What better place to be on Fourth of July weekend than Washington, DC. Get into your zen state so the crowds won't get to you and:

• Hit the National Mall for the yearly parade, concert and fireworks display on Saturday.
  

• Do not miss the Folklife Festival, especially not the Latin American music section. Sunday is the last day.
  

• Sunday also closes out this year's Artomatic.
  

• Not to worry, the Source Festival continues.
  

• And Capital Fringe kicks off on Thursday.
  

• Also next week is the DC Hip Hop Theater Festival.
  

• Oh, and for all you skate rats, there are skateboarding demonstrations at the NMAI all weekend

Happy Fourth.

Coming This Week

Another packed weekend here in DC:

• For play addicts, the Source Festival continues until July 12th
  

• For art addicts, Artomatic continues through July 5th
  

• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicked off this past Wednesday. This year the focus is on African American storytelling, Welsh crafts, and Latin American music.
  

• The annual Safeway BBQ Battle is this weekend
  

• As is the grand reopening of Eastern Market, complete with free food and entertainment
  

• Yoni Ki Baat, the South Asian version of Vagina Monologues has three performances this weekend at the DC Arts Center
  

• Jazz in the Garden continues tonight in the Sculpture Garden
  

• You can join the ACLU tomorrow to protest Don't Ask Don't Tell
  

• And if you aren't completely exhausted by Sunday, you can hit the Festa Italiana
  

Coming This Week

The weather report tells me we are going to keep seeing rain this weekend, so keep backup plans to any outdoor activities.

• Brazilian jazz group Origem plays in the sculpture garden tonight
  

• If you're looking for a more lively scene, it is reggae night at the Carter Barron
  

• Tomorrow is the Juneteenth celebration at Walker Mill Regional Park
  

• Tomorrow is also the Bourbon, Beer and BBQ Festival at the National Harbor
  

• Saturday kicks off the Source Festival, which will run readings, short plays, and other crazy performances through July 12
  

• Silverdocs documentary film festival is still going strong this week
  

• As is Artomatic
  

• Wednesday starts the not to be missed Smithsonian Folklife Festival
  

Coming Soon

The weather people insist that it is going to be in the sixties and sunny this weekend. Gorgeous. Aside from sitting outside and soaking it all in:

• Thursday night we'll be hitting the Wizards v. Cavaliers game, probably the last one of the season


• Friday afternoon I have a conference at the Cato institute on drug decriminalization in Portugal


• Friday night is open gallery night in Dupont Circle


• It'll be hard to drag myself to yoga and an Artomatic meeting on Saturday, but it should leave me enough time for wandering through the cherry blossoms.


• No plans on Sunday and I plan to keep it that way (oh wait, I guess that's a plan)


• And to cap it off, Walter Mosley will be at Politics and Prose on Monday night