Happy December, DC!
We’ve got you covered across the cultural spectrum this month with holiday shows, festive performances, and a few new theater productions to close out the year. Here’s a look at some.
10 Best Things to Do in DC
by Pat Padua
Music
Jennifer Koh and Jaime Laredo
December 1
Kennedy Center
Koh (above), the new artistic director of the Kennedy Center’s Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, performs with her former Curtis Institute teacher Laredo. The two-violin program, augmented by members of the Juilliard Orchestra, spans centuries of classical music with works by Bach, Mozart, and Philip Glass.
Lecture
An Analysis of Hallmark Channel Holiday Movies
December 3
Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center
Ever wonder about the subtext to such Hallmark Channel staples as A Shoe Addict’s Christmas? Educator and health advocate Stef Woods zeroes in on the precision formula, midlevel acting, and targeted advertising strategies that define Hallmark’s popular romance fare. You can attend the lecture online or in person; those who opt for the latter are also invited to a holiday card-making workshop.
Comedy
Josh Thomas
December 7
Sixth & I
Thomas was diagnosed with autism three years ago at age 33, and his persona suggests an anxious Mister Rogers. That should fit especially well with the boyish Australian comic’s new show, “Let’s Tidy Up,” in which he finds humor in the daily routine of household chores.
Theater
Pretty Woman: The Musical
December 12–17
National Theatre
Roy Orbison’s signature song inspired the 1990 romantic comedy that helped make Julia Roberts a star. With a book by the film’s director, Garry Marshall, and songs by Bryan “Cuts Like a Knife” Adams and Jim Vallance, the beloved movie is now a hit musical.
Theater
Girl from the North Country
December 12–31
Kennedy Center
The Bob Dylan songbook provides the canvas for this Tony Award–winning musical. Set in Dylan’s birthplace of Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934–seven years before one Robert Zimmerman entered the world–the production dramatizes Dylan’s most famous songs, with characters gathering at a rundown guesthouse seeking shelter from the storm.
Music
William Basinski
December 13
The Atlantis
The avant-garde composer is best known for his Disintegration Loops, a series of albums made from extended tape loops that were recorded as they deteriorated over the course of the work. Basinski is touring to support his most recent study of decay, the 2019 release On Time Out of Time, and his mesmerizing drones should be an especially resonant match for the Atlantis’s gaudy simulacrum of Washington’s counterculture past.
Circus
Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
December 14
Capital One Hall
Cirque Musica brings its three-ring spin on the season to Tysons. With glittering acrobatics and elevated clowning, the eye-popping production blends the thrill of the circus with the magic of Broadway.
Music
Folger Consort’s Baroque Christmas Story
December 15–22
St. Mark’s Church
The Folger’s early-music ensemble celebrates the season with Heinrich Schütz’s Weihnachtshistorie, a rarely performed 17th-century oratorio whose forbidding Teutonic title translates to something comfortably familiar: Christmas Story.
Music
Madonna
December 19
Capital One Arena
Taylor Swift and Beyoncé sell out stadiums with their dazzling Jumbotron spectaculars. What might Madonna, who turned 65 this year, say to that? “Hold my beer.” The Material Girl (should we call her the Material Senior?) paved the way for today’s superstars, and she blazes into town on the Celebration Tour to prove she can still wow an arena.
Comedy
A John Waters Christmas
December 20
The Birchmere
The Baltimore filmmaker and self-proclaimed Pope of Trash has been touring with his irreverent holiday program since 1996. “Christmas is about despair and insane optimism,” he once said in an interview, “and insane optimism always wins in my shows.”
Back to Top
Want More Things to Do?
by Briana Thomas
Art and culture:
- Watch a screening of the documentary Stamped From the Beginning (Fri, free, virtual, Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum).
- Explore your favorite Air and Space exhibits and artifacts at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration (Sat, free, Chantilly).
- Lecturer David Gariff tells the Christmas Story through artworks (Sun, free, virtual, National Gallery of Art).
- Watch a live poetry reading in honor of Emily Dickinson’s birthday (December 5, pay-what-you-can $5+, virtual).
- Unleash your creative side at a Watercolor Workshop guided by artist Marcella Kriebel (December 6, $75, Navy Yard).
- Explore “Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea” to view traditional Japanese tea bowls (opens December 9, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
- Check out records and crafts at Black Cat’s rock’n’roll garage sale (December 16, free, 14th Street Corridor).
- The interactive museum Artechouse is bringing back “Spectacular Factory” with kaleidoscopic nutcrackers, giant swinging Christmas bells, and a candy-cane carousel (December 20 through January 3, $25+ for adults, $17+ for ages 4-15, free for ages 4 and under).
Theater:
- Keegan Theatre’s Irish Carol is an homage to Dickens’ winter classic (Sat through December 31, $60, Dupont).
- As You Like It is a revival of Shakespeare’s production—’60s-style (Sat through December 31, $35+, Penn Quarter).
- A Charlie Brown Christmas Live brings the classic family-friendly characters to life (December 18, $35+, Lincoln Theatre).
Shows and performance:
- The Washington Ballet’s reimagined ballet features a George Washington Nutcracker (Sat through December 30, $49+, Warner Theatre).
- Broadway actress, singer, and author Cynthia Erivo performs with special guests: Joaquina Kalukango and Ben Platt (December 6, $89+, Kennedy Center).
- Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington jazzes up the stage with a colorful holiday show (Sat, December 9-10, $20+, Lincoln Theatre).
- Drag Santa Afternoon Tea includes cookie decorating, and a glitzy live performance (December 3, 10, 17; $20; Dupont).
- Comedian and actor Eric Andre arrives in DC for a live show (December 6, $55+, Silver Spring).
- Award-winning fiddler Seán Heely performs Celtic Christmas at Strathmore (December 8, $28+, Bethesda).
- Step Afrika’s energetic holiday show returns to Arena Stage (December 8-17, $76+, Southwest DC).
- This comedic show dives into the Depths of Wikipedia at Capital Turnaround (December 9, $23, Southeast DC).
- The Dance Institute of Washington expresses the Spirit of Kwanzaa on stage (December 15-16, $30, Howard University).
- Music legend Kurtis Blow is a special guest at The Hip Hop Nutcracker (December 19-22, $28+, Bethesda).
- Aru Dell’Arte Dance Company is adding a modern spin to the traditional Nutcracker story (December 23, $35+, 14th Street Corridor).
Music:
- Deafheaven band rocks their 10th anniversary show (Sat, $39+, Howard Theatre).
- Folk vocalist Anjimile sings at DC9 Nightclub (Sat, $17+, U Street Corridor).
- ’90s group New Wet Kojak makes a return to the stage at Black Cat (Sun, $25, 14th Street Corridor).
- The local Wammies winners show off their talent at Songbyrd (Sun, $20+, Northeast DC).
- Cuban American rapper La Goony Chonga is live in concert at The Atlantis (December 5, $17, U Street Corridor).
- The Washington National Cathedral Choir and Baroque Orchestra sing Handel’s cherished Messiah (December 8-10, $25+, Northwest DC).
- Broadway star Norm Lewis lights up the Kennedy Center with a A Holiday Pops! concert (December 8-9, $29+, Kennedy Center).
- The US Air Force Band will present a series of festive concerts in Season of Hope at at DAR Constitution Hall (December 9-10, free, Northwest DC).
- OneRepublic, Doechii, and several more popstars will perform at Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball (December 11, $40+, Capital One Arena).
- Electronic DJ Debit mixes jams at Flash (December 15, $10+, Shaw).
- Go-go music and symphonic sounds come together at Twas the Night! (December 22, $15+, Wharf).
- Jazz vocalist Samara Joy performs a blend of sensational tunes (December 23, $38+, Bethesda).
- Dance into the New Year at this Gimme Gimme Disco dance party (December 31, $55, Shaw).
Holiday:
- Get into the holiday spirit with nightly caroling at the Willard InterContinental (through December 23, free, Downtown).
- Georgetown Glow sculptures and light exhibits feature nods to Star Wars, facial expressions, and hang-drying laundry (Fri through January 7, free, Georgetown).
- The Heurich Christmas Markt features more than 50 small-scale makers, an exhibition about Chr. Heurich Brewing Co.’s Senate Beer, and ornament-making for children (Fri-Sat, $12, Dupont).
- Watch decorated boats parade across the Washington Channel (Sat, free, Wharf).
- Ring in Christmastime with a real tree from the National Arboretum (Sat-Sun, free, but registration encouraged).
- Stroll through the historic Tudor Place to view light installations and dazzling decor (December 7, $50, Northwest DC).
- Don’t miss the National Menorah Lighting on the White House Ellipse (December 7-15, free, White House).
- Snag a last-minute present at Procrastinator’s Holiday Market (December 16, free, Northeast DC).
Things to do with kids:
- Youngsters will love this immersive experience that brings Disney’s hit film Encanto to life (opens December 8, $34+, Tysons).
- Visit the Elves’ Shop at Old Town Alexandria Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show where youngsters can customize ornaments and take pictures with Mr. Claus (December 9, free, Alexandria).
- There’s a hot chocolate bar and DJ dance party for all ages at Santa’s Workshop Holiday Extravaganza (December 9, free, Tysons).
- The Strathmore Children’s Chorus sings international melodies (December 14, $16+, Bethesda).
A version of this article appears in the December 2023 issue of Washingtonian.
