About Winter Fun
This article is a part of Washingtonian’s feature: Winter Fun Indoors & Out. Our editors and staff pulled together the best things to do this winter, including snowball fights, cozy places to get a drink, ice skating, and more.
It’s become a thing for hundreds, if not thousands, of people to mass in Dupont Circle after a big winter storm for a snowball fight. Want to join in? Here are four tips.
1. Nervous about getting pelted? Hang back. “If you want to experience a snowball fight without putting yourself in the line of fire, you can lob snowballs from the fringes without great risk of a counterattack,” says Michael Lipin, cofounder of the Washington DC Snowball Fight Association.
2. To be in the middle of the action, bring goggles. “I put on ski goggles to cover my eyes if I’m getting in-to the major battle zone,” Lipin says. “The majority of people don’t put on goggles. There’s a bit of risk that you might get hit in the face.”
3. Don’t throw ice. Everyone is expected to act in a safe and responsible way—including following the instructions of any police who may be around.
4. Know that you might pick up a battle scar. “Over the years, we’ve had a few people get bruises,” Lipin says. “A few people have required hospital treatment for some scrapes. But thank goodness there have been no major injuries in the 12 events we’ve had in nine years.”
This article appears in the January 2019 issue of Washingtonian.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
