What To Do in April in Washington DC (2020)
This post covers things to do in Washington DC in April, including a top 10 list and some honorable mentions full of activities, events, and entertainment. It is updated for 2020.
Read our master post on things to do in DC for more activities at any time of year.
TOP EVENTS AND THINGS TO DO IN APRIL IN DC
For more ideas on popular things to do in DC, check out our other posts:
Some of the items listed in this post are included for free with the purchase of a tourist discount pass.
1) Attend a Concert
The DC Metro area is a hotspot for great musical talent.
During April, you’ll be able to find multiple concerts in the area from original Hamilton alum Leslie Odom Jr. to Disney princess Lea Salonga.
- Rosanne Cash – April 1
- Leslie Odom Jr. – April 1
- Keller Williams – April 3
- Sinead O’Connor – April 7
- Asleep at the Wheel – April 8
- Marc Broussard – April 8 – 9
- Brian McKnight – April 11
- Lea Salonga – April 17
Find all the concert tickets here.
2) Cheer on a Local Sports Team
Both the Washington Wizards, our basketball team, and the ***2019 World Champion*** Washington Nationals, our baseball team, are in their regular seasons.
You can find all the games here.
Basketball
Hockey
Soccer
Baseball
You can find all the sporting events in Washington DC here.
3) Attend the Theatre
Musical theatre fans will be delighted to see the classic stories that hit the DC stage this April.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar portrays the story of Jesus from the perspective of Judas and set in modern times. It runs April 14 – 26, 2020.
Bye Bye Birdie
Bye Bye Birdie is a musical based on Elvis and follows the story of a rock and roll star who receives an army draft during wartime. It runs April 23 – 27, 2020.
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is an unlikely Manhattan rom-com musical featuring a gambler, a missionary, and a showgirl who all cross paths. The musical runs all month.
Find all the theatre performances in April here.
4) Look into a Tourist Discount Pass
If you’re looking to save money and make the most of your time in Washington DC, you should consider purchasing an attraction discount pass.
By purchasing a pass up front, you can get discounted tickets to some of the most popular attractions in the area.
Sometimes these savings can reach 50%!
Attractions you can see with these passes include:
- CitySights Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour
- International Spy Museum
- Madame Tussauds
- The Capital Ferris Wheel
- George Washington’s Home
Did you know that you could join our highly rated and ticketed Ghosts and Scandals tours for free with the DC Explorer Pass?
With warmer weather, our late evening Adults Only tours are a perfect night out activity in a city that closes at 5 pm!
Get free admission to our tours and many top DC attractions with a Tourist Discount Pass.
5) Cherry Blossom Festival
The annual Cherry Blossom Festival is Washington DC’s top draw in Springtime and lasts from March 20 – April 12, 2020.
The festival is planned far in advance so the dates of peak bloom of the Cherry Blossoms themselves can fall anytime from mid-March to mid-April, depending on the weather.
Each year the Peak Bloom Prediction is released by the National Park Service on March 1, due to the fickle nature of the blooms.
Our Blossoms on the Basin Cherry Blossom tour runs during peak bloom dates, and registration is required in advance.
Find more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival here.
6) White House Garden Tours
The White House Garden Tour dates have not yet been announced for 2020, but this event happens over a weekend in April.
Only twice a year are the White House Gardens open to the public, and tickets are first-come, first-serve when arriving on the morning of the tour.
You can stroll through the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, the Rose Garden, the White House Kitchen Garden and the South Lawn of the White House.
Read our post on White House Garden Tours!
7) FilmFest DC
FilmFestDC is the oldest film festival in DC and serves to promote work from the international film community.
With locations all over the DC metro area, there are many chances to catch a show between April 23 and May 3, 2020.
Most tickets will be $11 per person. Some events are free of charge and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
There will be 80 films from 45 countries to choose from!
For more information, visit the website.
8) Celebrate Easter
There are a number of ways to celebrate Easter in Washington, DC, from brunch specials and kid-friendly egg hunts to traditional Sunday morning church services.
In 2020, Easter falls on Sunday, April 12.
The Washington National Cathedral has services throughout the day. Passes are required to attend the morning service but there is also an afternoon Organ Recital and an evening Evensong.
Review the Lent and Easter Schedule here.
For more about visiting the Washington National Cathedral and our self-guided tour, visit our post here.
An alternative is the Basilica of the National Shrine has Easter Mass in the morning, afternoon and evening. There are also guided tours in the afternoon. For more information, visit their page.
The Smithsonian National Zoo also has a big Easter egg hunt and special events on Easter Monday where kids have the chance to meet the Easter Panda.
9) DC Emancipation Day
Before President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he freed the 3,100 slaves in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862.
To honor this event, you can participate in a few events around the city on April 16.
The Emancipation Day Parade will take place at 11:00 am along Pennsylvania Ave NW on Saturday, April 13, 2019. There will be a music concert and fireworks as well.
NOTE: Emancipation Day itself is a citywide holiday so schools and some businesses will be closed.
You can find more details on the official website.
10) Laugh with a Comedian
A few big-name comedians will be traveling through the DC area this April! If you’ve ever watched Whose Line Is It Anyway? you’ll recognize the first duo to hit the stage.
Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood
- April 3 – 4, 2020
- Find tickets here.
Jim Gaffigan
- April 25, 2020
- Find tickets here.
Find all the comedy shows in DC here.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Georgetown French Market
For a true feel of the high-class living of Georgetown, the last weekend of April event includes boutique crafts, arts, and the best French foods, drawing over 7,500 attendees.
Stalls will line the streets on Book Hill in Georgetown to offer a chance to purchase gifts, fine art, and home furnishings from April 24 – 26, 2020.
For more details about the market, check out the website.
For other things to do in Georgetown and directions on how to get there, check out our guide to Georgetown. You can also find more activities in our post about free things to do in DC.
Springtime Walking Tours
As winter is finally over and the blossoms start to bloom, we start to offer more free walking tours throughout the week!
Some tours return from hibernation: Embassy Row tour, Old Town Alexandria, and Eastern Market Desserts.
And we offer more evening tours to take advantage of the later sunsets, such as the Memorials & Moonlight and Adults Only Wicked Georgetown tours. Our Lincoln Assassination Tour also returns to the after-dinner hours.
Our Arlington National Cemetery tour goes back to its regular hours, and for the first part of April only, we offer a Cherry Blossoms on the Basin tour.
See when they are offered on our schedule of tours.
RELATED POSTS:
- Things to Do Any Time of Year
- How’s the Weather in April?
- Where to Store Your Luggage
- Tourist Attraction Discount Passes
- Free Things to Do in DC
About the author
Canden is a historian and tour guide in Washington DC with 3 published books about the city. She has written for HuffPost Travel and has been featured in the Washington Post, WTOP, and numerous other DC papers. She's also been interviewed by the Travel Channel and Discovery Family Channel. Canden is the host of our podcast, Tour Guide Tell All
With a M.A. in History from University College London and a B.A. in History from Elon University, she is an authority on D.C. history, and has led tours in the city for over 10 years. She currently resides in DC, but has also lived in London and South Korea, and has travelled to 25 countries. Her two children (both under the age of 3) have their passports and own frequent flier accounts.