You’ve talked about it, you’ve read about it, you’ve waited for it with baited breath, and here it is: this week bears witness to the 60th annual Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships at the Holiday Inn at Alexandria. The Coupe Mondial, held in a different country each year, is generally regarded as the most prestigious international accordion competition in the world, and this year virtuosi from Canada, China, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, and the U.S. gather in our town to slug it out for one of six competitions that award nearly $25,000 in cash prizes. This year, the competition will also include the world debut performance of the World Accordion Orchestra.

But for those of you who can’t make it out to the Holiday Inn Ballroom, despair not! For the good people at the Kennedy Center have stepped in to represent the competition in the heart of the city—for free! For 5 nights, Tuesday 8/14 to Saturday 8/18 (at 6 pm every night), you and your family and friends can see accordion performers and ensembles from all six competing countries at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. On Saturday, the winners from each category will perform. Here’s the full schedule. Be there!