City Guide

Concert Venues in Washington, DC

The DC metro runs from Capital One Arena downtown out to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. Expect weeknight shows with early curfews and a federal-worker crowd that still knows every word to Fugazi.

5 venue guides

9:30 Club

Club

Washington, DC · 1,200 capacity

Rolling Stone named it one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States. The movable stage slides forward for intimate shows and backward for full 1,200-person capacity. Red velvet cupcakes arrive in the green room for every headliner. And the punk roots run so deep (Bad Brains, Fugazi, Nirvana early shows) that the venue's history is inseparable from the experience.

Jiffy Lube Live

Amphitheater

Bristow, VA · 25,000 capacity

A 25,000-capacity outdoor shed with a separated pavilion and sprawling lawn where I-66 post-show traffic creates a 60-120 minute parking exit reality that defines the whole experience.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Amphitheater

Columbia, MD · 19,000 capacity

A forested amphitheater in Symphony Woods where the massive lawn audience sits 200+ feet from the stage while reserved pavilion seats under the modernized roof capture the intimate experience. Distance defines your concert here.

The Anthem

Arena

Washington, DC · 2,500 capacity

A modern waterfront venue where a movable stage lets the venue shrink from 6,000 to 2,500 capacity, giving mid-size touring acts the sightlines and acoustics of an arena without the cavernous feel.

Wolf Trap Filene Center

Amphitheater

Vienna, VA · 7,028 capacity

America's only national park dedicated to performing arts, where an outdoor amphitheater lets you bring your own picnic and alcohol to the lawn while enjoying excellent acoustics from a 1984-rebuilt stage that's been hosting concerts for over 50 years.