The holiday season gets a head start in Washington this weekend. The DowntownDC Holiday Market opens Friday on F Street NW, where more than 100 local artisans will sell handcrafted gifts through Dec. 23. Meanwhile the CityCenterDC Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday evening brings a 75-foot tree, live music and family activities. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company adds a backstage twist on the season Saturday with the world premiere of Max Posner’s “Hanukkah Spectacular,” directed by David Cromer, about four Jewish artists spending a long weekend trying to create a hit holiday show.
Of course, Washington has more than holiday-themed experiences on its calendar this weekend. Sammy Rae & The Friends bring soul-pop to the 9:30 Club, a new photography exhibition opens at the National Portrait Gallery, and the Wizards host the Rockets at the Capital One Arena.
We’ve rounded up 73 events worth knowing about this weekend. For the full picture, browse the Washington Times DC Events Calendar. Don’t forget to check the weather forecast before you leave — colder air will be moving in this weekend!
People were interested in these podcasts
Theater & Performing Arts
Nikola: A New Musical — A world-premiere musical about inventor Nikola Tesla, with book, music, and lyrics by Nikko Benson and Benjamin Halstead, directed by Marshall Pailet. More Info →
Through November 29, 2026 | Arena Stage — Kreeger Theater | From $59
Hundred Days — DC premiere of the Bengsons’ autobiographical folk-punk musical about falling in love and living as if you had only 100 days left. More Info →
Through November 15, 2026 | The Keegan Theatre | Tickets Required
All the World’s a Stage — Regional premiere of Adam Gwon’s musical about a closeted 1996 high-school teacher who mentors a student, a story about self-acceptance and the power of art. More Info →
Through December 20, 2026 | Signature Theatre — ARK Theatre | Tickets Required
Les Misérables — The blockbuster Boublil & Schönberg musical of revolution and redemption, directed by Stephen Brackett. More Info →
Through January 31, 2027 | Olney Theatre Center — Roberts Mainstage | Tickets Required
Sleepy Hollow (Arlington transfer) — Synetic’s wordless movement-theater take on the Washington Irving tale, transferring to its Arlington home after the Olney run. More Info →
Through November 22, 2026 | Synetic Theater — Thomas Jefferson Theatre | Tickets Required
My English Persian Kitchen — U.S. More Info →
Through December 6, 2026 | Mosaic Theater at Atlas Performing Arts Center | From $38
Prima Facie — Suzie Miller’s acclaimed one-woman legal drama about a rising criminal-defense attorney whose world is upended. More Info →
Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 17, 2027 | Arena Stage — Kogod Cradle | Tickets Required
Hanukkah Spectacular — A world premiere by Max Posner, directed by David Cromer: four Jewish artists spend a long weekend trying to create a hit holiday show about Hanukkah. More Info →
Nov 14 – Dec 13, 2026 | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company | Tickets Required
Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company — A flamenco showcase choreographed and directed by Edwin Aparicio with local and international dancers. More Info →
Nov 13–15, 2026 | GALA Hispanic Theatre | Tickets Required
Music & Concerts
Kennedy Center: Free Millennium Stage — The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage offers free performances Wednesday through Saturday at 6 PM in the Grand Foyer — music, dance, and theater from local and national artists. Performance Schedule →
Through December 31, 2026 | Kennedy Center Grand Foyer | Free
Washington National Opera: Madama Butterfly — WNO’s relocated, fully staged new Puccini production on a redesigned “Revolutionary Stage” thrust into the audience on three sides, with café- and theater-style seating. More Info →
Through November 20, 2026 | DAR Constitution Hall | From $57.60
Sammy Rae & The Friends — The high-energy soul-pop collective plays a three-night stand. More Info →
Through November 14, 2026 | 9:30 Club | Tickets Required
Sports
Ice Skating at Reston Town Center — An outdoor rink at the center of the Town Center pavilion, ringed by shops and restaurants, with skate rentals and lessons available. More Info →
Through March 14, 2027 | Reston Town Center Pavilion, Reston, VA | Tickets Required
Washington Wizards vs. Houston Rockets — The Wizards host the Houston Rockets at Capital One Arena. More Info →
Nov 15, 2026, 7 PM | Capital One Arena | Tickets Required
Festivals & Free Events
Holidays at National Harbor: Festive Fireworks & Christmas Market — Waterfront holiday Saturdays with evening fireworks over the Potomac and a rotating artisan Christmas market and holiday craft show. More Info →
Through December 26, 2026 | National Harbor, Oxon Hill, MD | Free
DowntownDC Holiday Market — An open-air European-style market with 100+ local artisans selling handcrafted gifts plus seasonal food and drink, steps from Gallery Place-Chinatown. More Info →
Nov 13 – Dec 23, 2026 | F Street NW (7th–9th Sts), Downtown DC | Free
Museums & Exhibitions
A South Forty: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South — Surveys place-based contemporary Southern architecture and civic design from 1990 onward, attentive to climate, materials, and labor. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen — A major solo exhibition by celebrated American artist Adam Pendleton at the Hirshhorn Museum, exploring themes of Blackness, abstraction, and language through paintings, videos, and installations. Museum Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | Hirshhorn Museum | Free
Coming Together: Reimagining the American Downtown — Explores how U.S. More Info →
Through November 30, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
Holocaust Museum: Americans and the Holocaust — A powerful permanent exhibition examining the American response to Nazism and the refugee crisis of the 1930s and 1940s. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Free (timed passes recommended)
International Spy Museum — The world most visited spy museum explores the real world of espionage through immersive exhibitions, artifact-packed galleries, and hands-on experiences across 140,000 square feet. Get Tickets →
Through December 31, 2026 | International Spy Museum | From $24.95
America’s Presidents — The National Portrait Gallery’s signature exhibition of presidential portraits, tracing American leadership from George Washington to the present. Gallery Hours →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
National Museum of African American History: Power of Place — The newest Smithsonian museum presents Power of Place — a landmark exhibition exploring how African American communities have shaped and been shaped by the places they call home. Reserve Passes →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
Nick Cave: Mammoth — Internationally renowned artist Nick Cave explores the entanglement of land and race in American consciousness. Museum Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | Smithsonian American Art Museum | Free
Star Power: Hollywood Photographs by George Hurrell (A Sequel) — Following the success of the first installment, the National Portrait Gallery presents a sequel exhibition of George Hurrell’s iconic Hollywood glamour photographs from the Golden Age of cinema. Gallery Info →
Through January 10, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Carlotta Corpron: Light Is a Plastic Medium — A career survey of pioneering American abstract photographer Carlotta Corpron (1901–1988), drawn largely from a recent gift to the Hirshhorn. More Info →
Through January 31, 2027 | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Free
The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph x Fry & Welch — Examines the design and cultural significance of Tuskegee University’s landmark chapel, with models, masonry replicas, Ezra Stoller photography, and a robotically-laid brick sculpture. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Building Museum | From $19
A Better Life for Their Children — Chronicles the extraordinary partnership between Sears Roebuck founder Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Museum Info →
Through January 31, 2027 | National Building Museum | Admission Required
Camouflage: Designed to Deceive — An immersive exhibit tracing camouflage from nature to the battlefield, connecting biological deception to espionage and modern military design (included with admission). More Info →
Through January 31, 2029 | International Spy Museum | Tickets Required
Busy Bliss: A Collector’s Passion — A Special Exhibitions Gallery show drawn from a collector’s passion, on view throughout fall 2026. More Info →
Through February 28, 2027 | Dumbarton Oaks | Free
Insular Horizons: Travel and the Environmental Imagination on Crete, 1598–1845 — A Rare Books Gallery exhibition examining travel and the environmental imagination on the island of Crete across three centuries. More Info →
Through April 30, 2027 | Dumbarton Oaks | Free
Sky Hopinka: Kicking the Clouds — Through photographs, poems, and film, Indigenous artist Sky Hopinka connects family, language, place, and lived Native American experience in this solo presentation at the National Gallery. More Info →
Through December 6, 2026 | National Gallery of Art | Free
¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa — A new exhibition at the National Museum of the American Latino tracing the origins and cultural journey of salsa music and dance across Latin America, New York, and beyond. Museum Info →
Through October 18, 2028 | National Museum of the American Latino (in NMAH building) | Free
Free and Independent: A Celebration of the Declaration — A major special exhibition at the National Archives Museum explores the story behind the Declaration of Independence — how it came to be, how it has been preserved for 250 years, and how the U.S. More Info →
Through July 5, 2027 | National Archives Museum | Free
Bison: Standing Strong — A major Smithsonian exhibition on the American bison with an immersive prairie soundscape and three larger-than-life bronze bison sculptures outside. Museum Info →
Through May 1, 2029 | National Museum of Natural History | Free
In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness — The Smithsonian’s America250 centerpiece: 250 objects spanning the nation’s full 250-year history across all three floors, including the original Star-Spangled Banner and Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk (note: on display at the Smithsonian Castle Jun 2–Jul 26; a reproduction shown in its place during that period). More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Museum of American History | Free
Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting — A survey of 100 years of Native painting — 50+ works by 46 artists — tracing how Native painters redefined Native art from the post–WWI era onward. More Info →
Through May 1, 2027 | National Museum of the American Indian | Free
American Icon: The US Flag in Art — Over 30 works from the late 1800s through today illustrating changing American interpretations of the flag, opening as part of the NGA’s America 250 programming on the same day as the gallery’s massive Block Party event. Gallery Info →
Through December 6, 2026 | National Gallery of Art, East Building | Free
Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design — A companion design show presenting abstract objects — chairs, rugs, textiles, lighting — by contemporary Black designers. More Info →
Through June 12, 2027 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
Revelation: A Journey into Abstraction — Explores abstract art by African American artists from the mid-20th century to today — 41 works by 38 artists including Alma Thomas, Gordon Parks, and Simone Leigh. More Info →
Through June 12, 2027 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Free (timed passes required)
From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage — A 250th-anniversary exhibition of 600+ specimens and cultural objects representing all 50 states, DC, and five territories, exploring where natural and cultural history meet. More Info →
Through December 31, 2029 | National Museum of Natural History | Free
The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees — Timed with the U.S. More Info →
Through June 6, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
The Declaration’s Promise — Opening in the David M. More Info →
Through January 8, 2027 | Library of Congress | Free
National Air & Space Museum: 50th Anniversary Galleries — Five major new galleries open simultaneously on the museum’s 50th birthday, including the Flight and the Arts Center — whose inaugural exhibition features 30 works by Robert Rauschenberg (on his centennial) exploring the artist’s relationship with NASA and aviation. Museum Info →
Through June 1, 2027 | National Air and Space Museum | Free
The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith — The third-century Megiddo mosaic, whose inscriptions are among the earliest physical evidence of Christian worship. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Museum of the Bible | Free
The Bible in Times of War — Military Bibles from America’s major conflicts paired with soldiers’ first-person accounts. More Info →
Through February 28, 2027 | Museum of the Bible | Tickets Required
Sacred Liberty — How biblical texts and ideas shaped the American founding era. More Info →
Through February 28, 2027 | Museum of the Bible | Free
Marlo Pascual: Making Something Out of Something — Pascual recontextualizes anonymous vintage photographs and found objects into sculptural tableaux. More Info →
Through February 28, 2027 | National Museum of Women in the Arts | Tickets Required
Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial — Photographs documenting communities across the United States during the nation’s bicentennial era, exploring how Americans defined themselves and their country. Learn More →
Through April 18, 2027 | Smithsonian American Art Museum | Free
Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California — More than 80 quilts tracing how Second Great Migration families carried textile traditions west. More Info →
Through January 17, 2027 | National Museum of Women in the Arts | Tickets Required
To Hear Her Speak: Black Women and Shakespeare — A new exhibition examining Black women’s relationship to Shakespeare across performance and history. More Info →
Through May 2, 2027 | Folger Shakespeare Library | Free
Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea — Explores the friendship among Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko through ~90 works inspired by summers on Cape Ann, Massachusetts (organized with the Cape Ann Museum). More Info →
Through January 24, 2027 | The Phillips Collection | From $20
At Home in Space — A new gallery exploring how humans live and work in space, opening as part of the museum’s ongoing renovation. More Info →
Through May 2, 2027 | National Air and Space Museum | Free (timed passes required)
Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Reopening (with Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness) — The Hiroshi Sugimoto–redesigned Sculpture Garden reopens after a multi-year renovation, debuting eight major new acquisitions plus Yoshitomo Nara’s inaugural West Lawn installation of three monumental aluminum heads. More Info →
Through November 7, 2027 | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Free
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours — Join a volunteer docent on select Sundays and Thursdays for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish. More Info →
Through December 20, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery — F Street Lobby | Free
Materials, Methods and Meanings: Craft in the Archives of American Art — Archival material on American craft practice, programmed alongside the Renwick’s craft initiative. More Info →
Through April 16, 2027 | Archives of American Art, Victor Building | Free
Art Walk — A themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection, where educators encourage participants to look closely, sketch and make connections. More Info →
Through December 19, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery — G Street Lobby | Free
Art Studio — A free drop-in art program where visitors of all ages explore a different artistic medium each Saturday, drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. More Info →
Through December 19, 2026 | National Portrait Gallery — Education Center, E151 | Free
Modern Military Aviation — A new permanent gallery on Cold War–to–present military aviation, anchored by an animated global map of U.S. More Info →
Through November 11, 2027 | National Air and Space Museum | Free (timed passes required)
Handwork: Contemporary Craft — A collection reinstallation of 50+ handmade works in clay, fiber, glass, metal, paper, and wood, tied to the Craft in America “Handwork 2026” initiative. More Info →
Opens Nov 13, 2026 | Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum | Free
Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery — Marking the 50th anniversary of the museum’s photographs collection, 100+ works trace portrait photography from the daguerreotype era to the digital age. More Info →
Nov 14, 2026 – Nov 7, 2027 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
Special Events
DC250 Programming — DC serves as the epicenter for America’s semiquincentennial celebration with special programming, exhibitions, and events. DC250 Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Various Locations | Varies
National Harbor Holiday Tree Light Show — A 60-foot RGB tree whose half-hourly light show is set to music by the U.S. More Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | National Harbor — The Belvedere, Oxon Hill, MD | Free
Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights — A half-mile walking trail through the botanical gardens lined with animated light displays, including a fountain, tunnel and lakeside scenes. More Info →
Through January 3, 2027 | Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA | Tickets Required
Bull Run Festival of Lights — A 2.5-mile drive-through of holiday and fairytale light vignettes, with a carnival, Santa and funnel cakes at the exit. More Info →
Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027 | Bull Run Regional Park, Centreville, VA | Tickets Required
CityCenterDC Holiday Tree Lighting — Lighting of a 75-foot tree with live music, family activities, and the Palmer Alley light installation. More Info →
Nov 14, 2026, 5–7 PM | CityCenterDC — The Park at CityCenter | Free
ICE! featuring How the Grinch Stole Christmas — The signature walk-through attraction features 2+ million pounds of hand-carved ice in a 9-degree hall, this year themed to the Grinch, plus tubing and more. More Info →
Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027 | Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor, MD | Tickets Required
Eastern Market — Historic public market with local farmers, artisans, and crafters. Market Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Eastern Market, Capitol Hill | Free Entry
DC Farmers Markets — DC vibrant farmers market scene runs year-round. Market Locations →
Through December 31, 2026 | Various DC Neighborhoods | Free Entry
Meridian Hill Park Drum Circle — Every Sunday afternoon, Meridian Hill Park hosts one of DC most enduring community traditions — a spontaneous drum circle drawing dozens of drummers and hundreds of participants. Park Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Meridian Hill Park (Malcolm X Park) | Free
Tidal Basin & Cherry Trees — Nearly 4,000 cherry trees surround the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK Memorials. NPS Cherry Blossom Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Tidal Basin | Free
Georgetown Waterfront — Stroll the C&O Canal towpath, explore boutique shopping, and dine at waterfront restaurants with Potomac River views. Georgetown Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | Georgetown | Free
National Geographic Museum of Exploration — Grand Opening — The brand-new 100,000-square-foot National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens June 26 at the organization’s historic DC campus. More Info →
Through December 31, 2026 | National Geographic Society HQ, 1600 M St NW | From $22.99
Event dates, times, and prices are subject to change. Please verify details directly with venues before attending.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.