Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown is pleased to announce its 19th annual tree lighting ceremony in the hotel’s Courtyard beginning at 5:30pm on Tuesday, November 29. Filled with tiny white lights and a shimmering Christmas tree, the courtyard becomes a glittering crystal garden – the perfect venue for holiday celebrations.
Families will take the chill off next to heaters as they listen to the award-winning Georgetown Visitation Madrigals perform holiday classics under the direction of Director of Performing Arts, Neptune Pringle, III. Children will enjoy decorating holiday cards and families will be entered to win prizes.
Steve Chenevey, co-anchor on FOX 5 Morning and Good Day DC, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Santa Claus will make a special appearance with Georgie the hotel’s Canine Ambassador, and spend time listening to children’s Christmas wishes after the ceremony.
Fairmont’s tree lighting ceremony, which is free and open to the public, encourages all guests to bring a gift for Horton’s Kids* – such as Legos, basketballs, footballs, dolls, books, games or arts and crafts. The donations will help spread holiday cheer to over 500 children, ages 5 – 18.
To secure reservations for Fairmont’s tree lighting ceremony, please visit Eventbrite:
Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown will also be accepting toy donations for Horton’s before and after the tree lighting ceremony from November 18 until December 14.
* Horton’s Kids empowers children growing up in one of Washington, DC’s most under-resourced communities so that they graduate from high school ready for success in college, career and life. https://www.hortonskids.org/
Christmas Sweater Party & Animal Welfare League of Arlington Fundraiser
This one is for all you cat lovers! Join Wilson Hardware on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 4PM-7PM for an Ugly Sweater Party & AWLA fundraiser. The event will include drinks, snacks, family photo opportunities, a raffle and even a few VIP feline guests. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at AWLA.org.
Special Community Program & Candlelight Vigil
The Corner at Whitman Walker
1701 14th Street, Washington, DC
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
DC community is invited to honor and pay tribute to those lost during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The program will include remarks and reflections from community members, Whitman-Walker leadership, Japer Bowles, Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Office, and other notable guests and activations. Program begins at 6:00 p.m. at The Corner followed by a candlelight vigil outside the building.
Native Art Market
Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3–4, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Make your holiday shopping special! Meet more than 30 award-winning Indigenous artists offering handcrafted traditional and contemporary artworks. The museum’s annual Native Art Market features works by Indigenous artists from the Western Hemisphere. The weekend event offers visitors a unique opportunity to purchase traditional and contemporary handcrafted artworks—including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture. In its 15th year, the Native Art Market invites art lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Native artists and learn about traditional Native arts and contemporary Native creativity.
Artist Discussion: Ancestors Know Who We Are
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2–3 p.m.
Join five artists featured in the museum’s online exhibition Ancestors Know Who We Are for a discussion about Black-Native identity and its expression through art. Participating artists are Joelle Joyner (African American and Kauwets’a:ka [Meherrin] descent); Moira Pernambuco (African and Amerindian [Wapishana]); Paige Pettibon (Black, Salish, and white descent); Monica Rickert-Bolter (Prairie Band Potawatomi, Black, and German); and Storme Webber (Alaskan Sugpiaq [Alutiiq] and Black descent). Amber Starks, aka Melanin Mvskoke (Black/Muscogee Creek), moderates, with introductions by exhibition curator Anya Montiel (Mexican and Tohono O’odham descent).
The event will be livestreamed at AmericanIndian.si.edu/livestream.
Native Art Market
Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3–4, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Make your holiday shopping special! Meet more than 30 award-winning Indigenous artists offering handcrafted traditional and contemporary artworks. The museum’s annual Native Art Market features works by Indigenous artists from the Western Hemisphere. The weekend event offers visitors a unique opportunity to purchase traditional and contemporary handcrafted artworks—including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture. In its 15th year, the Native Art Market invites art lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Native artists and learn about traditional Native arts and contemporary Native creativity.
Sunday, December 4
World AIDS Day: A Time to Pause, Honor, and Resolve
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Whitman-Walker Health CEO, Naseema Shafi
Each December the world pauses to observe World AIDS Day, honor those affected by HIV, and resolve to end the epidemic. Despite all the pharmaceutical tools available to stop new infections and halt the progression of HIV to AIDS, a situation still exists where the benefits are not being equally shared across racial, ethnic, and regional groups of people. Ending the HIV epidemic requires a commitment to reaching those at greatest risk of contracting the virus and removing the stigma, social, and economic barriers that culminate in continued transmission and lack of access to health care. This World AIDS Day we take stock of the U.S. HIV AIDS epidemic, celebrate those working to end the epidemic and assess the work yet to be done.
Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of Washington, DC, and nationally for almost 50 years as a first responder and care-provider for those living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQ care and advocacy; a research center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment; and one of DC’s most trusted partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and wellbeing.
Patrons’ Show, the Art League’s biggest fundraiser, is back on Sunday, February 19, from 6–9 pm. Ticket holders may choose to attend the event in person at the Torpedo Factory or from the comfort of home via the streaming platform Vimeo. This much-anticipated event, now in its 55th year, allows ticket holders to acquire high-quality, original fine art—valued from $235 to upwards of thousands of dollars—while supporting a great non-profit organization and community of artists.
The Patrons’ Show Exhibit features over 600 original fine artworks donated by Art League and Torpedo Factory artists. It opens for viewing in The Art League Gallery and online Friday, February 3, two weeks before the drawing. Ticket holders fill the Gallery during these two weeks studying the artwork and noting their favorite pieces, so they’ll be prepared to select from the available artwork when their turn arrives.
At the Patrons’ Show event, the emcee announces the name of every ticket holder in a random drawing. Each person called chooses their favorite work of art from the Show to take home! In addition to the artwork, ticket holders may win other valuable prizes donated by local businesses.
Tickets for the Patrons’ Show fundraiser are $235 and can be purchased here.
Anyone can see the bevy of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs, printworks, and more on the League’s Patrons’ Show 2023 album on Flickr; and download the handy Art Thief app to pick and organize their favorites on an iPhone, iPad, or iTouch (but grab a ticket if you want to claim artwork!).
Gallery Hours:
Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday, 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm
Exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
The Yards is excited to announce the return of Ice Yards! In partnership with Special Olympics DC, the neighborhood will host the Polar Plunge Fundraiser at the 9th annual winter festival.
Participants, following a month-long fundraising campaign, will “take the plunge” to raise funds for Special Olympics DC in an above-ground swimming pool on the boardwalk as Ice Yards guests cheer them on. The Polar Plunge supports over 2,500 DC-based athletes with year-round sports training and the opportunity to compete in the Special Olympics DC Games.
Ice Yards guests will be able to enjoy live music, photo booths, ax-throwing, iceless curling, and so much more! Seasonal beverages and treats from favorite Yards restaurants will also be available to help folks stay warm post-plunge.
WHERE/WHEN:
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Saturday, February 25 | 1pm – 4pm
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The Yards | 355 Water St SE, Washington, DC 20003
HOW: To register for the SODC Polar Plunge, please visit www.dcpolarplunge.org. For more information, visit theyardsdc.com and follow The Yards on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @TheYardsDC.
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2–5 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Indian presents Night Raiders as part of the Mother Tongue Festival, which returns in person to the National Mall in 2023.
(Canada/New Zealand, 2021, 97 mins.) Director: Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)
English, Cree with English subtitles
In a dystopian future in 2043, a military occupation controls disenfranchised cities in post-war North America. Children are considered property of the regime, which trains them to fight. A desperate Cree woman (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) joins an underground band of vigilantes to infiltrate a state children’s academy and get her daughter back. A parable about the experience of Indigenous peoples, Night Raiders is a female-driven sci-fi drama about resilience, courage, and love.
The Mother Tongue Film Festival is a public program of Recovering Voices, a collaboration between the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the Asian Pacific American Center. Learn more about the 2023 festival and past programs at mothertongue.si.edu.
