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
ClubWashington, 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
AmphitheaterBristow, 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
AmphitheaterColumbia, 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
ArenaWashington, 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
AmphitheaterVienna, 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.