Peak bloom at the Cherry Blossom Festival
The trees around the Tidal Basin should be at peak bloom this weekend, so get ready for the influx of cherry blossom Instagram photos — and maybe make a few posts of your own. Tickets for the festival’s opening ceremony at the Warner Theatre on Saturday, which features performances by J-pop band Travis Japan, classical duo Petael and other artists, are sold out, though the event will be live-streamed on the festival’s YouTube page. For an in-person party, the free stage in the welcome area by the Tidal Basin is open to the public. Festivities start at 10 a.m. each day, when food trucks and kiosks begin offering goodies; join the tourists enjoying a large ice cream sundae despite chilly winds or sample a Cherry Blossom FestivAle from Old Ox Brewery. A giant frame decked out with cherry blossom designs is perfect for photo opportunities, and leashed dogs can take advantage of a pet comfort station. Performances start at noon, with a lineup including new wave singer Ari Voxx, the Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble and blues fusion group Mama Moon and the Rump Shakers. (Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; welcome area open daily through April 2. Free.)
Blossom Kite Festival at the Washington Monument
For one day each year, tens of thousands of kites fill the air from the Washington Monument down to the Tidal Basin for the Blossom Kite Festival. Part of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, the event brings together amateur and professional kite fliers sending aloft an array of kites in nearly every shape, color and size imaginable. Michigan-based professional kite flying team the Windjammers are planning to stage several aerial performances choreographed to music, each pilot flying stacks of up to a dozen red, white and blue diamond-shaped kites with long tails trailing off each one. Regardless of what’s happening in the air, the festival has more to offer on the ground. The Sakura Taiko Fest at Sylvan Theater features traditional Japanese drumming, while the family field area features kid-friendly activities, such as kite making, face painting and watercolor painting. (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free.)
Sounds of the DMV: Hip-Hop Showcase at the Kennedy Center
Washington’s hip-hop scene has always been diverse, but this lineup of artists proves that the community’s dynamism is still in full force. D.C. native Dior Ashley Brown, dubbed a “hip-hop polymath” by Post music critic Chris Richards, kicks off the evening with a hard-hitting political set aimed at the empowerment of Black women. Rapper Nia Dinero merges hip-hop, pop and R&B for a unique sound she calls “hip-pop.” The evening is hosted by producer Nonchalant and rapper Fly Zyah, who was recently recognized as one of the Kennedy Center’s Next 50 Cultural Leaders. (7:30 p.m. $25.)
Smithsonian Cherry Blossom Family Festival at American Art Museum
Bring the whole family to this annual springtime festival in the Kogod Courtyard featuring a taiko drumming performance, traditional Japanese dance and a performance by Les the DJ. Kids can craft their own cherry blossom tree to take home, make a koinobori kite to fly at the kite festival or create an origami sakura. There’s a scavenger hunt in the art museum’s galleries and festive, blossom-themed treats available for purchase. (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.)
Republic Restoratives tasting room reopening
“We’ve been closed for 1093 days,” says the social media post from Republic Restoratives, “but on March 25 we’re reopening.” The Ivy City distillery shuttered its tasting room at the outset of the pandemic and never returned to regular sampling or browsing hours — just scheduled pickups. Tickets for the grand reopening include your first cocktail, spirit tastings, a free bottle engraving session — maybe you remember the distillery’s bottles of Purpose Rye engraved with “I’m Speaking” from 2020 — plus music and a party. Little Miner Taco will be on-site with birria tacos for sale. (Noon to 5 p.m. $20.)
As You Are Bar first anniversary
The LGBTQ spot on Barracks Row serves many roles: daytime cafe, happy hour hangout, late-night karaoke and dancing destination, meeting place, gaming and crafting space. You can experience all of them this week, though the official party on Saturday is a little more focused: a $20 open-bar “Power Hour” from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m., and DJ Mim spinning dance music from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. If that seems late, consider stopping by for brunch, which runs from noon to 5 p.m. (Open noon to 3 a.m. Free admission.)
Akua Dixon, Dave Douglas and Jeff Cosgrove at YMCA Arts Center
“Plays well with others” is a prerequisite for pretty much any jazz player, but Maryland drummer Jeff Cosgrove has been testing the idea over in Frederick this past year, organizing and playing in various small concerts with an impressive array of top-tier talents. This spring, he is throwing a three-gig series in Frederick titled Jazz Inside Out, and its keystone performance features the agile cellist Akua Dixon and the elastic trumpeter Dave Douglas. (7:30 p.m. Free.)
Books and Brews at Hellbender Brewing
More than your usual book swap, this gathering at Hellbender Brewing includes 17 local authors discussing and selling their books. Bring a used paperback or two to trade or talk over with other local bookworms, but you might discover some new fiction over a couple of glasses of stout or kolsch. (1 to 7 p.m. Free.)