ESMy plans 0Good plans. Local discoveries. A little more to look forward to.
A few plans we think deserve a place in your weekend. Make them your own.
01Explore approximately 70 photographs telling stories of Black identity and community in 19th- and early-20th-century America.
Free · no pass required
02The DowntownDC Holiday Market opens its season with local vendors and a festive stroll on F Street.
Free entry · purchases extra
Read the full planLights worth lingering over. Thoughtful little markets. An evening to remember. Our handpicked holiday plans for Washington, DC.
01Find something with a story
Nov 13 – Dec 23 · Mon–Thu noon–8pm · Fri–Sat 11am–9pm · Sun 11am–8pm · Downtown & Penn Quarter
A downtown wander among independent vendors, with holiday browsing that can be as modest or indulgent as you choose.
Free entry · purchases extra
Get the useful details
02Watch the waterfront light up
Dec 5 · activities from 5pm · boats 7pm · fireworks 8pm · Waterfront & Southeast
Lighted boats, a waterfront gathering and fireworks make a free December evening at The Wharf.
Free admission · food and drinks extra
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03A different night at the zoo
Nov 20 – Jan 3 · Selected nights · Georgetown & Northwest
An illuminated evening at the National Zoo, with timed entry and special nights worth choosing carefully.
$10 general admission · timed ticket required
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04A classic with room to feel it
Nov 19 – Dec 31 · Check session times · Downtown & Penn Quarter
Craig Wallace returns as Scrooge in Ford’s music-filled holiday production, with accessible performances clearly marked.
Paid tickets · prices vary by seat
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05A very Washington Nutcracker
Nov 28 – Dec 27 · Check session times · Downtown & Penn Quarter
Georgetown in 1882 and a George Washington Nutcracker give this holiday ballet a distinctly local setting.
Paid tickets · prices vary by seat
Get the useful detailsAn independent editorial selection. Dates and details reviewed November 6, 2026.
Explore the Holiday EditionA gallery afternoon. A market morning. A different side of the District.
104 local plans
AgnosticPreachersKid / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
Get into the championship spirit with soccer fans at The Wharf.
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
Discover the histories of White House residence staff in a talk and walking tour.
AgnosticPreachersKid / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
Walk through a glowing interactive candy-cane installation by the waterfront.
Preservation Maryland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
See Glen Echo Park’s historic carousel lit up for the holidays.
APK / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
Browse a holiday makers’ market and explore the museum for free.
Fuzheado / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · archival venue photograph, resized
Celebrate the lighting of CityCenterDC’s 78-foot holiday tree with music, balloon artists, face painting and seasonal treats. Activities start at 5pm and the tree-lighting countdown is at 6pm.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Watch model trains pass plant-built landmarks, then look closely at the natural materials hiding in the miniature scenery.
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Start Sunday with a browse, a pastry and something seasonal.
Archival location photograph
Choose a few favorites, cross to the East Building, and let art set the pace.
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Gather your people and let everyone choose their own next favorite bite.
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Watch boats on the Potomac and turn a Georgetown wander into a waterside pause.
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Take in the view along the Reflecting Pool, then pause inside the memorial.
Archival location photograph
Give an afternoon to stories that reshape how you see America.
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Follow everyday objects into the stories behind the nation.
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Let fossils, gems and the natural world lead your next family afternoon.
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Explore Native perspectives, contemporary voices and a striking museum building.
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Trade an ordinary afternoon for aircraft, spacecraft and big questions.
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Make room for a bold encounter with modern and contemporary art.
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Look closely at art that opens a window onto African creativity.
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Find a quiet museum escape through Asian art and design.
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Step into American art, then leave time to linger downtown.
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Meet familiar faces and discover the lives behind them.
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Make an unexpected family stop through mail, stamps and American stories.
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Explore the neighborhood stories that deserve more time and attention.
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Walk beneath aircraft and spacecraft on a bigger-than-usual museum day.
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Swap city streets for a warm conservatory and a world of plants.
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Make a little space for gardens, open skies and a slower walk.
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Spend an afternoon with work by women artists, then explore downtown.
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Find a more intimate art afternoon in Dupont Circle.
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Leave time for the architecture as well as the stories on display.
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Step inside the Capitol for a guided look at its public history.
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Make time for a thoughtful visit focused on remembrance and understanding.
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Meet working artists and browse studios beside the Alexandria waterfront.
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Find an absorbing museum detour on the Foggy Bottom campus.
Archival venue photograph; resized.
Look beyond the Mall for a different kind of art afternoon.
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Browse books and exhibitions, then linger on Capitol Hill.
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Make a downtown pause for books, exhibits and a public space worth exploring.
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Read the words, take your time, and continue beside the water.
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Walk through an open-air memorial that unfolds in rooms and reflections.
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Pause between the monuments for a quieter moment of remembrance.
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Look closely at the figures, the wall and the landscape around them.
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Make a short outdoor history stop near the Mall’s museums.
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Trade downtown traffic for a woodland trail and a little breathing room.
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Follow garden paths for an easy nature escape in the District.
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Cross the footbridge for woodland paths and a different view of the Potomac.
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Let the water set the pace, with room for a snack or a longer wander.
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Build a Saturday morning around local growers and a good market snack.
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Bring a tote and a little appetite to Veterans Plaza.
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Pick up seasonal ingredients and make a small downtown ritual.
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Pair a neighborhood stroll with a stop at local food stalls.
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Make Sunday a little fresher with a neighborhood farmers market.
Archival venue photograph; resized.
Try a night of independent music just off the U Street corridor.
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Find a quieter route through Georgetown beside the historic canal.
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Pair a house-museum visit with a slow walk through carefully tended gardens.
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Step away from busy Georgetown for a historic house and an unhurried garden visit.
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Try your hand at secrets, identities and the choices behind espionage.
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See the city differently through architecture, design and a spectacular Great Hall.
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Follow the sound of the river to dramatic overlooks and woodland paths.
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Explore an arts-filled park where a simple afternoon can become a creative detour.
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Make time for a respectful walk through one of the nation’s places of remembrance.
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Follow the river past public art, parks and places to stop for a small treat.
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Bring a picnic and watch aircraft rise and descend beside the Potomac.
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Find a neighborhood pause among terraces, paths and historic landscaping.
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Pause at the Lone Sailor and read the stories told around the outdoor plaza.
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Discover Chinese American stories in a smaller downtown museum.
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Explore the stories and spaces of the White House through an interactive museum visit.
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See the flag-raising sculpture and look back toward Washington from across the river.
Organizer or venue publicity image; original credit at linked source.
Make a quiet stop among sculpted lions and names remembered in stone.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Take an easy evening detour through a downtown park dressed in winter lights.
Max Posner · playwright portrait
Four theatre artists try to create a holiday hit as creative ambition and personal tensions share one conference room.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Trade the traditional holiday ballet for hip-hop choreography, a DJ and a fresh spin on Tchaikovsky.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Make a Friday night of stand-up with Ilana Glazer in the historic Lincoln Theatre.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Set aside a Saturday evening for Michelle Wolf’s sharp, candid stand-up at the Lincoln.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Hear a career-spanning set from They Might Be Giants, expanded with a three-piece horn section.
Archival performance in Austin, Texas, October22 2017; the upcoming Washington concert is not pictured. Resized.
Celebrate fifty years of Songs in the Key of Life with Stevie Wonder performing the album live.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Tour the lantern-lit estate and hear how Christmas was celebrated in eighteenth-century Virginia.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Explore art by women on the museum’s monthly free-admission days.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Browse local produce and baked goods on a relaxed Sunday at Mosaic District.
Organizer archive · event not pictured
Hear Gregory Porter and The String Queens at a benefit concert supporting local jazz education.
Bring any book to a two-hour reading party in the Great Hall.
Poet and novelist Rebecca Lehmann reads her own work alongside passages by Emily Dickinson in the Folger’s annual birthday tribute.
A sixteen-acre park above Georgetown preserves features of an earlier estate, including a ropewalk, garden structures and mature canopy trees.
Choose a manageable section of this shared walking and cycling route beside the Potomac, with views toward Washington’s skyline.
Start at the historic Great Falls Tavern on the Maryland side of the Potomac, then choose a canal-side walk or a falls overlook.
Explore the life of Frederick Douglass through the historic house, grounds, exhibits and introductory film at Cedar Hill.
Free galleries, outdoor landmarks and a few small treats: spend your day well.
Hands-on words, living things and a museum full of questions for your next family day.
Waterfront paths, wooded trails and moments of green between the monuments.
A different perspective on the capital, from intimate collections to neighborhood stages.
