Beltway Bambinos

Landon School invites you, your family and your friends to the 64^th annual Azalea Garden Festival, which will be held Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7, 10 am–5 pm daily, on Landon’s campus located at 6101 Wilson Lane in Bethesda, MD. The Azalea Garden Festival features carnival rides, fantastic boutiques, upscale resale, plant sales, delicious food, live music and more! Admission and parking are free. Please join us!

Come stroll the gorgeous grounds 10am-6:00pm Friday and 10am-5pm on Saturday at the  78th Annual Flower Mart at Washington National Cathedral on the grounds at 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. Entertainment and Special Events occur both days – most are free of charge. Small fees for puppet shows, carousel rides and children’s rides and games.

Funk Parade is a one-of-a-kind day fair, parade and music festival, celebrating Washington DC’s vibrant music and arts, the U Street neighborhood, and the Spirit of Funk that brings us all together. It will feature over 150 hours of live music and dance programming, art installations, large-scale activations and more. The Day Fair is from 12:00pm-7:00pm, parade is from 3:00pm-4:00pm and music festival is 7:00pm-10:00pm.

(Pictures: 3 years ago at Landon’s Azalea Garden Festival)

Friday- Cinco De Mayo!

7:00pm: Union Market Drive-In
(1309 5th St NE Washington, DC 20002)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (136 minutes, rated PG-13) is the movie this weekend. Lot opens 6:00, Lot closes promptly at 7:50, Film begins 8:15 , Film ends at 10:30. $10 parking fee per car. Advance purchase is highly recommended.Free for walk-ups. Excited for the drive-in but don’t have a car? Rent one on Getaround for the night and get $25 off your first rental. For more information and tickets click here.

Saturday-

8:30am-9:30am: Capoeira for Kids Ages 3.5-7 at Bloombars
(3222 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Capoeira provides physical fitness for children, ages 4 and up. It is intended to be a no- to low-contact martial art that helps children with gross motor planning and gross motor skills. Children will also learn maculele (a dance done hitting sticks against your partner’s sticks), samba, capoeira instruments, and Portuguese through this fun, interactive class. Classes are $15 each or $120 for a series of ten classes.

9:30am AND 10:30am: Harambe with Baba Ras D at Bloombars
(3222 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Think of it as your little one’s first opportunity to express his or her voice (into a microphone), dance, play a drum or percussion instrument, shout, or sing-along to songs that build character, confidence and community.With more than 10 years of experience in youth development, education and conflict resolution, program instructor Baba Ras D’s “Harambe” is a morning jolt of inspiration for parents, caregivers and children. Recommended for ages 0 to 7 years.  $7 per child $3 per adult suggested donation.

10:00am-4:00pm: Around the World Embassy Tour
More than 40 embassies will open their doors to DC visitors and residents for this free event. Participants can travel the world as they experience the food, art, dance, fashion, and music of different countries. In the past, visitors have been treated to karate demonstrations, dance performances, sari wrapping lessons, and henna demonstrations.

10:00am-1:00pm: Truck Touch at Silver Spring Nursery School
(10501 New Hampshire Ave Silver Spring, MD 20903)
Our parking lot will be filled with vehicles of every kind that kids of all ages can explore, rain or shine. Live Entertainment with local favorites: RockStarts! at 10:45 am and Mr. Gabe at 11:45 am. Plus: Bake Sale, Snow Cones, Food & Drinks, Arts & Crafts and Face Painting. $5 per person and free for kids under age 2.

10:30am: Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Ave Bethesda, MD 20814)
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist explores a popular children’s book with your family through song and musical instruments, and you will receive a list of all of the songs to practice at home for ages 1-5. Register online. Featured: Cha Cha Chimps

11:00am-4:00pm: Train Day at National Postal Museum
(2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. Washington, DC 20002)
Every year, we celebrate the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad (May 10, 1869) at the Postal Museum. Finally there were train tracks connecting East and West, allowing the Post Office to quickly move mail by trains across the entire country. On Train Day, come and experience the Railway Post Office by checking out the inside of the train car, learn how train conductors use whistle signals to communicate, and get to know some jargon used by Postal Clerks who worked on the Railway Post Offices. We will also have model trains running through our Museum Atrium. Enjoy a special Story Time and “meet” Owney the Dog, a mascot of the Railway Post Office too! Free admission.

1:00pm-3:00pm: Family Capoeira at Guy Mason Recreation Center
(3600 Calvert Street NW Washington, DC 20007)
Family Capoeira is an integrative fitness program for families and individuals that combines capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art, with strength, flexibility, and endurance exercises. Accessible for all ages, this fun class engages everyone in the music, cultural history, and physical play of capoeira. Participants will learn the foundational movements of capoeira and practice applying them in a real roda, or game, with a partner. Specially customized to be a dynamic, intergenerational experience for all, Family Capoeira will get the whole family moving their bodies and feeling great too! All ages welcome. Free and open to the public. This program is facilitated by The Family Dances.

DC Public Library is hosting so many fabulous kid-friendly performances and activities at Harrison
Recreation Center at 1330 V Street NW between 12pm – 4pm on Saturday. Schedule: 12:00 pm: Sticks+Bars Youth Marimba Ensemble 12:45 pm: PanLara Youth Steel Orchestra 1:30 pm: “In the Pocket”: a go-go conga Masterclass 2:15 pm: Rhythm Prep for Kid’s Funk Parade with 7DrumCity 2:30 pm: Kid’s Funk Parade (led by 7DrumCity to join the Funk Parade) 4:00 pm: Funk Parade HS Marching Band Battle *Other Activities will be planned between 12:00pm – 3:00pm:  7DrumCity Tent – make your own percussive instruments from household items or bring your own drum and learn some basic drumming skills. Costume Corner – Build your own costume and instruments with the DC Public Library. Efron the Wizard’s Yo-Yo Workshop. Soka Tribe Caribbean Dance Workshop. The Dailey Method Yoga Class at Noon on the Field. DCPL Children’s Librarians on-hand with funky musical picture books to checkout.

Sunday-

10:00am-1:00pm: Infant/Child CPR at Edlavitch DCJCC
(1529 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036)
Make your family safer by learning life-saving skills from American Heart Association Jay Gruber. $62/per person.

11:00am: Sunday Fun-Day at Imagination Stage(4908 Auburn Ave Bethesda, MD 20814)
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, movement, music, and visual art. Each session, you leave with a special take-home item we used or created that day, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home for ages 1-5. Register online. Featured: Where the Wild Things Are

11:00am-12:00pm: hiSTORYtime at National Museum of American History
(12th St and Constitution Ave NW)
Join us for hiSTORYtime, a program for children ages 0 to 6. Early learners and their caregivers may drop by to listen to a story and participate in hands-on activities and crafts inspired by objects and themes from the museum collection. Come by every first and third Saturday of the month for new themes, stories and activities! Theme today: ANIMALS