White House Spring Garden Tours

Washington’s public and private gardens are bursting with events at this time of year, but few attract as much buzz — or demand — as the spring edition of the White House Garden Tour. For two days, the public can access the famous Rose Garden outside the West Wing, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden and Michelle Obama’s less formal White House Kitchen Garden, as well as ornamental and ceremonial trees planted by presidents. Admission is through timed tickets, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day. (Get to the White House Visitor Center early for the best choice of entry times.) Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free; timed entry pass required.

Cherry blossom celebrations continue

The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin hit peak bloom last week — defined as the period when 70 percent of the trees are flowering — but celebrations centered on the beautiful pink and white blossoms continue.

This weekend brings free outdoor festivals: The Wharf’s Bloomaroo features a giant beer garden on the District Pier, along with live music on multiple stages, karaoke, kite decorating, tea sampling and other activities. The day is capped with a fireworks show beginning at 8:30 p.m. (2 to 9 p.m. Free.) The two-day Art Blooms in Fairfax’s Mosaic District brings a marketplace of 90 makers and vintage vendors, music on multiple stages, a farmers market with food and drinks, and singing princesses for the kids. A free shuttle runs from Dunn Loring Metro. (Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.)

The Smithsonian’s own Cherry Blossom Festival takes place at the National Museum of Asian Art this weekend, with curator-led tours of exhibits, live performances and a kimono pop-up, as well as hands-on activities for kids. (2 to 5 p.m. Free.) The National Gallery of Art’s new monthly First Saturday program has something for all ages, including short films for children, silk-screening lessons and a Q&A with plant expert Hilton Carter. (10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free.)

Y2K Pink Party hosted by members of NSYNC and 98 Degrees at Westfield Montgomery

Throw it back to the 2000s with this family-friendly dance party at Westfield Montgomery. Chris Kirkpatrick and Jeff Timmons host, and guests can expect visits from other pop stars of yore, including LFO and O-Town. It’s all part of the shopping center’s BlossomFest, which also includes a pop-up beer garden with Maryland’s Lone Oak Brewing Co. RSVP for a chance to win a meet-and-greet with performers. 1 to 8 p.m. Free.

‘Searching for Shakespeare’ festival

This year marks 400 years since the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio. Released seven years after his death, it includes 18 plays that had never before appeared in print, including “Macbeth,” “As You Like It,” “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Julius Caesar.” The Folger Shakespeare Library owns 82 First Folios — more than a third of the known copies in the world — and while its Capitol Hill building is undergoing renovation, the Folger is teaming up with the D.C. Public Library for a celebration. See one of the Folger’s First Folios and learn how Shakespeare’s friends and fellow thespians helped preserve his memory at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library downtown. Watch a newly commissioned play, “Our Verse in Time to Come,” which blends the worlds of Shakespeare and hip-hop, and hear a griot explain the connection between rhymes of 400 years ago and today. “Searching for Shakespeare” continues all month, with workshops and hands-on events at libraries throughout the city. Through April 30. Free. Tickets are required for performances of “Our Verse in Time to Come.”

Weekend of Wordplay at Planet Word

If you’ve ever wanted to fulfill your fantasy of becoming a Scrabble star, this Planet Word event is a good place to start. The museum’s Lexicon Lane features Scrabble demonstrations throughout the day, and the author of “Word Freak” will lecture on “A Brief History of Scrabble” and give a book reading with a Q&A session. Or try hands-on wordplay games like Composition and Katootsie, whose designers will be present, at sessions hosted by Labyrinth Games and Puzzles. Passes are available beginning at 10 a.m. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Capitol Lounge: The Return at Union Pub

After years of fake product announcements, fake sports news and even fake D.C. bars, we’ve all learned to be extra cynical on April 1. (Well, some of us.) But here’s one that is not, in fact, too good to be true: For one day, Capitol Lounge owner Jimmy Silk and Union Pub owner Matt Weiss are bringing back the Lounge, a longtime staffer watering hole known for its dirt-cheap happy hours, walls decorated with political memorabilia, and allegiance to Michigan State and the New England Patriots, which closed for good during the pandemic. Dara Dike, a Union Pub employee who once served as general manager at the Lounge, has invited former regulars and staff back for the pop-up celebration on the other side of the Hill. In keeping with tradition, there will be “No politics. No Miller Lite,” and a wing special — just 40 cents each — from 3 to 5 p.m. before the Final Four begins. 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Free.

‘Jazzed About Art: Jazz Appreciation Month’ at the National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of American History first designated April as Jazz Appreciation Month back in 2001, and the annual celebrations kick off with a concert by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. The program by the museum’s orchestra-in-residence, held at the National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium, brings in a visual component as well: Works by 20th-century artists, including William Sharp, John Fenton and Romare Bearden, will flash on a screen as the big band plays swingin’ tunes by Dizzy Gillespie, Sun Ra, McKinney’s Cotton Pickers and other artists. 7 to 9 p.m. $20- $25.

Dugri at City-State Brewing

In 2017, rapper Joyner Lucas scored a viral hit and stoked plenty of online conversations with “I’m Not Racist,” a two-verse track that imagined a stereotype-filled dialogue between a White man and a Black man as a precursor to clearing the table and finding political consensus. Those conversations extended all the way to the Middle East, where Uriya Rosenman and Sameh Zakout repurposed the concept as “Let’s Talk Straight.” Adopting the name Dugri, slang for “straight talk,” the Israeli-Palestinian pair use the same cathartic explosion of stereotypes and misconceptions to move toward understanding in their homeland. 8 p.m. $18.

R&B Experience at Capital One Arena

When Andre 3000 said that “the South got something to say” at the 1995 Source Awards, he was ostensibly talking about Southern rap, but in the ’90s, the region was already a hotbed for R&B. The R&B Experience attempts to recapture that pre-millennium magic by uniting half a dozen acts from that time and place, mostly Atlanta-born acts discovered and nurtured by the era’s hitmakers. On the bill: girl group Xscape, girl group survivor Tamar Braxton, bedroom-eyed guy groups 112 and Silk, alto-voiced “Angel of Mine” singer Monica, and soft-voiced Tevin Campbell, who at this point is perhaps best known for the better-than-it-needed-to-be “I 2 I” from “A Goofy Movie.” 7 p.m. $75-$95.50.

Virtual reality of Calais refugee camp at Woolly Mammoth Theatre

“The Jungle” is performed in Harman Hall, but this parallel experience co-hosted with Artechouse and Shakespeare Theatre Company brings audience members to a wholly different place and time. The play, which first sold out New York and London theaters and was hailed by theater critic Peter Marks as “essential viewing,” follows the lives of refugees and volunteers in a French camp filled with refugees. In this virtual reality experience, guests view “Home: Aamir” with Oculus headsets. The film is presented through the eyes of a 22-year-old Sudanese refugee who journeys across the Mediterranean. Time slots, which should be reserved, are available Saturday, Sunday, April 8 and April 15. 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Free.

Capital Art Book Fair at Eastern Market’s North Hall

East City Art’s first book fair includes over 30 exhibitors from across North America. Expect art, prints, DIY zines, graphic novels, art magazines and, of course, lots of books. Off-site programming during the fair at the nearby Hill Center and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop includes panel discussions on art publishing, artist talks, exhibitions and a free children’s art workshop. Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free.

Petals and Paws at South Germantown Recreational Park

Kids and canines are welcome at Montgomery Parks’ Petals and Paws cherry blossom festival. Walk the one-mile paved loop to discover crafting and photo stations, and purchase treats for dogs and humans. Pick up a free seedling to plant at home. 9 to 11 a.m. Free.