29 Things to Do in the DC Area This Weekend: “Frozen” the Musical, Phillips After 5, and Winter Walk of Lights

Happy New Year, DC!

Dive into New Year’s fun this weekend at an after-hours vision board party, or sing along with the entire family to Disney’s Frozen musical at Kennedy Center.

Best Things to Do This Weekend

January 4-January 7

1. Disney’s “Frozen” musical. Sing along to all of your favorite Disney Frozen hits as the musical rendition brings Elsa and Olaf to life on the Opera House stage at the Kennedy Center. The live production includes original scores from the film, as well as new songs written for the Broadway revival. The wintery tale is recommended for ages six and older (through January 21, $35+, Kennedy Center).
2. Phillips After 5. It’s a new year so why not celebrate a new you? Make vision boards in The Phillips Collection galleries to set goals for 2024 while sipping mocktails, eating caviar nachos, and grooving to jazzy hip-hop tunes played by Nag Champa Art Ensemble. The After 5 affair will teach you how to make cutting-edge AI images, too (Thurs, $20, Dupont).
3. Winter Walk of Lights. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens has transformed into a half-mile-plus animated light show. Stop into the gazebo for stunning views reflected on the lake, or warm up with roasted s’mores and hot cocoa near the fire before the experience closes this weekend (through Sun, $18, Vienna).
4. ArtWalk Dupont. Start 2024 with a self-guided art stroll. The first ArtWalk Dupont of the year takes place this weekend, featuring design, sculpture, photography, painting, live performance, and more artistic endeavors at embassies, galleries, and cultural centers (Fri, free, Dupont).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• Gateway Arts Center is showing surf-themed films all month. You can watch the ’60s documentary The Endless Summer this weekend (Thurs, free, Brentwood).
• Have an evening of poetry with KaNikki Jakarta at the Athenaeum (Thurs, donations welcome, Alexandria).
• Visit the pop-up exhibition “Shift and Conserve” on the National Mall to engage in wilderness conservation (through Sun, free, National Mall).
• View works by incarcerated artists at the new “Prison Reimagined” exhibit at President Lincoln’s Cottage (Fri through February 19, $10 for admission, $15 for guided tour, Brookland).
• Attend the opening reception of Lexi Arrietta’s “The Doubling Woods” exhibit (Fri, free, Takoma Park).
• Relax at a guided meditative yoga session surrounded by Mark Rothko color field paintings (Sat, free, National Gallery of Art).
• Author Michelle Hord discusses her motivational book The Other Side of Yet at the library (Sat, free, MLK Library).

Community:

• Catholic University professor Michael Kimmage leads a Profs and Pints DC lecture on the state of Ukraine (Thurs, $14, Capitol Hill).
• Create smart money habits with Vivian Tu at Miracle Theatre (Sat, $29, Capitol Hill).

Theater and shows:

• See the regional premiere of the one-woman show How to Be a Korean Woman at Theater J (Thurs through January 14, $5+ pay-what-you-can, Northwest DC).
• You’ll get a chance to laugh with five comics at DC Improv’s weekend comedy showcase (Thurs-Sat, $22+, Downtown).
• The 13th Annual Elvis Birthday Fight Club is a bizarre local tradition featuring Elvis-themed burlesque and staged fights (Fri-Sat, January 12-13, $33+, Columbia Heights, Baltimore).
• There will be three rounds of trivia, and stand-up comedy at Highline RxR (Sat, $15+, Arlington).

Music and concerts:

• Listen to live music at Hi-Lawn all month long (every Thurs, free, Union Market).
• UCB Live Band plays go-go beats at Songbyrd (Thurs, $15+, Northeast DC).
• Local music group Part Carbon celebrates their debut EP at DC9 Nightclub (Fri, $15, U Street).
• Alexandria rock band Hanoi Ragmen plays at Songbyrd (Fri, $13+, Northeast DC).
• Blues and rock ‘n’ roll mixes are highlights of Red Medicine’s show at DC9 Nightclub (Sat, $15, U Street).
• Square dance into the New Year with your neighbors (Sat, $10, Northwest DC).
• Experience live bands performing jazz, blues, funk, Latin, and other music genres at Creative Cauldron’s Passport to the World of Music (Sat, $25+ for in-person, $15 for virtual, Falls Church).

Budget-friendly:

• Put your Game of Thrones knowledge to the test at Atlas Brew Works’ first trivia night of the year (Thurs, free, Ivy City).
• It’s the last call for Georgetown Glow. See the festive illuminations and creative art installations at this outdoor experience (closes Sun, free, Georgetown).
• Shop vintage clothing, accessories, and disco balls at Miss Pixie’s (Sun, free, Northwest DC).

Things to do with kids:

• Kids can see a two-person version of the stage play The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe at Adventure Theatre (closes Sun,  $25, Glen Echo).
• Make art, watch movies, and listen to live storytelling with your little ones (Sat, free, National Gallery of Art).

If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.

Briana Thomas

Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.