December Culture Guide: 51 Things to Do in the DC Area

Happy holidays, DC!

December brings frosty activations, holiday light shows, and jingle bell concerts to the Washington area. You can make memories with friends and family at a new musical, film showcase, or comedy show.

10 Best Things to Do in DC

by Pat Padua

Theater

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

December 3–8

Diamond himself probably won’t perform “Sweet Caroline” from a seat in the house, as he did at the New York premiere of this hit-stuffed jukebox musical, but the audience likely will: These rousing songs–and their goofily charismatic singer–remain beloved.

Film

European Union Film Showcase

December 4–22

One of the highlights of the filmgoing year, the AFI’s annual showcase highlights tomorrow’s arthouse favorites today. This year’s slate includes the Julianne Moore/Tilda Swinton morality tale The Room Next Door (above), the first English-language feature from Spanish provocateur Pedro Almodóvar.

Classical

A Mass for Christmas Eve

December 6–15

The Folger Consort performs Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit pour Noel,” a late-17th-century work that incorporates traditional Christmas carols into church music.

Opera

Rigoletto

December 7–15

Verdi’s mid-career masterpiece revolves around the eponymous court jester, so this playful production is set under the big top, with a circus band and a ribald new libretto by Bari Biern.

Film

Salaam Bombay! With Mira Nair

December 8

The director’s 1988 crime drama (left) depicted the harrowing lives of children in the bustling city now known as Mumbai. Nair will deliver a lecture here before a screening of her breakthrough feature.

Music

Suki Waterhouse

December 11

Contrary to her summer single “Supersad,” the English singer-songwriter/model-actress has a lot to be happy about this year: She had a baby with Robert Pattinson and opened for Taylor Swift in London. Even if your year hasn’t reached those heights, Waterhouse’s indie-pop will make you superglad.

Museums

“In Slavery’s Wake”

Opens December 13

With fascinating displays–including a tapestry created by prisoner-volunteers at the hospice center of the Louisiana State Penitentiary (above)–this exhibit looks at the myriad ways in which race and slavery have been depicted over the centuries.

Theater

Annie Costia Beat Ya Feet

December 20–21

The classic comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” turned 100 this year—a perfect time for a new and highly localized musical adaptation, with an east-of-the-river Annie learning about African culture to a go-go beat.

From his stint on The Daily Show to his deeply researched HBO program, the British comedian is one of the sharpest observers of American politics. Here he’ll deliver a set of thought-stimulating standup material.

Music

49 Winchester

December 31

Ring in 2025 with this self-proclaimed Appalachian country-soul band who come from the small town of Castle­wood, Virginia, offering big beards, twangy vibes, and memorable tunes.

Want More Things to Do?

by Briana Thomas

Arts and culture:

• Gilmore Girls’ Kelly Bishop chats with Dana Bash at Sixth & I about her memoir Third Gilmore Girl (December 4, $40+ for in-person ticket and book, $12 for virtual, $37 for virtual ticket and book, Downtown, virtual).
• Clear Harmonies Carolers, art, and wintry cocktails are highlights of Phillips after 5’s Winter Wonderland (December 5, $20, Dupont).
• Find deals on your next read at the White House Historical Association’s Holiday Book Festival (December 6, free, Downtown).
• Author Jessica B. Harris of High on the Hog discusses her new Kwanzaa project at the Smithsonian (December 7, free, but registration required, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
• Browse jewelry, gourd art, and textiles at African Art Holiday Marketplace (December 7, free, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art).
• Shop last-minute gifts at The Holly Jolly Holiday Market (December 14, free, Logan Circle).

Community and heritage:

• Delight in cultural cuisine, art, and goods from more than 50 embassies at The Winternational Embassy Showcase (December 5, free, Downtown).
• Sip hot cocoa with neighbors at the Columbia Heights Tree Lighting (December 6, free, Columbia Heights).

Theater:

• Try to solve the Death on the Nile murder-mystery at Arena Stage (through December 29, $59+, Southwest DC).
• Keegan Theatre’s An Irish Carol puts a modern Dublin twist on Dickens’s classic holiday tale (December 4-31, $64, Dupont).
• Grammy Award-winner Patrick Page stars in All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain (December 6-29, $39+, Downtown).
• Best-selling book Life of Pi comes to life on the Kennedy Center stage (December 17 through January 5, $49+, Kennedy Center).

Shows and performances:

• See a screening of the holiday comedy Elf accompanied by a live score from the National Symphony Orchestra (November 29-December 1, $34+, Kennedy Center).
• Philadelphia’s BalletX arrives in DC for a four-day contemporary dance showcase (December 4-7, $40+, Kennedy Center).
• A Swingin’ Little Christmas is a comedy-cabaret packed with musical classics from the ’50s and ’60s (December 4, $28+, Bethesda).
• Washington National Opera performs a family-friendly production of Jungle Book (December 13-16, $25+, Kennedy Center).
• Dance Institute of Washington celebrates the Black diaspora in The Spirit of Kwanzaa (December 20-22, $34, H Street Corridor).
• Snowflakes, candy canes, and toy soldiers adorn the stage for the Fairfax Ballet Company and Fairfax Symphony’s revival of The Nutcracker (December 21-22, $44+, Fairfax).
• Laugh your way into 2025 with comedian Cedric the Entertainer at New Year’s Comedy Jam (December 27, $59+, Fairfax).

Music:

• Mariah Carey kicks off Christmastime with a live concert in DC (December 1, $56+, Capital One Arena).
• Pharmakon performs songs from her latest album, Maggot Mass, at DC9 Nightclub (December 3, $20+, U Street Corridor).
• Don your ugly holiday sweater and listen to National Symphony Orchestra play seasonal tunes at the Anthem (December 4, $25+, Wharf).
• Veterans and service members can snag tickets to a complimentary holiday concert featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and Broadway’s Jessica Vosk (December 5, free, Kennedy Center).
• EDM DJ Tiësto spins electric hits at Echostage (December 5-6, $65+, Langdon).
• Underground Richmond rapper Nettspend brings his hype rhymes to the Fillmore (December 6, $41+, Silver Spring).
• DC native Billy Woods raps live at Union Stage (December 8, $25+, Wharf).
• R&B vocalist Kem sings dreamy holiday melodies at the Kennedy Center (December 11-12, $59+, Kennedy Center).
• DJs Four Tet and Anthony Naples headline a late-night club party at Echostage (December 14, $60+, Langdon).
• Hardcore DC band No/Más performs at DC9 Nightclub (December 14, $15, U Street Corridor).
• Listen to Foodman’s techno mixes at Rhizome DC (December 16, $15+, Takoma).
• Dance the night away in your best festive attire to Tate McRae, Meghan Trainor, and other artists at Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball (December 17, $147+, sold out, but resale tickets available via third-party sellers, Capital One Arena).
• Bassist JD Pinkus is live in concert at Quarry House Tavern (December 21, $15+, Silver Spring).

Holiday experiences:

• Georgetown Jingle features 10 live holiday music performances throughout the neighborhood (December 7, free, Georgetown).
• See outdoor illuminations and zoom down the eight-lane Penguin Plunge at Winter City Lights (through December 29, $27 for adults, $23 for seniors $18 for ages 4-12, Olney).
• Celebrate Kwanzaa at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Community Day (December 7, free, but registration required, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
• Lake Anne Jingle on the Lake celebrates Christmas with a Santa boat parade and choir performances (December 7, free, Reston).
• Watch more than 60 decked-out boats parade across the Washington Channel (December 7, free, Wharf).
• Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights returns for another sparkling show (December 7, free, Alexandria).

Things to do with kids:

• Kids can take a train ride through Met Park, and capture memories with Santa at The Lodge (December 7, free, Arlington).
• Youngsters can play in a bounce house, drink hot chocolate, and decorate stockings at Jingle Bell Bash (December 7, free, Tysons).
• Families can participate in themed skate nights at the National Building Museum (December 16 through January 4, free, $5 skate rental, Penn Quarter).

A version of this article appears in the December 2024 issue of Washingtonian.