Weekend Picks: Dragon Boats, LEGOS and Art

Happy Weekend! Enjoy it outdoors at some of these great events. Or hang out inside if the weather gets rainy.

Saturday-

8:30am-5:00pm: 14th Annual Dragon Boat Festival at Thompsons Boat Center
(2900 Virginia Ave NW Washington, DC 20007- near the Georgetown Waterfront)
The Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival, now in it’s 14th year, is a two day festival held along the Potomac River complete with cultural exhibitions, craft demonstrations, and of course… dragon boat racing made to look just like dragons. The event is sponsored by the Chinese Women’s League (CWL) and serves to promote Chinese culture to the Washington DC area through the sport of dragon boat racing. Schedule of events here. The kids will enjoy watching the races as well as brushing painting, calligraphy and paper cutting.

10:00am-6:00pm: Northern Virginia’s Fine Arts Festival
(11900 Market Street Reston, VA 20190)
Besides all of the things you can expect an Art Festival to have there will also be a Children’s Art Tent, a Public Art project, face painting, and a family “Chill-Out” tent. Hands-on art activities include Magnetic Painting, Wacky Mobile, Fun Architecture and Spinny Tops. Can you spy the jula hoopers, jugglers and unicyclers?

1:00pm-5:00pm: Family Pep Rally for Special Olympics at National Postal Museum
(2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. Washington, DC 20002)
Join the National Postal Museum and the United States Postal Service in supporting Special Olympic Athletes. Write a letter to an athlete, learn Olympic skills, and cheer Special Olympics USA to victory!

Sunday-

10:00am-4:00pm: Grand Opening of Little Loft Art Studio
(7007 Carroll Ave. Takoma Park, MD)

This will be our third location and our largest space yet! We look forward to being open for drop-in play all summer, so even if you’re not attending our summer camps, you can still come by for morning, afternoon, or weekend Open Studio hours. Meet the founders, enjoy some art fun and refreshments. Goodie bags for the first 50 kids. Free – bring a friend!

10:00am-5:00pm: Northern Virginia’s Fine Arts Festival
(11900 Market Street Reston, VA 20190)
Besides all of the things you can expect an Art Festival to have there will also be a Children’s Art Tent, a Public Art project, face painting, and a family “Chill-Out” tent. Hands-on art activities include Magnetic Painting, Wacky Mobile, Fun Architecture and Spinny Tops. Can you spy the jula hoopers, jugglers and unicyclers?

11:00am-3:00pm: Washington Jewish Music Festival presents Day in the Park
(Stead Park, 1625 P Street NW)

Head to the park for a day of free concerts, games, crafts and fun! Bring the kids to rock out to the music of Grammy-nominated duo THE POP UPS, winner of two Parent’s Choice® Awards; Latin Grammy-nominated MISTER G performing in Spanish and English; and Jewish chick rock sensation NAOMI LESS. Jump on a moon bounce, get your face painted, play carnival games and more! Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch. This event is free and open to the public.

1:00pm-3:00pm: LEGO Build at National Building Museum

(401 F Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001)
Work with other LEGO® Engineers and Playwell Teknologies to design buildings that can withstand even the toughest challenges. From earthquakes to hurricanes, architects and engineers must plan for all kinds of disasters. Learn how real buildings are designed to stand up to nature, and apply those methods to a LEGO® scale building of your own creation! But build carefully: at the end of the day, each building will be subjected to several challenges that mimic real-world catastrophes! LEARN how architects plan for the worst. BUILD your own disaster-proof buildings with LEGOS®. TEST your creation against the elements! Cost per child: $25 Non-members, $20 Members Ages 6 and up. Prepaid registration required. Tickets must be purchased by the end of the day, Saturday, May 16, 2015. Adults are FREE, but must be accompanied by a child. Please select an adult ticket for each attending adult in order for us to know exactly how many total participants to accommodate.

Allison