Things to do the week of Dec. 2-5, 2024
We've gathered up some things to do across the nation's capital, including museum exhibits, concerts, only-in-DC events and much more. Don't miss our things to do this weekend and things to do this month as well.
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Monday
Season's Greenings
Trade in your dreams of a white Christmas for something even better – a green Christmas. At this year's Season's Greenings exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Gardens, displays will feature not only holiday lights, but thousands of poinsettias, unbelievable plant-based sculptures of DC landmarks, a circuit of model trains and pollinators galore. Tickets are not required.
Free Admission
U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20001
DC Holiday Hunt
This holiday season, DC’s "main streets" come alive with DC Holiday Hunt, a festive scavenger hunt. From historic sites to modern marvels, explore Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Logan Circle and U Street, among other locales, while completing holiday missions and supporting local businesses to win prizes.
L'Annexe
DC Cocktail Week
Dozens of DC restaurants participate in this celebration of mixology curated by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. DC Cocktail Week showcases innovative drinks, letting local bartenders put their creative brains to work. These tasty creations are paired with dishes to inspire flavor explosions that you will not want to miss. Local distilleries get in on the act as well.
Frosted at Franklin Park – Through Dec. 21
In the heart of Downtown DC, Franklin Park offers a picturesque holiday experience free to the public. Explore this year's featured installation: Illumination, a breathtaking display of thousands of festive lights – including a sparkling icicle walkway, giant snowflakes, a family of bears and a shining star – perfect for your holiday photo opp. The experience is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Free Admission
1315 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Tuesday
Death on the Nile – Nov. 23 – Dec. 29
Agatha Christie’s adored Hercule Poirot solves a love triangle/murder mystery at Arena Stage. This adaptation marks Ken Ludwig’s fourth premiere at the venue and Hana Sharif’s DC directorial debut. Get ready for a night of intrigue and action. Select shows on Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19 include a post-show conversation.
Tickets
Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
The Washington Ballet presents The Nutcracker
DC's favorite ballet company pulls out all the stops for this classic Christmas tale that features a special DC twist. The Russian ballet goes local thanks to a Nutcracker Prince in the likeness of George Washington and cherry blossom set designs. Set in historical 1882 Georgetown, you will be dazzled by an impressive roster of dancers and the beautiful Tchaikovsky score. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this quintessential program that is a highlight of every holiday season in the District.
Tickets
Warner Theatre, 513 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
Not only authorized by Neil Diamond, but created in collaboration with the legend himself, A Beautiful Noise tells the story of the American music icon through his own classics as well as new material. Don’t miss this production straight from Broadway at DC’s National Theatre.
Tickets
The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
DowntownDC Holiday Market
This year's edition of the DowntownDC Holiday Market will occupy the street and sidewalk on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. Now in its 20th year, its bright lights bring Penn Quarter and Chinatown to life, providing a holiday spark to the neighborhood. The DowntownDC BID has partnered with The Makers Show to revitalize the market. The spacious, open-air village is free and open to the public, opening just ahead of Thanksgiving on Nov. 22 (closed on Thanksgiving Day) and closing for the season on Dec. 23.
12-8 p.m. daily | Free admission
F Street between 7th and 9th Streets NW, Washington, DC
Wednesday
DC Holiday Market at Dupont Circle
Make your way to the 1500 block of 19th Street NW for the DC Holiday Market at Dupont Circle, which will feature 30-plus small businesses with artisans, boutique brands, worldwide handcrafts and unique gift items from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15 (closed on Nov. 28). The market (which used to be situated Downtown) brings its signature style, local performers, bright festive décor and popular holiday treats, including Migue’s Mini Donuts and the Capital Candy Jar’s hot roasted nuts. The neighborhood will also host its holiday pop-up on Dec. 7 and 8.
12-8 p.m. | Free Admission
1500 Block of 19th Street NW, Washington, DC
The Second City’s Dance Like There’s Black People Watching
From the creators of Black Side of the Moon and She the People comes a highly anticipated new production at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. The Second City returns with an exclusive new show created just for Woolly Mammoth filled with rising stars, hilarious songs and sketches and razor-sharp satire, all together in a perfect improv package.
Tickets
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
An Irish Carol
The Irish have something to say about that “Carol” of yours, Mr. Dickens. The Keegan Theatre stages this acclaimed play that subs pub-owning David for Scrooge. He’s distanced himself from his family through his profitable bar, but a visitor from the past, along with present figures and the prospect of a sad future could turn David around. With searing wit, fast-paced dialogue and a classic Irish sensibility, Matthew Keenan’s play is perfect for holiday laughs – and intended for audiences 16 and older.
Tickets
Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Back in DC by popular demand, the Improvised Shakespeare Company delivers laughs in the form of iambic pentameter. Drawing on a vast knowledge of the Bard’s work, finely sharpened improvisational skill and unbelievable comedic talent, this cast creates a Shakespearean production right before your eyes.
Tickets
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 2056
A Swingin' Little Christmas! Starring Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery
Billed as "one part cabaret, one part comedy, and a dash of Christmas kitsch," A Swingin’ Little Christmas capitalizes on the holiday nostalgia of holiday specials. This raucous show features Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch (Glee, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Kate Flannery (The Office) and Tim Davis (Glee's vocal arranger) alongside the Tony Guerrero Quintet. Travel back to the 1950s and 60s with joyful tunes and lots of laughs.
8 p.m. | Tickets
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852
NSO at the Anthem: Ugly Sweater Holiday Concert
For an unmatched night of orchestral holiday tunes and outrageous Christmas attire at one of the coolest music venues in DC, hit up the Anthem. "Sleigh Ride," "Carol of the Bells," the Nutcracker favorites and more await you and your ugliest sweater.
8 p.m. | Tickets
901 Wharf Street SW, Washington, DC, 20024
Thursday
Leopoldstadt
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Hall stages Tom Stoppard’s Tony and Olivier Award-winning play with direction from Carey Perloff. Leopoldstadt unfolds over nearly 60 years, following a Jewish family through their assimilation into Viennese culture, the outbreak of two World Wars and the devastating aftermath of the Holocaust.
Tickets
Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Holiday Bricktacular
Build memories at the LEGO Discovery Center's Holiday Bricktacular, where families can enjoy a winter wonderland of activities, festive decorations and more. This year, the Build To Give experience allows families to participate in the biggest-ever donation of LEGO® sets to children in need by building a LEGO heart.
Tickets
6563 Springfield Mall Suite 12004, Springfield, VA 22150
Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show
See the longest-running group in American music perform at one of the most magical venues in the area: Wolf Trap. Not only have the Blind Boys of Alabama been gracing the world with soulful sounds since the Civil Rights era – they recently won the 2024 Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album. For one night only, the group will bring their most festive hits to life in an awe-inspiring holiday experience.
8 p.m. | Tickets
Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182
Dissonance Dance Theatre: Winter Stories
As much as we love the Nutcracker, those looking for a more contemporary dance spectacle will fall in love with Dissonance Dance Theatre's Winter Stories. Choreographed to music from Vivaldi to Billie Eilish, storylines are inspired by the "everyday feelings" we experience in the cold and around the holidays. The Ngoma School will perform new works by Principal Choreographer Shawn Short.
5 p.m. | Tickets
Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
Ride
It took just a few years for Ride to stake their claim as pioneers of the shoegaze sound across critically acclaimed releases in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The English rock quartet navigated entirely new sonic territory before disbanding in 1996. Their reunion in 2014 has led to three new LPs including this year’s Interplay; its release ignites a tour that brings the group to the illustrious 9:30 Club.
7 p.m. | Tickets
9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
A Christmas Carol
Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace assumes the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a lavish Victorian-style musical production of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, the staging of which is a time-honored holiday tradition in the nation’s capital. Scrooge’s riveting journey alongside the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future is a joy even if you’ve experienced it a hundred times before – especially in one of the world’s most historic theaters.
Tickets
Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
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