Open House Arts Festival

September 11, 2010, 12–7 p.m. Free events for the whole family, though some may require free tickets. The Kennedy Center kicks off its 38th birthday with a celebration highlighting spectacle for the stage and street. Artists include L’Arsenal à Musique from Montreal, one of the leaders in the circus movement, American and French street performers, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra, Australia’s Polyglot Puppet Theatre’s interactive play event We Built This City, gospel artist Byron Cage, the popular Edwin Fontánez’s Washington Chalk Festival, Washington National Opera Young Artists, students from the Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency, salsa band Bio Ritmo, the Striking Viking Story Pirates, afro-funk big band Chopteeth, and others.