Things to Do

24 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend

Downtown DC Holiday Market, Veteran's Day celebrations, and Matteo Lane standup are great activities.

Written by | Published on
The Downtown Holiday Market spans two DC blocks. Photograph courtesy of Downtown Holiday Market.

Good day, DC!

If you’d like to start your holiday shopping early, a few gift markets kick off around town this week. Also, the National Air and Space Museum has a new military aviation exhibit opening on Veteran’s Day, and Matteo Lane performs standup at the Warner Theatre this weekend.

 

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

November 9–15

    1. Downtown DC Holiday Market. The Makers Show is setting up shopping stalls downtown across two blocks of F Street, from 7th to 9th streets, Northwest, with glimmering lights and wintertime goodies. The outdoor holiday shopping village is a great place to find presents such as jewelry, decor, toys, and more. Plus, there’s s’mores, waffles, BBQ, and other indulgences to snack on while you shop (Fri-December 23, free, Downtown).
    2. “Modern Military Aviation” exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum. Starting on Veteran’s Day, museum-goers can check out aviation artifacts at a new Air and Space museum permanent exhibition. “Modern Military Aviation” traces the development of military aircraft, missiles, and technologies dating back to the Cold War (opens Wed, free, timed-entry pass required, National Air and Space Museum).
    3. Matteo Lane comedy show. Sharp-witted comic Matteo Lane brings his unfiltered, personal storytelling to the Warner Theatre for an evening of standup (Sat, $53+, Warner Theatre).
    4.  My English Persian Kitchen play. Get tickets to this one-woman show at Mosaic Theater. Audiences hear the story of a woman resettling in England and later Belfast, after fleeing her home in Iran, all while she cooks traditional Persian noodle soup live on stage (Thurs-December 6, $62+, H Street Corridor).
    5. DC Holiday Market. Diverse Markets Management’s glowing DC Holiday Market returns to Dupont Circle, along New Hampshire Ave. Shoppers can snack on Migue’s Mini Donuts and Capital Candy Jar’s hot roasted nuts while browsing seasonal goods from more than 35 small businesses (Thurs-December 23, free, Dupont Circle).
Related
November Culture Guide: 44 Things to Do in the DC Area

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

  • Artist Holly Bass and National Gallery of Art curator Kanitra Fletcher discuss migration and history (Wed, $25, National Museum of Women in the Arts).
  • DC artists lead a panel on photographing the District (Thurs, free, Capitol Riverfront).
  • The New Yorker writer Nick Paumgarten talks through his witty debut memoir about hockey and fatherhood (Thurs, free, Northwest DC).
  • Local filmmakers get the spotlight at Alexandria Film Festival (Fri-Sun, $80 festival pass, Alexandria).
  • Handmade crafts by Roberto Benavidez, Angela Ellsworth, and other artists are on display at the Renwick Gallery (opens Fri, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
  • Shop cards, soap, scarves, and more holiday finds at Friendship Heights Holiday Makers Market & Festival (Sat, free, Friendship Heights).

Community and heritage:

  • Photographers, conservationists, and scientists deliver three-minute “lightning” talks about their work, at National Geographic’s Museum of Exploration (Tues, $20, Downtown).
  • Lay a wreath at the National World War II Memorial’s Freedom Wall this Veteran’s Day (Wed, free, National Mall).
  • Join a Veteran’s Day concert featuring the US Coast Guard Band and the US Air Force Singing Sergeants at Arlington National Cemetery (Wed, free, Arlington).
  • Honor the US Bureau of Colored Troops at the annual Reading of the Names ceremony (Wed, free, U Street Corridor).

Theater and shows:

  • Get into the holiday spirit at Hanukkah Spectacular, a comedy in which a group of Jewish artists work to create a profitable hit play about Hanukkah (Sat-December 13, $20+, Penn Quarter).

Music and concerts:

  • London band The Tubs play live at Songbyrd Music House (Mon, $20+, Union Market).
  • Dance along The Yards’ boardwalk in cowboy boots to live country music (Sat, free, Navy Yard).

Get involved:

  • Wine and Dine at the Four Seasons for a good cause. The event’s chef stations, passed hors d’oeuvres, and pours of wine help raise funds for Medstar Georgetown Cancer Institute (Thurs-Fri, $250+, Georgetown).
  • Feast on endless bites at Capital Food Fight to support DC Central Kitchen’s mission to combat hunger (Thurs, $350+, Wharf).
  • Sit in on a conversation about homelessness, and watch a film about the services St. Ann’s Center provides to families (Thurs, free, donations welcome, Georgetown).

Things to do with kids:

  • “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is the theme of this year’s ICE! attraction at National Harbor (Sat-January 3, 2027, $41+, National Harbor).
  • Grammy-winning singer JoJo will perform at the illumination of CityCenterDC’s 78-foot holiday tree; there’s face painting and balloon animals for kids, too (Sat, free, Downtown).

Plan ahead:

  • Tickets for actor Ilana Glazer’s latest standup hour are going fast. Snag tickets to her second show before it sells out (November 20, $40+, Lincoln Theatre).

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.

More:
Join the conversation!
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.