The Good Week | April 30, 2026

Consider this your extra-generous send-off — we packed this issue because The Good Week is taking next week off. We'll be back Thursday, May 14, refreshed and ready. Miss us in the meantime? Dig into some past issues for inspiration.

Also a reminder: our new The Good Week Guide to Book Clubs in Potomac + Bethesda is live, and it's genuinely good. Lots of options for lots of different kinds of readers.
👉 Check it out here

Finally — to every mom in our community, happy early Mother's Day. You deserve a whole day that's just yours. We hope you find it.

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Art, music, performances, and a few reasons to spend the evening out.

The iconic Dentzel carousel opens for the season, and the whole park comes alive around it. Spend the afternoon moving between live jazz, dance performances, open artist studios, and hands-on projects. There's enough going on to wander for hours without a plan. Food trucks keep it easy if you want to settle in for a while. Free.
👉 RSVP requested

VisArts' 14th annual outdoor festival brings more than 130 artists and makers to The Square for a full weekend. Find ceramics, jewelry, painting, glass, fiber, photography, furniture, handcrafted food. Live art demonstrations and a chalk art station are woven throughout, and VisArts' galleries stay open both days. Proceeds support arts access programs across Montgomery County, including scholarships and free community outreach. Free
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This group exhibition is presented by the National Capital Art Glass Guild, a local organization of artists working in glass across a range of techniques and styles. The show explores glass as both material and medium, with work that moves between functional pieces and more sculptural forms.

Gallery B is an easy stop if you’re in Bethesda, and the opening reception offers a more social way to see the work. Free entry.
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The santoor is a stringed instrument played by striking its strings with small wooden mallets, creating a bright, resonant sound that carries both precision and atmosphere. Santoor virtuoso Vinay Desai uses that range to shape the performance, beginning with a more meditative opening before building into greater rhythmic complexity alongside tabla player Anirudh Alva Changkakoti.

The concert is presented in partnership with District of Raga, a D.C.-based organization focused on bringing South Asian performing arts to wider audiences. Since launching in 2017, they have built a reputation for thoughtfully curated concerts that balance classical traditions with contemporary interpretation, often featuring internationally recognized artists. $22+
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Food experiences, tastings, and classes that make the week revolve around something delicious.

The Mid Atlantic Antique & Garden Festival caps its Saturday with a farm dinner worth staying for. The meal unfolds family-style on the grounds of Aix La Chapelle Farm — think long tables, string lights, open sky — catered by Catering by Seasons, the metro area's highest-rated green caterer. They grow their own vegetables, run their kitchens on wind energy, and have put together a spring-forward seasonal menu with wine pairings from Metzger Winery. $160.
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Hands-on classes and social activities where you can learn something new or step a little outside your comfort zone.

A structured, beginner-friendly intro to American Mahjong in a small-group setting. Over three hours, you'll learn tile identification, how to read the NMJL card, the Charleston, and basic hand-building. Light lunch and all materials included. Address shared after registration. $80
👉 Buy your ticket

Sun, May 3 or Sat, May 30, 1:00–4:00 pm | Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville

This Fiber & Arts Guild workshop introduces kawandi, an Afro-Indian hand-stitching technique built on layering fabric scraps and working from the outside in. Led by fiber artist Cindy Gossage, it offers a clear entry point for beginners and a more improvisational approach for experienced quilters, with a focus on process and the rhythm of hand stitching.

All materials are provided, and you will leave with a small finished piece. The sessions are standalone, so you can attend either date or both. $60
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Create your own broadside—part poem, part visual artifact—using printmaking materials like paper, stamps, and stencils, while working through guided exercises grounded in literary and visual traditions.

Led by poet María Fernanda, whose work has been performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, the session blends generative writing with hands-on making in a way that feels both structured and open. $50+
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This two-hour intro class at The Clay CoOp walks you through the basics of handbuilding. You'll pinch and shape your own small bud vase, then choose from ten house-made glazes to finish it off. Three weeks later, your piece comes out of the kiln food-safe, dishwasher-safe, and ready for a single stem of something pretty. $75
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Pottery with a Purpose brings its hands-on clay workshop to 7 Locks for an afternoon of hand-building basics and craft beer. You'll learn foundational techniques like pinch pots and coils, then shape them into something functional: a mug, bowl, vase, or planter. All materials are included, and your finished piece can be taken to a local kiln for glazing and firing. A dollar from every ticket goes to mental health initiatives. $75.
👉 Register

Move your body, get outside, and stay active this week.

Little Seneca Lake makes a beautiful setting for a first time on the water. Certified American Canoe Association instructors cover basic strokes, entries and exits, and boat control in recreational solo kayaks on flat water. All equipment is provided. Come prepared to get a little wet — water shoes and a hat are recommended. You must be able to swim. Registration required. $60.
👉 Register

A two-hour guided session based on Shinrin-Yoku, the Japanese practice of taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Certified guide Adria Zeldin leads the group through slow, sensory-focused invitations designed to quiet the noise and bring you back into your body. Moderate trail with natural surfaces; dress in layers and come ready to be outside. $10
👉 Register

Hosted by the Nesfield Performance Foundation in partnership with Metro Bethesda Rotary, this is a high-energy community event built around movement, connection, and giving back. The setup is flexible. You can jump into structured challenges like obstacle courses and endurance races, try a class, or just move through the day at your own pace with different activities happening across the grounds.

There is a mix of competition, participation, and community engagement, with local organizations and vendors throughout. Food is available on site. Free entry (some activities ticketed).
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New to The Good Week! Part of an ongoing series from East Outdoors, this session focuses on rappel skills within a social, small-group outdoor climbing setting. You’ll spend time on the rock with experienced instructors who guide both the technical side and the bigger picture of building confidence outdoors.

East Outdoors runs one of the more established climbing programs in the D.C. area, known for experienced guides, strong instruction, and a focus on building both skills and community. You can join this session on its own or come back for others in the series. $165
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Earlier picks still ahead — and still worth catching.

🎱 Friday Night Bingo at Rockville Moose Lodge — May 1, 7–10 pm — bingo night at Rockville Moose Lodge, Rockville

🎭 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time — May 1–10 (select dates) — theater at Rockville Little Theatre

🍗 Let's Cook @ Casey: Jamaican Specialties — May 1, 6–8 pm — cooking class at Casey Community Center

🧵 MoCo Stitch Club Open Stitch — May 4 — casual stitch meetup at Flower Child, Bethesda

🧲 Polymer Clay Magnet Workshop — May 12 or May 16 — small-group workshop at Emma's Art Studio, Bethesda

🌿 Nature Journaling for Adults — May 17, 10 am–12 pm — guided outdoor workshop at Woodley Gardens Park, Rockville

🎶 Jason Mraz: Still Yours Tour — May 26, 7:30 pm — acoustic concert at Strathmore

🀄 Mahj in Bloom: Spring Tea & Open Play — May 30, 1:30–4:30 pm — mahjong social at The Retreat, Gaithersburg

If you stop by any of this week’s spots, let them know you heard about it in The Good Week.

If something landed well—or if we missed a place you think deserves attention—tell us at [email protected].

And if you know someone who’d appreciate a little local intel on Thursdays, forward this along.

See you next week.

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