Smithsonian Folklife Festival

This annual festival presents folk traditions focused on a central theme.

Hours: Late June–around 4 July
Website: folklife.si.edu (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Washington, D.C., CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Ford's Theatre
This is where John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, and he was taken across the street to the Petersen House where he died. Ford's Theatre is not only a historic site, but remains a working theater, with regular performances. Theater here is usually the most traditional of the downtown venues, offering dramatic work that is "as eloquent, intelligent and respectful of humanity as Mr. Lincoln." The truly coveted tickets are for the annual Christmas Eve performance of A Christmas Carol. The daily tours take you through the theater and the onsite museum, and also spill across the street to the Petersen House, where Lincoln died.
Tours: 9AM-5PM dailyShows: $40-55, tours: free
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John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is a cultural center located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is considered the national cultural center of the United States, serving as a "living memorial" to John F. Kennedy. The center opened on September 8, 1971, and hosts many genres of performance art, spanning theater, ballet, modern dance, classical music, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and folk music. The Kennedy Center is the residence of the National Symphony Orchestra.
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Nationals Park
Nationals Park opened in 2008, and is home of the Washington Nationals baseball team, The Nats. The Nationals, though, have history beyond its 2005 revival — D.C.'s first baseball franchise from 1891-99 bore the same (interchangeably with the Washington Senators), as did its two other successors throughout the 20th century. None were very successful though. The first disbanded after nine years with a 0.366 win percentage; the second and third eventually left the city to become the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers. After the Montreal Expos moved to the city, they followed in the D.C. tradition, and performed progressively worse with each passing year. In 2010, when the team finally started turning itself around, and acquired bona fide superstars in pitcher Stephen Strasburg, followed by outfielder Bryce Harper and pitcher Max Scherzer. The stadium is big, with comfy seats, an enormous scoreboard, and great concessions by venerable D.C. food establishments such as Five Guys, Ben's Chili Bowl, Dogfish Head, and Flying Dog Brewery.
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Capital One Arena
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