For one last weekend before Thanksgiving, D.C. is coming to life. We’re looking forward to a few favorite annual events, the ramp-up of holiday markets, and even a Queersgiving bringing together the community we need right now. Invite your friends out, or make a few new ones, as you officially kick off the holiday season.
THURSDAY, NOV. 20
Opera on Tap DC Metro presents: Fached-up Family Dynamics 📍The Wonderland Ballroom (1101 Kenyon St. NW) ⏰7 - 9 p.m 💸FREE, donations accepted You don’t have to go to the Kennedy Center (or elsewhere…) to experience opera — just to Columbia Heights, for one night only. What’s a “fach,” you may ask? It’s a system that classifies opera singers' voices, and at this show, singers will tackle songs outside their typical type.
Read the Room comedy show 📍DC Improv (1140 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰Doors 6:15 p.m., show 7:30 p.m. 💸$12.50 Settle in as Tim Miller and five other local comedians showcase their best crowd work, along with some prepared material. If you’re not too scared, sit near the front so you can be part of the show!
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
The Downtown DC holiday market opens for the season on Friday night. (Kristen Franklin/Storybox Photography)
Jane Coffee and Matcha Pop-up 📍Lyle DC (1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW) ⏰11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 💸$8-11 If you need a midday pick-up before exploring an art fair or holiday market, why not try a unique-flavored drink, like thai tea matcha cream and black sesame? This coffee and matcha pop-up at a Dupont hotel offers both.
Umbrella Art Fair 📍1850 K St. NW ⏰6 - 10 p.m. (continues through Sunday) 💸FREE Among the more than 100 exhibitors, you are bound to find an art piece you connect to. We recommend street art from Clarence James and mixed media by Jessica Valoris to add to your collection. As a bonus, join Our Daughter’s Futures on Saturday for an artist talk as they discuss the role of art in trying political environments. Here’s the full list of exhibitors.
Downtown DC Holiday Market 📍F St. NW (between 7th and 9th St. NW) ⏰12 - 8 p.m. (continues through December) 💸FREE The lights are up and the street outside the National Portrait Gallery is glittering again with the Downtown DC Holiday Market! Shop for alpaca hats from Winterborn Alpaca or indulge in chocolaty, chewy treats from S’mores and More while looking for unique gifts for your loved ones. It’s opening this Friday November 21, and going until December 23. Find the full list of vendors here.
ZooLights 📍Smithsonian National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰5 - 9:30 p.m. 💸$9 It’s that time of year again — and more significant with the loss of Boo at the Zoo. The annual holiday lights display runs from November 21 to January 3, and isn’t just for kids. Maybe you can get ahead of the crowds by visiting opening weekend?
SATURDAY, NOV. 22
Your family after the National Theatre’s capoeira workshop this Saturday. (United Nations Photo/Flickr)
DC Spirit NWSL Championship Watch Party 📍As You Are Bar (500 8th St SE) ⏰Doors at 7 p.m., game at 8 p.m. 💸FREE The Washington Spirit are headed to the National Women’s Soccer League Championship! Read Martin’s interview with team captain and goalie Aubrey Kingsbury, then join fans at As You Are to (fingers crossed) celebrate a win. Don’t live near Eastern Market? The game will also be shown at MetroBar, Dacha Beer Garden, and Her Diner.
Capoeira with EducArte 📍The National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) ⏰10 - 10:45 a.m. 💸FREE, with optional donation Bring your kids — especially those aged 3 to 6 — to experience traditional Brazilian martial art capoeira. Through play, practitioners will lead the whole family through movement, drumming, and call-and-response.
Cameras and Coffee with ProPhoto 📍Western Market (2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) ⏰10 a.m. - 12 p.m. 💸FREE Interested in photography? What better way to spend a Saturday morning than to swap skills and show off your recent projects with others who share your interest, while sipping a cup of coffee?
Queersgiving: Queer Community Thanksgiving Dinner 📍The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center (1827 Wiltberger St. NW) ⏰3 - 7 p.m. 💸FREE,donations accepted Bring your friends, family, chosen family, and a donation to the canned food drive! At a time when we could all use a little more community in our lives, influencer Bri Battle of @QueerTalkDC is hosting a FREE Thanksgiving dinner featuring food from MIXXED and Her Diner.
Cursed Daughters: Author Talk with Oyinkan Braithwaite 📍Politics and Prose Union Market (1324 4th St. NE) ⏰6 p.m. 💸FREE Oyinkan Braithwaite — author of darkly comic thriller My Sister, the Serial Killer — discusses her new book, Cursed Daughters, about two cousins handling a generations-long family curse in Lagos. After Monife’s death, Ebun gives birth to Monife’s doppelganger, who fights to change her fate.
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
Planet Word hosts a special event on visual storytelling this Sunday. (Sophia Sherman/Flickr)
Falling For Myself Self-Love Market 📍Femme Fatale (3409 Connecticut Ave. NW) ⏰11 a.m. - 4 p.m. 💸FREE There is no shortage of vintage shops and markets around the city, but this one promises clothing in a wide range of sizes. Come ready to not only shop but also listen to DJ M$NP, sip on coffee, and grab pastries from Toimoi Bakery.
Between the Lines with Jason Reynolds and Dr. LaCharles Ward 📍Planet Word Museum (925 13th St. NW) ⏰4 - 6 p.m. 💸FREE Learn about visual storytelling, Black history, and avoiding being fooled by deep fakes in a conversation between bestselling local author Jason Reynolds and Dr. LaCharles Ward, a photography curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Emma Akpan is an arts and culture writer in Washington, DC. She writes about the intersections of religion, reproductive justice, race, and art. Her writing has appeared in Rewire News, Reckon Magazine, New City Art amongst other publications.
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