We’re doing it again! Come to our Repeal Day Tour, with Union Pub and Barrel, on December 5. Buy tickets here!
The Capitol Hill BID Holiday Tree Lighting happens on Saturday, November 23 at 5:30 p.m. Come celebrate our awesome community and enjoy hot cocoa, talented kids from CHAW and LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS! For more info, click here.
Right before the tree lighting, check out East City Art’s Risoprint Fair at Eastern Market’s North Hall. The fair starts at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday and you can check out the list of contributors here.
Over at Lincoln Park, enjoy the Family Festival Day starting at 11 a.m. Dance, do yoga, enjoy games and more! For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.
Want to arrive to the Family Festival Day in style? Then join Hill Family Biking’s Little Ride! More information here and here.
Craving more art (and a jump on your holiday shopping)? Eastern Market Pottery (at the basement at Eastern Market, entrance on C Street SE) is having their Student Sale! Buy beautiful and truly one-of-a-kind pieces this Sunday, November 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information click here and scroll down.
Starting Thanksgiving Day, swing by the United States Botanic Garden to see their model trains and themed plant decorations in full swing! Seasons Greenings is one of those DC traditions that are worth wading through the tourists for, especially on Tuesday and Thursday evenings: On December 10, 12, 17, 19, and 26, the Conservatory and train display will be open until 8 p.m. and there will be live seasonal music to enjoy!
Get ready for Better Together, throughout the Hill and beyond! Starting November 29 (a.k.a. Black Friday), your qualifyng purchases at local participating establishments get you gift cards to other participating establishments! Shop locally, celebrate locally! Click here for more information.
Need a good cry? Mosaic Theater has you covered with their latest production, The Art of Care.Mosaic Theater operates out of Atlas Performing Arts Center on 13th and H NE. Learn more about the production here and get tickets here.
Mini Review: The Art of Care is a deeply intimate play, blending artists’ lived experiences with the universal theme of caring for people. What does care look like? Seven local artists explore what that deep, intimate and vulnerable bond looks like, as they try to give shape to what it means to care for someone through the words of health professionals, family members, and loved ones. The result is a fragile, emotional web of love and loss that will resonate with audience members willing to let these stories touch them deeply. Whatever you do, bring tissues.
Still in the spooky mood? Lykos Anthropos runs through November 24 and you can get tickets here. Make sure you are prepared to walk in the dark and bring a folding chair or a sturdy picnic blanket because the play runs 75 minutes with no intermission. May we also recommend you bring a fully charged phone so you can use your flashlight, just in case?
Want to catch a movie? Then make it Daruma! This story, which brings actors with disabilities together in a plot that has nothing to do with overcoming said disabilities is now stream it via Amazon or AppleTV+ by clicking here.
Reminder: Lincoln Park will be closed through the end of November. From NPS: “Starting October 9, the north playground in Lincoln Park will be closed for maintenance. The National Park Service will replace the retaining wall, replace the gate latches, and complete other minor repairs such as power washing the playground equipment and touching up paint.” Updates can be found on NPS’s website.
Do you have a creative high schooler who may have a play just waiting to burst out of them? Then mention the Mosaic Theater 2025 High School Company Playwriting Contest to them! The contest is open to kids in grades 9-12 from all over the DC area. More information here.
Holiday Bar Season
Looking for Holiday-themed bars? Starting tonight, The Wharf has a Holly Jolly Pub popping up at The Brighton and it is super cute! Get tickets here.
Union Market also has a holiday pop-up bar called The Dome, but it’s so incredibly hyped that, unless you have some very savvy friends who already scored tickets weeks ago, good luck getting in. Still, holiday miracles exist, so here’s more info so you can add yourself to the waitlist.
OFF-HILL
My neighbors in love: WE HAVE DUELING HOLIDAY MARKETS BOTH OPENING TODAY THIS WEEKEND?! I wanted to hate it and be upset, but all this means is that now we have TWO magical and enchanting shopping destinations and more small businesses will have the chance to charm us:
- First, the city’s official Holiday Market decided to change managers and they opened with the Mayor today at noon and it’s big and beautiful and in its always-location, closing down the 700-900 blocks of F Street NW. You can make your plan and check that market out HERE.
- The original manager of the Holiday Market, Diverse Markets, decided to take things in stride and open their own Holday Market at Dupont Circle, at the 1500 block of 19th Street NW, behind Kramers Bookstore. You can find some of your favorite local vendors at this new spot, which continues the enduring tradition. This market ALSO opens today and you can make your plan HERE.
PLAN AHEAD
There are not just one but TWO events coming up with us at The Hill is Home. Stay tuned for ticketing details, coming soon!
- On December 5, join resident historian Robert Pohl for a special Repeal Day tour! We will start at Union Pub and end at Barrel and have cocktails at the beginning and the end. Yay! (See details above)
- On December 14, we will have a cookie exchange at Mr. Henry’s with our friend Capitol Jill! We will drink cider, eat cookies and take plates home. It’ll be grand!
Psst… do you love the holidays? Then make plans to enjoy them at the Hillwood Estate, starting November 26. More info here.
Don’t forget: the trains will return to the United States Botanic Garden starting Thanksgiving Day! More info on Seasons Greeningshere.
Looking to trim and flock your home? Then put the Brent Elementary Annual Holiday Sale on the calendar. Starting December 5, come by the Brent lot and pick your tree, garland or greenery! Want to make sure you get a gorgeous tree and have it delivered home? Then check out the pre-sale HERE! You can even donate a tree to a family, because Brent Elementary has partnered up with Everyone Home DC. If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, well, we’ll keep trying.
The next concert in the Chiarina series is with Grammy-winning musicians Imani Winds. They will be playing at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, December 8. More information and tickets here. And if you’re looking for ways to support the community, consider becoming a member of Chiarina by clicking here.
Craving Baroque music, specifically? Then the Mass for Christmas Eve at the Folger is the show for you. More information and tickets here.
Duke’s in Navy Yard is doing a *really cool* Narnia theme and we’ll give you one guess as to how you’ll have to enter the bar. Duke’s Dreamland starts on December 5 and the menu will be available on December 4!
The talented kids at Suart-Hobson Middle School are putting on Roald Dahl’s Matilda, December 6-8. Come support talented middle schoolers at our own Little Bit of Broadway on the Hill. Buy tickets here.
The 32nd Annual Holiday Boat Parade and Party is happening on December 7, from 6-8 p.m. Watch a magical riparian wonderland, enjoy fireworks and all the Wharf has to offer! Need more reasons? Here are a few more:
- Live performances from Yani the Band and The Experience Band & Show
- Holiday karaoke, crafts and a variety of family-friendly activities
- S’mores roasting by a wood-burning fire at Camp Wharf
- A photo-worthy 45-foot nautical-themed tree at District Pier
- Photos with Santa at The Grove.
- The Wharf’s Ice Rink at Transit Pier, the only over-water rink in The District and more!
Need a change of scene? Rosslyn, across the river, has a lot of holiday cheer planned! Check out the full slate of events here.
Art Enables will have their Holiday Market on December 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Support local artists, say hi to Santa, get your face painted and more! More info here.
Also on December 7, the Native Art Market is taking over the National Museum of the American Indian. More info here.
Want to meet Santa? Keep your eyes peeled but we hear he might visit a Hill restaurant on December 14, from 12 to 2 p.m. You’ll be able to have lunch with the big guy and get your picture taken!
Also on December 14, come exchange cookies with us and Capitol Jill Baking! More details soon.
On December 17-19, visit the Union Station Main Hall Holiday Market! From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., enjoy delightful finds and cocktails from the 1908 Lounge. More info here.