Main Street updates: Big day out on Sept. 13, and a sneak peak at October events

Carpe Librum, a pop-up used bookshop, will be among the vendors at the Sept. 13 pop-up market at 4340 Connecticut Avenue.

Do you have weekend plans? Saturday, September 13th has a neighborhood and neighborhood-adjacent lineup of Main Street-sponsored activities that will keep you moving and hobnobbing with friends and neighbors from morning ’til night.

9:30 to 11 a.m. The day begins with coffee and a cleanup at Forest Hills Park.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Second Saturday pop-up market, featuring around two dozen local artisans, pops up at 4340 Connecticut Avenue.
4 to 6 p.m. Return to Forest Hill Park for Jazz in the Park, featuring musicians from the Washington Conservatory of Music.

The above events are sponsored by Van Ness Main Street. Tenleytown Main Street will be participating that night in Art All Night. (Cleveland Park’s event is tonight.)

Forest Hills neighbor and longtime Forest Hills Connection contributor David Cohen tells us he will be showing 20 photo prints from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Tile Shop (4530 Wisconsin Avenue NW at Brandywine Street). His photos from nature – from colorful parrots to the imposing tail of a humpback whale – have been a part of Tenleytown Art All Night since 2019. This year’s festival uses 14 public and private venues to showcase more than 150 artists and performers, and runs from 7 p.m. until midnight.

Eastern Kingbirds spread the word. (© 2025 David Cohen)

The neighborhood fun continues in October

The UDC amphitheater is a terrific place to enjoy movies outdoors. Picnics are encouraged. (2021 Van Ness Main Street photo)

Friday nights will be getting a little spooky. Van Ness Main Street and UDC are hosting three movie nights at the UDC amphitheater (next to the Theater of the Arts and the UDC tennis courts). Free tickets are available now for the October 3rd film, Beetlejuice. Tickets to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on October 10th will be available starting September 15th. And the October 24th film is The Addams Family. Those tickets will be released on September 29th.

October’s second Saturday will be another big day out. Van Ness Main Street’s first Celebrate VNMS event last year was packed with all-ages fun. The next one is on October 11th, and volunteers can already sign up to help make the event run smoothly. High school juniors and seniors and college students are welcome and can earn community service hours.

The last Sunday of the month makes “spooky season” extra adorable. On October 26th, VNMS is hosting the annual Spooktacular at Forest Hills Playground, followed by trick-or-treating along Connecticut Avenue at participating businesses. And there’s going to be a Spooky Bark Parade! Helpers are needed for the Spooktacular, and volunteers can sign up here.

Forest Hills Connection is an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street.