Rosslyn Jazz Fest
When: Sept. 1-18
Where: Rosslyn (multiple locations)
Jazz Fest returns! This year it’s a three-week affair that includes pop-up performances and a Jazz supper club, and culminates with a daylong music festival in Gateway Park. To kick things off, Crash Funk Brass Band brings the horns to a free pop-up performance at the Rosslyn Farmers Market (Central Place Plaza and 1401 Wilson Park) on Sept. 1 at 4:30 p.m. (If you missed them at the Arlington County Fair, here’s your chance to make that right.) See website for the full entertainment lineup and restaurant specials, and be sure to register in advance for the full-day Jazz Fest finale on Sept. 18.
Travels: An All-Member Show at Gallery Underground
When: Sept. 1-24
Where: Gallery Underground Focus Gallery, 2100 Crystal Drive (National Landing)
If pandemic life has intensified your feelings of wanderlust, you can at least live vicariously through the landscapes, cityscapes and beach scenes rendered by local artists in this colorful group show of trips both real and imagined. View works by Arlington Artists Alliance members in oil, acrylic, pastel, watermedia, glass, ceramics, wood and metal. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment.
Plant a Free Tree from Arlington Parks & Rec
When: Registration opens Sept. 7 online.
Where: Tree distribution will take place Oct. 23 and 26 at the Barcroft Park Baseball Field (4208 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington), and the Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden (850 N. Lexington St., Arlington).
Want to beautify your yard, support the local ecosystem and help replenish Arlington’s tree canopy? The Arlington County Depart. of Parks and Recreation is offering 500 young native trees to local residents at no cost. The saplings (also known as “whips”) will range in height from 2-4 feet and will be offered in two-gallon containers. County staff and members of the Arlington/Alexandria Tree Stewards organization will be on-site during tree distributions to help you select your tree, answer questions and offer tips about tree care. Registration for free trees begins on Sept. 7. The whips will be distributed on Oct. 23 (8 a.m.-3 p.m.) at the Barcroft Baseball Field (known as Tucker Field) and Oct. 26 (4-6 p.m.) at the Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden Parking Lot. Visit EcoAction Arlington to learn about more tree planting and stewardship opportunities.
Ballston Mega Market with Jumpin Jupiter
When: Sept. 2, 3-7 p.m.
Where: Welburn Square, 901 N. Taylor St., Arlington (Ballston)
It’s so much more than a farmers market. Held on the first Thursday of every month through November, Ballston’s Mega Market features live music, a beer and wine garden and local vendors selling a wide range of goods, including CBD products, locally roasted coffee, empanadas, pickles, kimchi, wood-fired pizza and organic meats and veggies. Swing by this Thursday to stock your fridge with summer’s bounty and hear live tunes by rockabilly band Jumpin Jupiter featuring local front man Jay Jenc.
Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap: Broadway in the Park
When: Sept 3, 8 p.m.
Where: Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna
Celebrate the return of live musical theater with Broadway’s greatest hits from legendary shows such as Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Les Mis, RENT, Hamilton and many more. Starring Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, The Color Purple), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate, Shuffle Along) and a cast of Signature favorites, the evening promises tunes such as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I Am What I Am,” “The Schuyler Sisters” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Wolf Trap is back to full capacity, but patrons must be fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative Covid test, and masks are required inside buildings and in crowded outdoor spaces. Read the full policy here.
Labor Day Festival of the Arts
When: September 4-5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 3003 Washington Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon)
Perhaps you’ve been nesting and home-improving this year, and the last missing touch in that living room or bedroom refresh is the perfect piece of art? Head to this outdoor street festival to peruse hundreds of juried works ranging from paintings, prints and sculpture to glasswork and jewelry. Admission is free and the art is for sale.