Every Thursday, we share weekend events happening around the city. Are you planning an event you’d like us to consider for this roundup? Send it to our team using this form. Find more events in our Civics Roundup, which focuses on ways to get more involved locally.
One way to cope when the world feels uncertain: Root yourself in community. From trash cleanups and a teach-in to a rock rave or jazz jam, we hope this holiday weekend’s selected events will reinvigorate you — and maybe even reignite your dreams for a better future.
ONGOING
The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art 📍 National Gallery of Art’s East Building (4th St. and Constitution Ave. NW) ⏰ Through March 1, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 💸 FREE The NGA is the first tour stop for North America’s largest-ever exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Marvel at ochre paintings, maps made of dots, and contemporary video and photography — more than 200 works in all, including many pieces that have never left Australia. No special passes are required for this exhibit.
Freedom & Resistance: Inspired by The 1619 Project 📍 MLK Library (901 G St. NW) ⏰ Jan 16 - March 15 💸 FREE From Friday through Black History Month, the downtown library features a special exhibition connecting the 2024 book The 1619 Project: A Visual Experience to D.C. history and culture. Friday’s opening salon is sold out, but throughout this weekend you can still view contributions from ten artists on the themes of “freedom and resistance” alongside work submitted by D.C. youth.
THURSDAY, JAN. 15
2026 DMV D&D Kick-Off 📍 Andy’s Pizza NoMa (51 M St. NE) ⏰ 6 - 9 p.m. 💸 FREE More than 2,000 locals are part of the DMV D&D Group on Meetup. The collective is kicking off the year with a happy hour that includes a sneak peak at their big plans for events this year. Meet other tabletop gamers, join up with a new party — or, if you metaphorically roll a Nat 20, you could win a “nerdy prize.”
Author Event: Nicole Glover’s The Starseekers 📍 East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) or virtual via Zoom ⏰ 7 p.m. 💸 FREE If you’re looking for your next read, how does “Indiana Jones meets Hidden Figures” sound? Fantasy and speculative fiction author Nicole Glover joins Maryland writer Leslye Penelope for a conversation about her latest novel, which imagines a world where Black magic won the space race.
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
We meant it: The downtown library's event lineup is packed this weekend. (Elvert Barnes/Flickr)
Concert: Mac N' Toss w/ RenRiot, Petrichor 📍 Pie Shop (1339 H St. NE) ⏰ 7:30 pm doors, 8 p.m. show 💸 $18.35 advance, $21.40 day-of-show Have some rage to let out at the end of this week? Three local rock bands take the stage Friday night on H St. NE, evoking D.C.’s history of political punk. Headbang, rock out, and connect with others while you dine on pie and rage against the machine.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
Bundle up and get hype for a cleanup celebration this weekend. (Andy Feliciotti/Unsplash)
Anniversary Cleanup and Celebration 📍 The U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool (3rd St. NW between Pennsylvania Ave. NW and Maryland Ave. NW) ⏰ 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 💸 FREE Celebrate five years of District Cleanups by, you guessed it, volunteering to keep D.C. clean. Sister organization NOVA Cleanups will be joining, and after the work is done, you can celebrate another victory over litter at Hawk N Dove on Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
Closing Reception: Terence Nicholson’s “In No Certain Order” 📍 Honfleur Gallery (1241 Marion Barry Avenue SE) ⏰ 3 - 5 p.m. 💸 FREE On the last day of his solo art show, join Terence Nicholson for a conversation about the experimental exhibition. At Honfleur Gallery, the D.C. native and multidisciplinary artist explored new media, risk, and materiality. Light refreshments will be served.
SUNDAY, JAN. 18
Haydee’s Restaurant’s Sunday night jazz jams are a Mount Pleasant fixture. (anokarina/Flickr)
Author Event: W. Ralph Eubanks’ When It's Darkness on the Delta 📍 Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰ 5 p.m. 💸 FREE In conversation with The Atlantic’s Vann R. Newkirk II, author and essayist W. Ralph Eubanks discusses his new book reexamining the history of the Mississippi Delta, from damaging segregationist policies to the organizers fighting for a better, more equitable Mississippi. As is usual for the bookstore’s author events, seating is first come, first serve.
DC Jazz Jam goes Brazilian/Latin 📍 Haydee’s Restaurant (3102 Mount Pleasant St. NW) ⏰ 6:30 - 9 p.m. 💸 FREE (requested two-item minimum) You can catch live jazz for free every Sunday in Mount Pleasant, where this group has been organizing a weekly performance since 2009, often featuring 20+ local musicians! This Sunday offers the rhythm and vibes of Brazil thanks to a special visit from The Baião Project, as well as a holiday-based excuse to stay out later than usual.
MONDAY, JAN. 19
Have the day off? Spend part of it cleaning up the Anacostia River. (deckerme/Flickr)
Anacostia River Cleanup 📍 Pope Branch Park (2800 Fairlawn Ave. SE) ⏰ 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 💸 FREE Come rain or shine, join Anacostia Riverkeeper and the Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance on this MLK Day of Service to clean up the Anacostia River. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you can get dirty to help make the river safer for fishing and swimming. Don’t forget to sign the waiver!
A Celebration of DC Home Rule 📍 MLK Jr. Library (901 G St. NW) ⏰ 2 - 3 p.m. 💸 FREE Part of the MLK library’s planned slate of holiday activities, this panel and performance in partnership with the DC History Center and the Mosaic Theater features music from Young John Lewis, coming this spring, and a conversation with local activists fighting for our self-governance.
MLK Day Teach-In 📍 Sankofa Video Books & Cafe (2714 Georgia Ave. NW) ⏰ 6 - 8 p.m. 💸 FREE This is a weekend to learn about, better understand, and be inspired by the struggle towards a better tomorrow. Join the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in learning about Black liberation movements and the fight for community control of police systems. Organizers KB and Amber-Jane Jones will moderate the event, which features a conversation with Frank Chapman, an activist and executive director of the local group’s national organization. Registration is required.
Film screening: The Human Tornado 📍 Stoney’s on P St. (1433 P. St. NW) ⏰ 6:30 - 9 p.m. 💸 FREE The Washington Psychotronic Film Society, which dates back to 1989, regularly shows “movies of peculiar interest” upstairs at this Dupont bar. As a “MLK Jr. Day miracle,” catch a screening of a classic ‘70s blaxploitation film — a follow-up to Dolemite where the titular star takes on the mob while taking names and kicking butt.
Aaron Wright is an up-and-coming journalist in the DMV area. He's written about Black history, government policy, comic book characters, and more. Aaron has written for the Baltimore Beat, Encyclopedia Britannica, the Baltimore Banner, and more.
You may be tempted to stay home and curl up under a blanket this weekend. But that would be a mistake when D.C. is alive — from a comedy show and clothing swap to hip-hop meditation.
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