Free Arts Festival Open House at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC

Every year, the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts a free Arts Festival open house. this year, they are tying it in with the 14th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Festival.

This year’s line up includes:

• The fabulous National Symphony Orchestra: Carnival of the Animals and instrument petting zoo. 
• From Australia, Polyglot Puppet Theatre: We Built This City encourages children to use their imagination and ingenuity to build a city out of thousands of cardboard boxes, then watch it get crushed for recycling.
• Acrobats from L’Arsenal à Musique: The Ark. 
• Viking Pirate stories adapted into sketches and fun songs.
• Washington Chalk Festival lets kids take a piece of chalk and create their own masterpiece on the Kennedy Center’s Terrace.
• Gospel music from Byron Cage and an all-ages Afro-funk dance party with the 14-piece orchestra Chopteeth.
• Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency with its young ballet students performing.

Additionally, all weekend, the Washington, DC Street Performance Festival running Friday through Sunday, September 11–13, includes an additional 20 French and American street performance groups including juggler, acrobat, tightrope walker, and magician entertaining at select DC Metro stations and at the Embassy of France (admission is $5.00).

The annual Multicultural Children’s Book Festival is also celebrated during the Open House. Meet children book writers such as Tonya Bolden, Monica Brown and Bryan Collier and listen to stories that celebrate diverse cultures from around the globe.

Kennedy Center Arts Festival Open House
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)

Dates & Times – Saturday, September 12, 2009 – Noon – 6:00 p.m.

Admission – Free but some performances may require a ticket.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (- Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk or use the free Kennedy Center shuttle. It runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday – 9:45 a.m. – Midnight, Saturdays – 10:00 a.m. – Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking - Limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $16.00.

Images – Flickr – Kennedy Center, magician, street performer 

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