Thanksgiving Eve, a.k.a. “Drinksgiving,” is the much-needed pregame to family time on Thursday. We’re thankful for DC’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration and their extended holiday hours, which allows bars to serve alcohol until 4 AM on specified holidays.
Not only are DC’s watering holes open late—many of them are offering specials on Wednesday night. Regular happy hour at City Tap House Dupont ends at 7 PM, but that’s just the start of drink deals (until 10 PM) like $5 pickleback shots and $10 large-format cocktails. For all-night bacchanalia, beeline to Hawthorne on U Street for $5 Bud Lights and $6 kamikaze shots. H Street’s Biergarten Haus is also getting festive with $8 mulled wine, and all-night happy hour. Hungry and thirsty? You can get a head start on the Thanksgiving feast at Barrel, where the purchase of one happy hour drink includes food from a complimentary turkey buffet starting at 6 PM.
If you’re in the mood for entertainment, you’ll find $5 vodka drink deals paired with a drag show at Nellie’s Sports Bar on Wednesday night. The dancing crowd can moonwalk over to Little Miss Whiskey’s on H Street for an ’80s dance party, or Jimmy Valentine’s DJ-packed evening featuring global tunes from dancehall to bachata. Or shake your tail feathers at Wunder Garten‘s third annual Tur-Kegging party in Noma, with $4.54 drafts and rail drinks from 8 PM to midnight.
For those looking to extend the celebration (or escape family), a few bars have chosen to stay open on Thanksgiving Day as well. Nellie’s will open their doors at 4 PM, just in time to order a bucket of beer (or $15 for 5 beers) and catch the Redskins game. Stoney’s on P Street is open from 11 AM to 2 PM with cold brews, TVs, and a low-key $20 turkey meal with pumpkin pie. The Red Room at Black Cat on 14th Street is welcoming patrons at 9 PM. Both Jimmy Valentine’s and Little Miss Whiskey’s will be open for regular Thursday hours.
For your Wednesday evening festivities, check out the full list of venues below. Not all the bars that apply for the extension end up staying open to the wee hours, so it’s a good rule of thumb to call before going.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
