What’s happening in Washington this week

Where to go in Washington: events, concerts, games and shows worth your night

Washington has the best free museums in the world and a night that starts once the offices empty: a music club that shaped American punk and go-go, a national arts center on the river, three arenas, and neighborhoods from U Street to the Wharf that fill on any evening. Below is where to go in Washington for a night out, with addresses, and what tends to be on when.

Concerts and live music in Washington

The 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW, 930.com) is the model rock club, 1,200 people and sightlines from everywhere; The Anthem (901 Wharf Street SW), its 6,000-capacity sibling at the Wharf, takes the bigger tours; the Black Cat and DC9 on 14th and U the new bands, and the Howard Theater and the Lincoln the mid-sized shows. Arena tours play Capital One Arena in Chinatown, and in summer Merriweather Post Pavilion and Wolf Trap, the national park for the performing arts in Virginia.

Washington nightlife: U Street, 14th Street, the Wharf and Adams Morgan

U Street and 14th Street NW have the bars, clubs and live rooms; the Wharf the waterfront restaurants and The Anthem; Adams Morgan the late bars; Navy Yard the ballpark crowds. Bars close at 2 on weekdays and 3 at weekends; the Metro runs until midnight, 1 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Theater, opera and dance in Washington

The Kennedy Center (2700 F Street NW) holds the Washington National Opera and the National Symphony and takes the Broadway tours; Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theater Company, Woolly Mammoth and the Studio produce their own seasons, and Ford’s Theater stages plays in the house where Lincoln was shot. The DC Improv is the comedy club.

Sports in Washington

The Wizards and the Capitals at Capital One Arena from October to April, the Nationals at Nationals Park from April to October, the Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Maryland on fall Sundays, D.C. United at Audi Field, and the Mystics in the WNBA summer.

Museums and galleries in Washington

The Smithsonian museums on the Mall are free every day: the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn for contemporary art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (timed passes), Air and Space and the rest. The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle is the private gem, with Thursday evening hours.

Washington festivals and events by season

• Winter: the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, and the Capitals and Wizards seasons.
• Spring: the National Cherry Blossom Festival from late March, Nationals opening day, and Passport DC embassy open houses in May.
• Summer: Fourth of July on the Mall, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Capital Pride in June, and Wolf Trap and Merriweather’s seasons.
• Fall: the Library of Congress National Book Festival, the Kennedy Center season opening, and the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

Things to do in Washington tonight and this weekend

The listings above are the live version of all this: every concert, show, game, club night and exhibition on in Washington tonight, tomorrow and this weekend, with times, prices and tickets, updated every hour.