Spring Activations 2026

Spring is officially in bloom, and so is the DMV dining scene. Restaurants and venues across the region are celebrating the season with activations perfect for longer days and warmer nights!

What a Show:

A Month of Women-Led Vision at Dupont Underground:  This March, DU are transforming our platform into a stage for the women who define our city’s cultural pulse. As they celebrate Women’s History Month, Dupont Underground is proud to operate as a living laboratory for Horizontal Leadership—a place where female artists and curators have the agency to reclaim space and redefine narratives. From the high-stakes drama of InSeries opera to the emotional  energy of their poets, the March calendar is a tribute to the power of female-led innovation. Witness how these bold creators are using historic tunnels as a bridge for connection and community. For more information, click here.

See all the shows coming to town in our Theater Roundup, here.

Museum Visits:

Making Their Mark: The National Museum of Women in the Arts is presenting Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection, on view February 27 through July 26. The major exhibition features 80 works by nearly 70 influential women artists spanning from 1946 to today, highlighting the powerful role women have played in shaping abstract art. Drawn from the Shah Garg Collection, the show includes painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, and mixed media works exploring themes of identity, form, and artistic innovation across generations; nmwa.org

Jack Boul Exhibit at Park Hyatt: Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. is showing a special year-long exhibit featuring monotypes by artist Jack Boul. Jack Boul (1927-2024) was a painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work can be found in the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian, the Phillips Collection, the Library of Congress, and many other public and private venues. Born in New York, Jack Boul spent most of his life in Washington, D.C., as an art professor at American University. He was among the founders of the Washington Studio School. This special collection is curated by his son, David Boul. parkhyattwashington.com 

Camouflage: Designed to Deceive: Explore the world of camouflage and deception in a new multi-sensory, immersive experience at The International Spy Museum. The special exhibition, Camouflage: Designed to Deceive, examines the fascinating history of camouflage and its many secret connections to espionage. From its origins in the natural world to its contemporary applications in the battlefield and beyond, the exhibit explores the impact of camouflage on covert operations and intelligence gathering throughout history. The exhibit spans the intersecting worlds of science, design, military and political history, art, fashion, and pop culture. Utilizing real stories, artifacts, and immersive media, visitors will get an up-close look at how concealment has influenced espionage throughout time and why it remains essential in today’s digital world of surveillance. Tickets are available now for $15. Visitors can also add the exhibition to general admission for just $13. spymuseum.org 

Blacklisted: An American Story: This exhibit explores the Hollywood blacklist and the federal government’s loyalty investigations that upended thousands of lives during the Red Scare. Through powerful personal stories, rare artifacts, and film clips, the exhibition reveals how fear, politics, and identity collided—and what was lost when dissent was silenced. From the late 1940s through the 1950s, all three branches of government sacrificed First Amendment rights in the name of security. Freedoms of speech, association, and assembly came under fire. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, thousands resigned under duress, and many more stood by quietly, afraid of repercussions for their real or imagined political participation. On loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the exhibition incorporates film, archival material, oral histories, costume, and photography to examine the shifting definition of what it meant then—and what it means now—to be a patriotic American, and who gets to decide. simpletix.com 

Two Exhibits, One Conversation: The National Building Museum announces two major exhibitions that, for the first time, will be presented in conversation with one another, illuminating how architecture, education, and collaboration shaped Black American life and the nation’s shared history.  A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker. T Washington and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America, photographs and stories by Andrew Feiler, and The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph x Fry & Welch, curated by architect Helen Brown Bechtel, together reveal the built environment as a powerful force for dignity, aspiration, and community transformation.  Together, the exhibitions demonstrate how place becomes meaningful when animated by human intentions and collaboration. From the rural schoolhouses that transformed educational access across the segregated South to the rebuilt Tuskegee Chapel that embodied ambition and self-determination during the Civil Rights Movement, these projects show how communities shaped their futures through design, labor, and collective vision. In both the Rosenwald Schools and the Tuskegee Chapel, architecture is not a neutral container, but an active participant in history, shaped by the people who built it and shaping generations in turn. nbm.org 

34th Annual Juried Exhibition: Strathmore is presenting Steeped, the 34th Annual Juried Exhibition, on view March 7 through April 22 in the Mansion Galleries. The exhibition marks the 40th anniversary of Strathmore’s Afternoon Tea tradition and features 110 works by 78 artists exploring the ritual, history, and symbolism of tea through painting, ceramics, photography, and mixed media. Most artists hail from the D.C. region, offering contemporary interpretations of tea’s cultural and personal significance; strathmore.org

Interested in more tea? Don't miss our springtime afternoon tea roundup, here

Where Else You'll Find Us:

Peak Bloom: The Dome at Hi-Lawn in the Union Market District is hosting Peak Bloom: Dome Experience, a limited spring installation running March 19 through April 26 in collaboration with ARTECHOUSE Studio. The 45-minute immersive experience transforms the venue’s 50-foot spherical dome with digital cherry blossom visuals projected overhead, creating a contemporary interpretation of the season’s iconic blooms. Guests can enjoy the show alongside a spring drink menu featuring spritzes and saketinis garnished with edible flowers. Tickets start at $12.00 with sessions running every 45 minutes Tuesday through Sunday; hilawndc.com

Horizon of Khufu: A Journey in Ancient Egypt: Explore one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—an archaeological treasure trove and a monumental testament to Egyptian architectural genius. Embark on an immersive journey through space and time to explore Egypt's Giza Pyramid, the resting place of Pharaoh Khufu, constructed over 4,500 years ago in the 4th Dynasty and until now a forbidden realm to the public. This 45 minute VR experience allows visitors to physically move and interact within a shared virtual reality space, providing a deeply emotional and engaging dive into the heart of Egyptian culture. Ages 10 and up; 926 F Street NW; For more information, click here. 

COMING SOON: Hershey Super Sweet Adventure: Embark on an interactive journey complete with
games, active play and family-friendly moments designed to spark imagination and connection for candy lovers of all ages. Visitors will celebrate the perfect combination in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, uncover the delight that wraps Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates, master the art of the Twizzlers Twists, experience the bold flavors of Jolly Rancher candies and more. For its East Coast debut, the experience will feature never-before-seen activations including a playful celebration of Bubble Yum Bubble Gum and an all-new grand finale experience where guests can personalize their own Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar wrapper with a selfie and other fun options. Tickets for Hershey Super Sweet Adventure will be available starting at $19.99 per person. HersheySuperSweetAdventure.com 

Cherry Blossom Daruma: Returning for its second year, the pink sphere—adorned with delicate blossom petals and suspended 10 feet above—transforms Anthem Row into a moment of spring beauty and renewal. Designed by multidisciplinary artist My Ly of My Ly Design, the sculpture takes the form of a Daruma—a traditional Japanese doll symbolizing perseverance, good luck, and goal-setting. As the new season begins, pause beneath the Cherry Blossom Daruma to snap photos, jot down your goals and wishes, and let the energy of spring inspire the year ahead. Make a wish as you click the camera, and welcome the season while exploring one of Downtown DC’s charming pedestrian corridors. On display through May 2026; 800 K Street NW; downtowndc.org