August 26-October21, 2018. The Ren Fest will be full of jousting while serving up lots of turkey legs! Take a time machine back to medieval times where you’ll see wizards, knights and wenches. With plenty of entertainment, including music, jousting, mazes, puppetry, pony rides, a huge pirate playground and so much more. Your children will see people dressed up in 16th century outfits and will be begging to participate while staring in awe. Dress like a knight and come participate or just watch! 

Be sure and check out all of the programs DC Library has to offer.

Saturday

10:00am-5:00pm: Celebrations of Textile: Turkey at George Washington University Textile Museum
The museum’s 39th-annual family festival celebrates the textile arts and cultures of Turkey. Watch local artists weave, spin, embroider, and more; enjoy traditional dance performances; and explore spectacular rugs woven by nomadic women through family-friendly tours of A Nomad’s Art: Kilims of Anatolia. Free; no reservations required. A note about the weather: Celebration of Textiles will be held indoors at the museum. If there is any change to the university’s operating status due to Hurricane Florence, information will be posted here. 

10:15am & 11:30am: Saturday Morning Story Sessions at Strathmore: Spellbound Theatre Under the Tree
This fall, families gather once a week for fun and creativity, enjoying diverse and dynamic programs with the very best storytellers in the area who engage young audiences and instill a love of learning with every word. Recommended for ages 3–8. The 10:15am performances are sensory-friendly for children with autism or other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities. “A young girl escapes her noisy life and takes us on an immersive exploration of a magical world in her own backyard. Told through puppetry, multimedia, and interactive storytelling, this unique performance brings the outdoor world to life in the Mansion.”

10:30am: Rainbow Rock Band at Jammin Java
Join the Rainbow Rock Band for the CD release show for their new album, “Total Eclipse of the Rainbow.” Rooted in education and movement, the Rainbow Rock Band uses music to assist in comprehension of academic skills like, colors, numbers, weather and more, and their latest CD release is no different. “Total Eclipse of the Rainbow is a super fun educational trip around the sun!

11:00am-5:00pm: Glover Park Day is ON! at Guy Mason Rec Center 
Glover Park Day is GPCA’s annual outdoor festival that celebrates the Glover Park neighborhood in Washington, DC. It is co-with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. Glover Park Day is usually held on the first Saturday in June. Glover Park Day was started 29 years ago and it has grown over the years to offer the neighborhood a chance to enjoy the outdoors together, spend time with family and friends, listen to good music and enjoy our local businesses and restaurants. This year we hope to have the best Glover Park Day ever, bringing the community, local businesses and friends together to celebrate.

1:00pm-3:00pm: Creek Critters Day at Little Falls Creek
Hunt for Macro Invertebrates and Discover Who Lives in the Little Falls Creek! It looks like the rain will be over, so we invite you to join Little Falls Watershed Alliance for a fun family activity identifying critters in the creek. We have all the tools you need to capture and ID the macro-invertebrates that live in the water. Bring your smart phone as we will be using the Creek Critters app created by the Audubon Naturalist Society for this activity. We have smart phone covers so don’t worry about it getting wet. And if you don’t have a smart phone, we can pair you someone who does. We also have a few boots to lend! RAIN PLANS:  Please check our website to see if the event is cancelled due to rain.  We will decide Saturday by 11:00 am.

Sunday

10:00am-Closing: Monkey Joe’s Birthday
All locations will offer $5 admission all day as well as birthday cake and prize giveaways throughout the celebration. Guests can also join in singing happy birthday to the children’s favorite mascot, Monkey Joe, and a dance party. Prizes and giveaways will vary by location. Locations will be open at 10:00 a.m. for the birthday celebration and will close as each location’s standard closing time.

11:00am-4:00pm: Children’s Day at Brookside Gardens
Join Brookside Gardens as they celebrate the magnificent state of Maryland and the opening of the newly themed Children’s Garden, “Explore Maryland”. Enjoy crafts and activities that interpret the western MD Appalachian Mountains, the central agricultural basin and the eastern shore of Maryland. Try a climbing wall, pot up a black-eyed Susan (the Maryland state flower), learn how to save the Bay and dance to live music by students from the Tree House School of Rock, and more. Intended for All Ages

12:30pm & 1:30pm: Art Jamz Graffiti Party
It is time to get messy like a street artist at our $10 Kidz Graffiti Party and get 1 hour of studio time to paint the wall. The lounge will be open for accompanying parents and we’ll be playing jamming tunes to inspire all the little artist. Afterwards, your family can purchase additional studio time and canvas and let your vision come to life off the wall. 

Need more options for the weekend? 
Additional Indoor Fun 

Indoor Fun Guide

BloomBars