Start your weekend off with a full stomach by attending a food truck festival, before laughing until your belly aches at a comedy show. Finally, have a leisurely Sunday exploring a festival on the National Mall.
Friday
Truckeroo
For students missing the taste of campus street food, Truckeroo’s monthly food festival lines up all of your favorite food trucks side by side. Prepare for a packed house as foodies scramble to taste from trucks with both greasy and sweet dishes. Try D.C. Empanadas’ food truck menu with beef, chicken, pork and veggie versions of the savory pastry, or fried chicken from D.C. Pollo. In case you need dessert after exploring the dinner options, Orange Cow’s chocolate dipped frozen bananas ($4) or mini fudge brownie sundae ($4.25) hit the sweet spot. Take the trip to Navy Yard, try new food trucks – and you’ll be full all weekend.
The Bullpen, 1299 Half St. SE. 4 to 11 p.m. Free.
Saturday
The Second City’s “Generation Gap”
Laugh off any summer blues at a comedy show at the Kennedy Center. Second City is a Chicago-based improv group known for launching the careers of comedy stars like Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The group’s variety show, made with D.C. audiences in mind, is on a summer run at the Kennedy Center’s intimate Theater Lab, which seats 388. The show draws humor from the differences between millennials and previous generations, poking fun at what your relatives might call the “good old days.” Touching on topics like emojis and Tinder protocol, the performance will keep you laughing through its 90-minute runtime. The show is an interactive two-act, so leave your pout at the stage-door and get ready to match the cast’s energy.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. 6 or 9 p.m. Tickets $49 to $59.
Sunday
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Smithsonian’s annual festival kicks off this weekend celebrating different folk cultures through fashion, crafts, food and music. This year’s festival showcases the traditions of Armenia and Catalonia across two strips of the National Mall, with two food and bar stations and countless demonstrations to visit throughout the day. Sunday afternoon, watch as an elaborate human tower is built, or play it safe at a basket weaving or glass-making seminar. If entertainment is more your speed, shake off the heat at one of several Catalan dance workshops, and stick around for Armenian folk music played a capella at 4 p.m.
The National Mall. 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.
