Weekend picks in and around Washington, DC

We are keeping this post short and sweet- as we have a lengthy Hanukkah post coming to you tomorrow with many ways to spend your Sunday which is the first night of Hanukkah! If you are doing any Black Friday shopping, Kiwi Co has great deals today, use this link for $10 off whatever other discount you receive.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical at The National now through December 5, 2021. We highly recommend this to families with kids ages 4+. Important Information from the Covid-19 Information Center at The National can be found here.

WinterFest kicks off with the start of the Yeti Scavenger Hunt, featuring creative tasks and trivia throughout Tenleytown, and Winter Feast restaurant specials at 13 area restaurants. Eat out all week long with deals at Bandit Taco, Confetti, Le Chat Noir, Le Kavacha Bistro, Masala Art, Nando’s PERi-PERi, Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza, Rome Pizza & Sub, SEOULSPICE, Spring Garden, Steak-n-Egg, Tartufo Restaurant, and Z-Burger. Saturday, join Small Business Saturday to celebrate Tenleytown’s amazing small and local businesses. Stop by the welcome station from noon to 3 pm at 4748 Wisconsin Avenue for special giveaways that will inspire you to Shop Small! Then come out for Carols & Cocoa at Fessenden Park at 3 pm. All are welcome at this inclusive, non-denominational community sing, featuring Meadowlark Music.

Enchant Christmas: The Mischievous Elf is at Nationals Park through January 2, 2022. The magical World of Enchant is filled with dazzling displays that feel like they come right out of a childhood Christmas dream. Marvel at the 100 ft. animated tree, glide across the glistening Ice Skating Trail, pose for photos with Santa himself, and sip and savor delicious festive holiday treats every step of the way. Become part of the magical Christmas story of “The Mischievous Elf”. Eddie the elf has misplaced some very important gifts and needs your help finding them within the North Pole’s dazzling lights. Will you come and help save Christmas?

Christmas at the Gaylord now through December 31, 2021. There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than gathering your family at Gaylord National. Explore acres of twinkling lights and decorations and hours of exciting holiday activities, shows, and events, including our Gaylord Hotels Original Experience, I Love Christmas Movies™ featuring five beloved films. See this list of all of the fun activities.

Visit George Washington’s estate this holiday season. Join us for special evening events or take part in holiday activities during daytime admission at Christmas at Mount Vernon.

Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume made it’s debut at The Kennedy Center yesterday. New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander brings two of his beloved children’s books—Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume—to the stage. Alexander teams up with his writing partner Mary Rand Hess and long-time musical collaborator Randy Preston to tell a story about being scared, being brave, and believing in yourself. With special guests like Duck Ellington and Ms. Dairy Parton—plus Preston appearing as Acoustic Rooster—this musical adaptation will have children (and families) dancing in their seats. Most enjoyed by ages 5+.

All aboard! The B&O Railroad Museum is celebrating the return of THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride in Baltimore beginning Friday, November 19^th and continuing through December 12^th. Gold class tickets are already sold out. The remaining silver and bronze tickets are flying faster than Santa’s reindeer! Climb aboard The Polar Express to create a Christmas memory that you and your family will cherish forever. Come in your pajamas as a family to watch the live performance of the The Polar Express. The performance will begin in our North Car Shop where you will be invited onto the Polar Express to travel by train to the North Pole. Once on the Polar Express, the classic Christmas tale will be performed, and little ones will have the opportunity to meet Santa and receive their first gift of Christmas!

Get three shows for the price of one! Winterfest at Adventure Theatre brings favorites from the digital Jingle in July festival to the live stage. Snowflakes, frost, and fantasy abound in Uri & Ora Light the Menorah by Robyn Shrater Seemann, Connection by Diego Maramba and Michelle Bowen, and Cranky Penguin by Keegan Patterson. Winterfest opens this Friday, November 19th, and runs through the holiday season until January 2nd.

S.P.I.E.S. & the Lost Treasure of Atlantis Imagination Stage virtual show is full of surprises, fun, and memorable characters. Each performance takes the cadets (audience) through a series of puzzles, codes, and challenges on a quest to help Spy Team 7 recover the stolen Heart of the Dragon from the evil Dr. Levinious. The experience is led by a hilarious improvisational actor playing the role of Pat, who interacts with individual spy cadets in the Zoom room. Part online escape room, part interactive game, this creative and immersive theatrical experience is a live virtual event perfect for ages 5+. Just $28 for the whole household!

LuminocCity Festival Holiday Lights at Roer’s Zoofari is inspired by the power and warmth of light overcoming the darkness, our theme this year is “Shine Again”! Lumi and the team have been hard at work preparing for this year’s immersive light festival!

The 17th Annual Downtown Holiday Market, Washington D.C.’s outdoor shopping village, kicks off the holiday season Friday, November 19. The beloved outdoor market continues to support small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region, welcoming shoppers for a safe, secure and enhanced shopping experience in the heart of the District this year.

DC’s Main Streets and commercial corridors have joined together to bring you a spectacular holiday experience: DC Holiday Lights. Between November 19 and January 6, take a stroll down each of the participating corridors below to experience a dazzling array of lights and decor. Then, cast your vote for the best decorated corridor!

Smithsonian FUTURES is part exhibition, part festival!. FUTURES presents nearly 32,000 square feet of new immersive site-specific art installations, interactives, working experiments, inventions, speculative designs, and “artifacts of the future,” as well as historic objects and discoveries from 23 of the Smithsonian’s museums, major initiatives, and research centers. Of the nearly 150 objects on view, several are making their public debut: an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rover from Alphabet’s X that could transform agriculture; a Planetary Society space sail for deep space travel; a Loon internet balloon; the first full-scale Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome built in North America; the world’s first controlled thermonuclear fusion device; and more.

Sunday– Hanukkah celebrations

Nov. 26 – Jan. 2: Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins at The Puppet Co.
Hershel just wants to celebrate Hanukkah with the community, but the Queen and King of the Goblins have forbidden the lighting of the candles. Can Hershel save the day and lift the curse for this shtetl (village)? Join during Hanukkah (November 28 – December 5) to take home a special gift.

Nov. 28 from 3:15pm – 5:45pm: National Menorah Lighting
The annual lighting ceremony of the National Chanukah Menorah, on the Ellipse, just across from the White House, helps launch and strengthen the celebration of “Chanukah – Festival of Lights” in all 50 states and over 100 countries globally. The National Menorah is honored to have the presence of the Military Bands of the Military District of Washington perform at the lighting ceremony, often accompanied by a celebrity Jewish artist. Prominent guests including the President, Vice President, members of the Cabinet, Congress and the diplomatic corps, as well as numerous senior Administration officials and international dignitaries and celebrities have participated in the ceremony. The event creates much joy and celebration throughout the entire Washington community and beyond. Music, food, entertainment and the “National Essay Winners” are main attractions of the National Menorah Ceremony.

Nov. 28 – Dec. 6 from 5:00pm-6:00pm: The Wharf Lighting of the Menorah
The Wharf is continuing the annual tradition of lighting the menorah in District Square for each night of Hanukkah. Come to The Wharf to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

Nov. 28 at 5:30pm: Chanukah Festival in Old Town, Alexandria
Join us as we celebrate the holiday of Chanukah! Enjoy delicious pre-packaged Latkes, hot cocoa, pre-packaged donuts and more!