From Bethesda Magazine: Mark your calendar with 22 May, June events

Get ready for the Gaithersburg Book Festival, Pride, Rockville Arts Festival and Jason Mraz at Strathmore

April 27, 2026 1:00 p.m. | Updated: April 27, 2026 11:18 a.m.

Invent the Future Expo at KID Museum. Photo credit: Courtesy KID Museum

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Memorial Day Events

May 22-25: Flags for Our Heroes

Visit the Field of Honor in Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm to see a display of 750 American flags flown on 8-foot-tall flagpoles. The Gaithersburg Rotary Club and the Historic Emory Grove Rotary Club along with the city of Gaithersburg and other city organizations present the display, which pays tribute to military service members, firefighters, police officers, teachers, coaches and other community leaders. An opening ceremony will be held on May 23. flagsforourheroes.org

May 25: Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade

Each year, Rockville honors fallen military members with a ceremony, musical tribute and parade around downtown Rockville. This year’s event also celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with roving entertainment and patriotic giveaways. rockvillemd.gov

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Community Events

May 14: Best of Bethesda Party

Get to know some of the best local businesses, services and restaurants as chosen by Bethesda Magazine readers and editors at this event celebrating the winners who appeared in the publication’s annual Best of Bethesda issue. Sample food and drinks from award-winning restaurants and party with The 19th Street Band during this bash at the Bethesda Marriott. BethesdaMagazine.com/best-of-bethesda-party

May 31: Invent the Future Expo

Check out presentations and inventions created by middle school students, as well as exhibitions from local, regional and national organizations working in AI, biotech, sustainability and other science and technology fields. The celebration of all things STEM occurs at the Kid Museum in Bethesda. kid-museum.org

Comedy

June 20: Patton Oswalt

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The comedian and actor known for his roles on TV shows including The King of Queens and as the voice of Remy in Pixar’s Ratatouille brings a fresh hour of self-deprecating observational comedy to the stage at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. strathmore.org

Music

May 26: Jason Mraz

Before he was a two-time Grammy Award winner, the “I’m Yours” singer-songwriter was a coffee shop performer. He returns to those roots at this solo acoustic concert at The Music Center at Strathmore. Expect hits and deep cuts from a career that spans more than 20 years. strathmore.org

June 20: Silver Spring Blues Festival

Blues musicians from the region and around the country are set to perform at this free musical block party on Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.It caps off Silver Spring Blues Week, which features blues performances at venues throughout downtown Silver Spring from June 14-20. See the full lineup online. silverspringblues.com

Theater

May 1-10: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Christopher, a boy with autism, tries to figure out how his neighbor’s dog was killed in this show based on the novel of the same name and presented by Rockville Little Theatre at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville. rlt-online.org

Sally and Tom art — Photo credit: Courtesy Round House Theatre

May 27-June 28: Sally & Tom

It’s a play within a play in this show by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre. A theater troupe is staging a play about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, with Luce, the playwright, starring as Sally, and her boyfriend, Mike, directing and starring as Tom. Complexities and questions arise about race, power and both the present-day relationship between Luce and Mike and the historical one between Jefferson and Hemings as the actors explore their roles. roundhousetheatre.org

June 3-July 12: Carla Hall: Please Underestimate Me

After opening Bumblebirds, her new Southern fare restaurant in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, celebrity chef Carla Hall (The Chew, Top Chef) reveals how she learned to embrace her unique qualities and went from an awkward theater kid in Tennessee to an award-winning chef and TV personality in this one-woman show at Olney Theatre Center. olneytheatre.org

June 17-July 26: Pete the Cat: A Live Rock Musical

Based on the popular children’s book series, this production follows Pete the Cat and his friend Jimmy Biddle as they travel to Paris in a Volkswagen bus to find artistic inspiration. The show at Imagination Stage in Bethesda is recommended for children ages 4-10. imaginationstage.org

June 18-Aug. 23: Sleeping Beauty: The Time Traveler

The classic fairy tale gets a time-traveling twist in this production at Adventure Theatre MTC in Glen Echo. Rolly’s summer break gets a lot more interesting when the modern-day fifth grader meets Aurora, a 12-year-old medieval princess who dreams of becoming a knight. The kids try to evade Aurora’s fate to sleep for a hundred years by escaping to the present day. The show is recommended for age 5 and older. adventuretheatre-mtc.org

Street Fairs and Festivals

May 2, 3: Rockville Arts Festival

Shop for unique art and handmade crafts at this festival in downtown Rockville. The event, which is organized by VisArts, supports the art center’s VisAbility Art Lab studio program for artists with autism and developmental disabilities. Check out more than 100 artist booths, as well as live art demonstrations and gallery exhibitions. visartscenter.org

May 2: Sligo Creek Fest

Sligo Creek Parkway in Silver Spring turns into a family-friendly festival. Musical performers include local bands DuPont Jazz and Capital Effect on the main stage and children’s entertainers Rocknoceros and Culture Queen. Other activities include touch-a-truck, a mobile science station, inflatable archery and lawn games. The festival is free, but bring your wallet for purchases from local food and drink vendors. montgomeryparks.org

May 9, 10: Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

Local and national artists show and sell their original creations—from painting and photography to sculpture, jewelry and furniture—in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. The free event also features live music and food from local restaurants. bethesda.org

May 16: Gaithersburg Book Festival

More than 120 writers, including best-selling novelists, local authors, nonfiction writers and poets, will sign books and participate in book discussions and workshops at this free literary event in Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. gaithersburgbookfestival.org

May 16: Paws in the Park

Bring your pooch out for a day at the Montgomery County Agricultural Center in Gaithersburg for this dog-centric festival that raises money for the Montgomery County Humane Society. Two-legged attendees can expect pet-friendly vendors, main-stage entertainers, music, food and contests, while their four-legged counterparts can experience toys, treats, exercise, dips in a baby pool and even bacon bubbles. mchumane.org/events

May 23, 24: Hometown Holidays

This kickoff to summer features two stages of live music in downtown Rockville. The free event also includes food from local restaurants, an artisan market and family activities such as crafts and lawn games. rockvillemd.gov

June 6: Strawberry Festival

The sweet red berries are the star of this community party, where you can eat strawberry shortcake, drink strawberry-themed beverages and participate in a strawberry spirit costume contest. Other draws include live entertainment, a petting zoo, hands-on cultural heritage activities, craft vendors and a plant sale. It all takes place at the Sandy Spring Museum. sandyspringmuseum.org/strawberry-festival

June 27: SummerFest

Gaithersburg celebrates Independence Day a week early at this free festival featuring a fireworks display, live music, and food and beverages from local vendors at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. Stick around for the SummerGlo after-party with live music and roaming performers such as stilt walkers and jugglers. gaithersburgmd.gov

June 28: Pride in the Plaza

Celebrate Pride Month in Silver Spring with drag performances, music and dancing at Veterans Plaza during this free event in recognition of the LGBTQ+ community. Vendors and representatives from community organizations will also be on-site. liveinyourtruth.org/pride-in-the-plaza

See our weekly list of things to do at BethesdaMagazine.com. Submit events at BethesdaMagazine.com/submit-calendar-event.

This appears in the May/June 2026 issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine