Editor’s note: This story, originally published Feb. 27, was updated on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. to correct that “The Child Room” by Jenny Holzer at Glenstone features LED signs and not drawing or painting. Holzer’s drawings and paintings will appear elsewhere in the museum.
Community Events
March 8, April 4, May 22: Acoustics and Ales
Live music and local beer come together in this series of free outdoor happy hours hosted by Montgomery Parks. Each features a different musical group at a different county park, with beverages for purchase from area breweries and food for sale from local vendors. Hit up North Four Corners Local Park in Silver Spring for Barleyjuice and its Irish music in March, Elm Street Urban Park in Chevy Chase for dueling pianos in April, and Flower Avenue Urban Park in Silver Spring for Trio Caliente, a flamenco ensemble, in May. montgomeryparks.org/event-team/acoustics-ales
March 15: St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Wear something green and stake out a spot along Rio Boulevard and Grand Corner Avenue to see Celtic dancers, bagpipers, equestrians, fire trucks and other community groups march through Rio in Gaithersburg’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. www.gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/special-events/st-patrick-s-day-parade
March 29: UpCounty TradFest
This festival at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown celebrates folk music and dance. Featured performances require the purchase of a ticket. They include a square dance with caller Janine Smith and Appalachian music group Devil in the Mill and a double-bill concert showcasing acoustic roots music ensemble Charm City Junction along with Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira, a fiddle and cello duo that mixes contemporary and traditional folk music with vocal harmonies and step dancing. There will also be an artisans market selling handmade items, plus free student performances of Celtic, bluegrass and Irish music. blackrockcenter.org/upcounty-tradfest
April 5: Shine Brighter Together
Marking Autism Acceptance Month, this free event in Wheaton Regional Park features such family-oriented and sensory-friendly activities as story times, arts and crafts, and exercise demos. Learn about autism resources in the county from various agency representatives. Attendees are welcome to bring picnics. montgomeryparks.org/events/shine-brighter-together
Comedy/Variety
March 8: Wizard of Oz on Ice
Dorothy and her crew follow the yellow brick road, this time on ice skates, at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. The show features familiar Oz inhabitants such as the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch and the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion performing choreography on a stage covered with synthetic ice. mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/cac
March 13-15: Mike Burton
The comedian has been trusted to warm up the audiences for such TV shows as Rachael Ray and The View. He’ll stop by Give a Hoot Comedy Club inside La Mexicana restaurant in Gaithersburg for a three-night run. Proceeds from his shows benefit Friends of the Library, Montgomery County. giveahootcomedy.com
March 26-29: Sprung! Comedy Festival
The stand-up production company Improbable Comedy brings seven different shows to the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre over four nights for this festival that also includes classes for aspiring comedians. See shows created around different themes and groups, including science, law enforcement, moms and immigrants. Storytelling 101 and stand-up basics are two of the classes offered during the day on March 29. improbablecomedy.com/sprung
Music
March 13: RAIN—A Tribute to the Beatles
It’s been more than 50 years since the Fab Four broke up, and for those who never saw the Beatles play live, this concert at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda might be the next best thing. Expect musicians in costume resembling John, Paul, George and Ringo, songs from each of the Beatles’ eras and psychedelic visuals. strathmore.org
April 25: Flo
You could think of this British R&B girl group as a Destiny’s Child or TLC for Gen Z. And while those groups and others like them are major influences for Flo, the trio has an updated, fresh sound that’s all its own. Catch the group’s concert at The Fillmore Silver Spring. fillmoresilverspring.com
Art
March 20: Pavilions at Glenstone Reopen
After undergoing renovations for nearly a year, Glenstone museum’s main exhibition space fully reopens with the reinstallation of many visitor-favorite artworks as well as a slate of new solo artist exhibits. Among them, “The Child Room,” by Jenny Holzer features LED signs. Another by Alex Da Corte incorporates neon sculpture and video of popular characters and symbols in surprising situations. The Potomac museum, which presents modern and contemporary art, will also continue to feature work by Brice Marden, On Kawara, Robert Gober and others. Free tickets are available on the museum’s website starting March 1. glenstone.org
Theater
March 26-April 27: Sleepova
This play centering on four Black British teenage girls makes its U.S. premiere at Olney Theatre Center’s Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. Slumber parties are the backdrop for childhood friends Elle, Shan, Funmi and Rey to share their dreams and challenges, including illness, sexuality, family and religion. According to the theater’s website, this show would be rated PG-13 if it were a movie. olneytheatre.org
April 2-27: Bad Books
In this world premiere play at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre, a mother gets into a heated debate with a town librarian over appropriate reading material for her teenage son. Unintended consequences ensue. The show, which is staged in the round, is part of the National Capital New Play Festival. roundhousetheatre.org
April 25-May 25: Charlotte’s Web
A kind and wise spider spins a special web to save her pig friend in this play based on the classic book by E.B. White at Adventure Theatre-MTC in Glen Echo, recommended for age 3 and older. adventuretheatre-mtc.org
Film
April 25-27: Gaithersburg Film Festival
Promoting its designation as one of the country’s most diverse cities, Gaithersburg launches its inaugural film festival to showcase a variety of cultures, identities and perspectives. Each day will feature screenings of short and feature-length films as well as discussions with filmmakers at the Arts Barn. gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/performing-arts/film-screenings/gaithersburg-film-festival
This appears in the March/April 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
