Friday & Saturday, Sept 4–5
DC State Fair
FREEMore than 50 contests, from pie eating to best slime to biggest vegetable, plus a Kids Zone, local vendors and live music.
💡 Parent tip: Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro puts you a block away. Go early; the contest entries are freshest before the afternoon crowd.
See our full guide →Greenbelt Labor Day Festival
FREEFour days of carnival rides and games, a pet show, a diaper derby, the Tour de Greenbelt bike race, and the 70th annual parade on Monday at 10am.
💡 Parent tip: Sunday is the big day because of the parade, but Monday afternoon is the calmest for little kids.
See our full guide →Maryland Renaissance Festival
Kids 6- freeJousting knights, turkey legs, acrobats, mud shows and a pirate playground, open all three days of the long weekend.
💡 Parent tip: Buy tickets ahead. Weekend dates have been selling out since opening.
See our full guide →Bluey's House Opens at CAMP Tysons
From $42A life-sized walkthrough of the Heeler house with the games from the show, dancing, and a Bluey and Bingo meet-up to finish.
💡 Parent tip: Timed entry and it will sell out on opening weekend. Best for ages 2 to 7.
See our full guide →Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo
FREEThe 55th edition fills the historic Spanish Ballroom with work from 400+ regional artists.
💡 Parent tip: Free to walk through, and the 1921 carousel is spinning right outside for after.
See our full guide →Global Rhythms at Glen Echo Park
FREELatin brass, Hungarian folk dancers, storytelling and food trucks, spread across the park all afternoon.
💡 Parent tip: Nobody has to sit still. Wander between acts and duck into the Art Show galleries when it gets hot.
See our full guide →Hook in Concert at Wolf Trap
FROM $43The NSO plays John Williams' score live while the full film runs on screen, for Hook's 35th anniversary.
💡 Parent tip: Every child needs a ticket at adult price, and it ends near 10pm. Lawn seats plus a picnic is the family move.
See our full guide →Labor Day at Shipgarten
FREEA free grill out with cookout food, a cornhole tournament at 2, water pong at 4 and live music from 3:30.
💡 Parent tip: It is a beer garden, not a kids' event. The 1 to 4 window is the family stretch, and it turns into a DJ night at 8.
See our full guide →Sunday & Labor Day Monday
NSO Labor Day Concert
FREEThe National Symphony Orchestra's free Labor Day concert, indoors at DAR Constitution Hall.
💡 Parent tip: Reserve free tickets, but a reservation is not a seat. Unclaimed seats are released at 7:45pm, so arrive early.
See our full guide →Kensington Labor Day Parade & Festival
FREEThe 59th annual parade runs from Plyers Mill Road to Noyes Library, with dance groups, marching bands and horseback riders, then a festival on Armory Avenue.
💡 Parent tip: Get a curb spot by 9:30. The festival afterward is where the kids actually want to be.
See our full guide →Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade
FREEEighty-eight years of marching bands, antique cars and community floats around the Activity Center at Bohrer Park.
💡 Parent tip: Bring a bag for the candy, and arrive by 9:30 for parking.
See our full guide →Last Day: Butterfly Experience at Brookside
Kids $10.99The conservatory closes for the season Monday. Hundreds of live butterflies, close enough to land on a very still kid.
💡 Parent tip: Timed tickets online, and morning slots are calmest. This is the last chance until next spring.
See our full guide →Last Days: Curious George
$18.95The hands-on George exhibit closes Monday: pulleys, a produce stand, mini golf and a rocket, built for the 3 to 7 crowd.
💡 Parent tip: The museum is closed Tuesdays, so the long weekend really is the end of the line.
See our full guide →Maryland State Fair (Weekend 2)
See pricesThe second of three weekends: livestock barns, a midway, racing pigs, a rodeo and fried everything.
💡 Parent tip: The barns are calmest in the morning; save the midway for after lunch.
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