>> Check out a slide show of ICE! and Christmas on the Potomac 

The Capital Weather Gang predicted some good snowfall for Washington this year, and if the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center has anything to do with it, they’ll be right.

The National Harbor hotel debuted its Christmas on the Potomac holiday event last night with a real snowfall inside its 18-story glass atrium. But that was just the beginning: The hotel will host more than 800 holiday events and displays this year, running almost continuously through early January.

“Our goal is to own Christmas in DC,” says general manager Phil Coffey.

How exactly? In addition to the indoor snowfall (6:15 and 9:15 nightly), the hotel has plugged in more than two million twinkling lights, erected a 60-foot Christmas tree made entirely of candy-like glass, created a fountain show choreographed to holiday music, hung 150-foot light banners to replicate the colors of the Northern Lights, and even built an indoor holiday train village. Though the tree will be lit every night at 6, the real pageantry will come on the weekends, when dancers and a choir join the festivities at 7 with a short holiday show of carols and traditional hymns.

Why let Michelle Kwan have all the fun? It’s the season for frosted festivities at area ice rinks. Take a break from the holiday bustle to work on your triple axle, bundle up with a date, or bring the whole family to these indoor and outdoor ice-skating facilitates. Before you tie on your skates, make sure to call ahead because the hours are subject to change—at indoor rinks especially. We promise you don’t have to wear the sparkly Spandex skirt unless you really want to.

Every October, the best-dressed drag queens DC has to offer come out to 17th Street to compete in a high heel race. And last night, we were out in the rain to document the best and the brightest of the costumes and the crowd. There was everything from a Marilyn Monroe to a Washington Monument costume—even Mayor Fenty came to see the fun. Check out our photos of the creatively-attired queens here.

>> See the full slideshow.

Were you there? What was the best getup you saw? Tell us in the comments below. 

Monday, June 15 
Experience the emotions, thoughts, and daily routines of American soldiers throughout history at the National Museum of American History’s Letters Home. This free theatrical performance, held in the in the Clara Barton Ambulance room, takes place four times (11, 1, 2:30, and 4) every day in June.

Tuesday, June 16  
Laura Izibor, the 20-year-old Dublin native dubbed “the soul of Ireland,” is headlining the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in a free concert tonight at 6.

Additional Emerald Isle celebrations today include a free reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses at Mackey’s Pub. The Washington version of the Irish Bloomsday Festival, which is responsible for the event, isn’t quite as involved as its Dublin counterpart (elders tramping around in old-fashioned garb are nowhere to be found), but the reading did attract a rather large, enthusiastic crowd of literary buffs last year. 7 PM. Call 202-331-7667 for more information.

Wednesday, June 17
Opened Memorial Day weekend, Flora: Growing Inspirations is the newest exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Garden.  If weather permits, take a long lunch and stroll through a highly stylized series of gardens featuring contemporary sculptures inspired by and celebratory of the role of plants in culture.   The Conservatory is free to the public and open from 10 AM to 5 PM daily, including all weekends and holidays. 

Monday, June 1
• Luis Alberto Urrea will read and discuss his latest novel, Into the Beautiful North, at Politics and Prose. The book tells of a small-town girl whose life suddenly finds purpose after watching the movie The Magnificent Seven. 7 PM.

• Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra, a steel-drum group composed of students from the Saturday Academy in Maryland, performs at the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage. 6 PM.

Tuesday, June 2
• The Washington Psychotronic Film Society screens Evil Brain From Outer Space at the Warehouse. The film, believe it or not, is about a pajama-wearing superhero fighting space monsters in order to save our planet. The screening is free, but a $2 donation is encouraged. 8 PM.

• Jazz musician Marcus Johnson will perform songs from his most recent album, Poetically Justified, at the 18th and L streets location of Borders in downtown DC. He’ll autograph copies of his album following the performance. 12:30 PM.

Nothing brings back summer childhood memories of melted ice-cream cones and belly flops quite like the smell of chlorine. Pools are the destination for area residents who can’t bear the heat and humidity of Washington’s summer. City and county recreation departments list neighborhood pools, but unexpected spots to cool off can also be found at area hotels. Read our guide for places where you can take a dip.

>> See the full guide to pools in the Washington area 

Tuesday, May 19
In Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret, Steve Luxenberg, an editor at the Washington Post, uncovers his mother’s hidden past and an aunt he never knew existed. Luxenberg will discuss his book with New York Times reporter Scott Shane at the Borders at 18th and L streets, Northwest, at 6:30.

Wednesday, May 20
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius will read from and his discuss his newest thriller, The Increment, at Politics and Prose at 7. The novel centers around the Iranian nuclear threat and how a CIA agent must betray his country and turn to a secret British spy team called the Increment to save the day.

Thursday, May 21
The Smithsonian American Art Museum screens The Grapes of Wrath in its McEvoy Auditorium at 6. John Ford’s adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel follows the Joad family, who attempt to leave behind the Great Depression by heading west to California.