Homemade love is in the air at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum’s annual Valentine’s Day Card Workshop! Perfect for visitors of all ages, this open-house event will be held from 10:00am– 4:00pm on Saturday. The museum provides a bountiful spread of patterned papers, postage and rubber stamps, gems and other 3-D embellishments, special cut-out scissors, washi tape, stickers, markers of every color (with a surplus of hearts, red and pink!), and more! Following their own creative instincts, kids can choose whichever supplies they would like to design one-of-a-kind Valentine greetings. Once finished, cards can then be placed in envelopes, addressed, and adorned. In keeping with educating children about the postal service and how mail works, kids can pop their own cards in an official USPS mailbox in our adjacent Dorothy Height post office. Of course, visitors are also welcome to explore the whole museum and everything else it has to offer!
Sticking with the love theme, head to Freer|Sackler for an Open Studio: Love in Every Language event Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm-4:00pm. Enjoy a digital slideshow of images of love in Asian art, create Valentine’s Day cards using woodblock prints that say “love” in more than a dozen Asian languages, and fold heart-shaped origami. For all ages and adult companions.
Imagination Stage is the place to be this weekend and well all of February. Anatole: Mouse Magnifique begins this weekend while Wake Up, Brother Bear wraps up near the later part of the month and right when you think you’ve seen it all, Dickens’s Davy Copperfield makes its debut!
Friday
7:00pm: Huckleberry Finn’s Big River premieres at Adventure Theatre
Twain’s timeless classic sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Touching and timeless, this tale of friendship against all odds is recreated for young audiences as two best friends demonstrate the power of changing the world. This show will stay at Adventure Theatre through March 10. Tickets available for Saturday’s 11am, 2pm and 7pm showtimes as well as Sunday’s 11am show.
Saturday
10:00am: National Pizza Day = Kids Pizza Party at various Matchbox Pizza locations
A hands-on pizza making classes will please any small chef. 🍕 You’ll enjoy: a chef hat, crayons, and coloring page, a tour of the kitchen and pizza ovens, a pizza class where each child will make a customized personal pizza, a round of complimentary mimosas for the adults. Just $32 per child inclusive of tax and gratuity. Come have a blast with us! Recommended for ages 5-12.
10:00am-3:00pm: KC Chinese New Year Family Day: Year of the Pig
All ages are welcome to this fun-filled day of activities and entertainment! Family Day is part of the Kennedy Center’s annual Lunar New Year festivities, this year celebrating the Year of the Pig with three days of festivities, including special events showcasing the arts and culture of China’s Guangdong Province. The region is home to the “best mooncakes in China” and famous for the Lion Dance.
10:00am-5:00pm: Crêpe Day: Celebrate La Chandeleur at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden
La Chandeleur, also known as Crêpe Day, marks the halfway point between winter and spring. In France, families celebrate by eating crêpes, which are round and golden like the springtime sun. Families are invited to celebrate this holiday in festive French fashion amidst Hillwood’s magnificent setting and exquisite French treasures. Snack on a tasty treat of sweet or savory crêpes (2 per person). Hear classic French tales inspired by scenes from La Fontaine fables that are pictured on tapestries covering chairs from France displayed in the mansion. Explore Hillwood’s French treasures through docent-led, family-friendly gallery talks and a printed treasure hunt. Decorate a plate with fanciful designs and flourishes inspired by Hillwood’s French Sèvres porcelain.
10:00am: Princess Bride at The Avalon
In celebration of the esteemed writer William Goldman, we’re hosting a special presentation of one of his most beloved films, The Princess Bride. See the wit and romance of this classic, magical storybook fairytale, as we bring the adventure to our historic theatre for one show only.
10:00am: Uncle Devin at The Children’s Hour
A free, children’s show on the second Saturday of every month that is open to the public. Each month, they feature a different entertainer.
2:00pm-3:00pm: Valentine’s Day Card Making at Washington Printmakers Gallery
Kids, Print Your Own Valentine Cards. Join artist Nina Muys for this fun event. Adults must be present. – $5 materials fee for ages 3-12. Limited space so register
Sunday
11:00am: Sunday Funday at Imagination Stage
Explore popular children’s book, My Heart is Like a Zoo, through music, movement and visual art.
2:00pm: Chinese New Year Parade
The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) is holding its biggest and most diverse parade ever to ring in the 4717 Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Pig! Route Start: 6th and Eye St. NW & Route End: 6th and H St. NW
Plan Ahead:
Nerf Night at Badlands– February 15
Story Pirates– March 17
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