It’s your last weekend in the District before heading home for the summer – use your time wisely. Start your weekend with a stroll through a digital garden at the ARTECHOUSE, then grab a treat at the annual D.C. Chocolate Festival on Saturday. End your weekend by celebrating Gay Day at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.
Friday
“In Peak Bloom” ARTECHOUSE Digital Installation
An interactive digital exhibit at the ARTECHOUSE is extending cherry blossom season for another month. “In Peak Bloom” is a series of five digital art installations that display cherry blossom trees and flowers on the exhibits’ walls. The art moves on the walls with body movement. All of the artwork is designed by female artists and women-led art collectives like Akiko Yamashita and Lisa Park. Check out the exhibit and watch your movements and presence bring the installations to full bloom.
ARTECHOUSE, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $8 for children under 15 and $16 for adults.
Saturday
D.C. Chocolate Festival at the French Embassy
If you are a chocolate lover, head over to the French Embassy Saturday for the annual D.C. Chocolate Festival. The event features more than 30 chocolate vendors that bring in confections, treats, beverages and craft chocolate bars from across the world. The festival will also hold workshops, including a lesson on how a cocoa bean is made into chocolate and how to make your own chocolate. You can also watch documentaries and film screenings about chocolate at the embassy.
The French Embassy, 4101 Reservoir Road NW, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20.
Sunday
Gay Day at the Zoo
Celebrate International Family Equality Day Sunday with LGBTQ folks, families and allies at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Throughout the day, you can participate in field games with prizes, enjoy live entertainment and learn about elephants, sloth bears and gorillas from zookeepers. You can also pick up a “Gay Day at the Zoo” t-shirt to support the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, an organization that connects LGBTQ individuals from around the District.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission.
