Things to do the week of Feb. 17-19, 2026
We've gathered up things to do across the nation's capital, including museum exhibits, concerts, only-in-DC events and much more. Don't miss our things to do this weekend and things to do this month as well.
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Tuesday
Celebrate Lunar New Year in the District
Locations all over the city ring in the Year of the Snake with colorful celebrations, including performances, educational talks, special tours and hands-on activities. Be sure to check out the festive Downtown Parade, events at the Smithsonian's free National Museum of Asian Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and more.
More Info
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Nick Cave: Mammoth
Internationally renowned artist Nick Cave uses surrealism, real-life experiences, raw materials and an unceasing creative intensity to create works that speak to race, gender, identity and history in America. This new installation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum explores the entanglement of land and race in the national consciousness.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004
Le Patin Libre: Murmuration
The Kennedy Center debuts an outdoor ice rink in its plaza to showcase this outdoor production. Le Patin Libre’s Murmuration features 15 dancers in a demonstration of “glide,” a unique blend of dance, skating and choreography that will dazzle audiences.
Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566
9:30 Club
Margo Price
Country music queen Margo Price is now a decade into a successful recording career and her latest LP, Hard Headed Woman, received a 2026 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Country Album. The brilliant singer hails from Nashville and sticks to the outlaw style that her home city pioneered. Expect a great show at 9:30 Club.
7 p.m. | Tickets
9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Wednesday
Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell (A Sequel)
Hollywood’s premiere photographer during the onset of the studio system, George Hurrell set the template for how to capture the brightest stars of the cinematic universe. As MGM’s in-house portraitist and in his own studio, Hurrell used lighting expertise and the sharpest of eyes to create glamorous images of Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and many, many more. The National Portrait Gallery displays many of these Golden Era photographs in the second installation to feature Hurrell’s dazzling work.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Free Admission
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20001
NMWA Nights
The National Museum of Women in the Arts’ popular evening series can include anything from a museum-wide scavenger hunt that uncovers new narratives within the art on view to dueling DJs in the Great Hall. Two drink tickets are included with admission with additional food and beverages available for purchase.
5:30 - 8 p.m. | Tickets
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
Studio Theatre
Octet
How does an a cappella chamber musical featuring eight people who have stashed away their phones while trapped in a church basement sound? Octet at Studio Theatre will be just that, as total strangers battle their digital dependency and make attempts at true connection through the power of their voices. Escape your screen with this theater-in-the-round performance.
Tickets
Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Shakespeare Theatre Company
On Beckett
Bill Irwin is both a Tony Award-winning actor and a master clown. When he steps on the stage at Klein Theatre, he’ll explore both the comedy and tragedy of the essential work of Nobel Prize winner Samuell Beckett. The one-man show features physical and verbal comedy that makes Beckett’s writings accessible to all.
Tickets
Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
The World to Come
As the world crumbles, Fanny, Barbara, Ruth and Hal try to carry on their daily routines inside the SeaBreeze Hebrew Home for the Aging. The quartet take on armored nurses, an ostrich, bewildering prophecies and their own weakening bodies. The epic tale demonstrates how friendship and community can hold strong even in the face of disaster.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Thursday
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters
DC artist Rik Freeman’s work is showcased in-depth at this free exhibition displayed at Phillips@THEARC. For more than three decades, Freeman has engaged history, community, resilience and joy in his work. Wade in the Waters zooms in on waterways – from the beaches of Bahia to the Anacostia River – and how they connect to the diaspora over generations.
Wednesday & Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
Phillips@THEARC, 1801 Mississippi Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20020
National Gallery of Art
Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris
The National Gallery of Art presents the vibrant work of Mary Cassatt across three galleries. The museum’s impressionist collection served as the source for this in-depth examination of how Cassatt went about creating her radically modern pieces. Roughly 40 paintings, drawings and prints will be on display.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560
Keegan Theatre
John Doe
Zia is anti-social; in fact, she suffers from anthropophobia, the literal fear of people. Then there’s Doe, who is totally cool with watching people but is actually dead. And of course, only Zia can see him! She might (gasp) have to even interact with some people in order to help Doe figure out his forgotten life. Keegan Theatre’s Boiler Room Series commissioned this world premiere.
Tickets
Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
The National Theatre
Stereophonic
The most Tony Award-winning show of 2024. The most Tony Award-nominated play of all time. Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of breaking up — or breaking through to superstardom. Featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the play is "... a staggering, ingeniously entertaining achievement," according to The New York Times.
Tickets
The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
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