9 things to do in the D.C. area this Labor Day weekend
The weekend’s best in nightlife, music and art. For even more, check outNightlife Agenda.
Get a last look: The National Book Festival was on the Mall in 2012, but this Saturday moves inside, to Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Photo by Mark Gail for The Washington Post)
Through Monday: Labor Day really can feel like the end of the summer. After this weekend a number of popular summertime attractions will close, including the Big Maze at the National Building Museum and the museum's Hill Country Backyard Barbecues. The Big Maze is an 18-foot-tall, 3,600-square-foot maze that’s been a hit with adults, kids and on Instagram in its first year at the museum. Thursday marks the final late-night, adult-centric Big Maze event: The museum will stay open from 5 to 9 p.m. for visitors, with smoked brisket, margaritas, Shiner beers and the Annapolis soul and funk band Higher Hands performing on the lawn. Both attractions will close for the summer after Monday. Admission to the maze is $13 for kids; $16 for adults ages 18 and older. Admission to the Backyard Barbecue is free.
Friday: A summer tour featuring Drake or Lil Wayne could pack Jiffy Lube Live. To have two of the biggest artists in hip-hop on the same bill for this weekend's Drake vs. Lil Wayne show ups the ante, especially on the heels of the joint single "Believe Me" and Wayne readying his album, "Tha Carter V," for a fall release. Tickets are $35-$125.50. At 7 p.m.
Friday: Jazz in the Garden, that city's best summertime date spot andpeople-watching spot, ends for the season on Friday night with a bang. Zydeco act Dixie Power Trio performs at the free event from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The blanket and pitchers of sangria are on you.
Friday-Sunday: Enjoy the late-summer Leesburg greenery while sampling all that Virginia's wineries have to offer at the weekend wine and food festival Epicurience Virginia. Nearly 30 wineries and breweries will be pouring tastes paired with Virginia nibbles (included with admission). The event also features chef demonstrations, a curated VIP Grand Tasting and other affiliated events at local vineyards and restaurants, at Historic Morven Park in Leesburg. Admission is $85; $125 for VIP admission, $150 opening night reception. Get tickets here.
Saturday: The Library of Congress National Book Festival returns with a stacked lineup -- though perhaps not as tall as the tower of books on your nightstand. The 2014 festival has moved indoors, from the Mall to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and the new location comes with perks: The festival has added three pavilions and extended its hours until 10 p.m. Scheduled speakers include retired Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, former poet laureate Billy Collins and National Book Award-winner E.L Doctorow, along with more than 100 others. The event -- still free! -- continues from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Read more: The National Book Festival moves inside.
Saturday: Not headed out of town for summer's last hurrah? Stay close to home and cut loose at the annual Lake Anne Jazz and Blues Festivalin Reston. The festival, set for 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, brings together six bands, including headliner the Adrian Duke Project, for live music on the waterfront, and beer and wine tastings in the event's beer garden. Admission is free.
Saturday: After celebrating baby Bao Bao's first birthday last week, the National Zoo delivers another cool milestone Saturday. It will bringAmerican bison -- the first animals that went on display in Washington in the 19th century as part of what would become the National Zoo -- back into the fold. Two year-old, female bison, which were given to the zoo in July, will be introduced to the public Saturday. Admission, as always, is free. Read more: Buffalo, gentle giants of the plains, return to the National Zoo.
Saturday: The D.C. Blues Festival is a family-friendly, end-of-summer tradition at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Headlining the annual concert's 26th edition are Selwyn Birchwood, above, a young blues guitarist at the forefront of the genre's youth movement; Canadian blues and jazz vocalist Shakura S'Aida; and Cuban-born, Chicago-raised guitarist Eddie Turner. The festival, from noon to 7:30 p.m., is free.
Sunday: You can't have a Labor Day holiday weekend without Daylight, and the soul classics dance party has adapted well to its new Georgetown home at Gypsy Sally's. DJ Divine and DJ Source bring it back to the essence of classic '70s and '80s dance music, going deeper than the standard old school set. This Daylight features a live set by singer Tamara Wellons. Admission is $10, but an optional $15 ticket includes an open bar from 7 to 8 p.m.
