Nov
29
Tue
Fairmont’s Annual Tree Lighting @ Fairmont - Georgetown
Nov 29 @ 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

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 Cheneveyco-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:

Tree Lighting Reservations

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/

Dec
3
Sat
30th DC Holiday Boat Parade @ Wharf District Pier
Dec 3 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

On December 3, over sixty beautiful boats will parade down the Washington Channel in the 30th anniversary of the District’s Holiday Boat Parade. In addition to the parade, guests will enjoy ornament decorating and face painting, roast s’mores at the Camp Wharf fire pit, skate at the The Wharf Ice Rink, and visit the area’s lighted 45ft Christmas Tree.

Jan
26
Thu
CitySwing: Swing It ‘n Wing It @ CitySwing
Jan 26 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

You may not love golf yet, but we know you love wings. On Jan 26th CitySwing invites you to learn the basics of golf in a fun, non-intimidating space while sipping on some liquid courage and eating their fan-favorite wings. For those who already love golf, get introduced to CitySwing’s top of the line technology and get some swing tips from PGA certified golf pros.

Ticket Includes:

  • UNLIMITED WINGS (Cauliflower Wings are also available)

  • (2) Signature Cocktails

  • Door prize giveaway: (2) Two Monthly Subscriptions

RSVP for the event here

Jan
28
Sat
Winter Blast: A Weekend of Indigenous Games @ National Museum of the American Indian
Jan 28 @ 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Winter Blast: A Weekend of Indigenous Games

Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28–29, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Games can be fun as well as teach important life skills. Jeremy Red Eagle (Sisseton Wahpeton) from the International Traditional Games Society, Julia Garcia (Aymara), and members of the Native Hawaiian school Hālau O‘Aulani, share Indigenous games from the Great Plains, Bolivia, and Hawai’i.

Tysons Corner Center’s Lunar New Year Celebration @ Tysons Corner Center Center
Jan 28 @ 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Tysons Corner Center Announces Lunar New Year Celebration
Asian American Chamber of Commerce to Hosts Line-Up of Activities at Center
Saturday, January 28, 2023
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET

1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons Corner, VA

www.TysonsCornerCenter.com
Tysons Corner Center in partnership with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce brings in another year of hosting the Lunar New Year. Located in the Fashion Court on the Lower-Level Nordstrom Wing at the center, this free event will include an array of artists and performances to celebrate the year of the rabbit including:

  • Vietnamese Song by CDVNDMV
  • Chinese Musical Instrument – Guzheng, Alice Gu-Zheng Ensemble
  • Chinese Dance by Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe
  • Magic Show by Sun Magic
  • Korean Dance by Korean Culture and Art of MD
  • Indonesia Dance by Santi Budaya Performing Arts, LLC
  • Mongolia Fashion Show, MONDO TRIP TODAY
  • Dragon Dance, by Chinese Culture Institute

 

As part of the tradition, Tysons Corner Center will provide fortune cookies and offer giveaways and prizes during the event. This event is free and open to the public and sponsored by
Sunrise McLean Village Retirement Home.

Jan
29
Sun
Winter Blast: A Weekend of Indigenous Games @ National Museum of the American Indian
Jan 29 @ 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Winter Blast: A Weekend of Indigenous Games

Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28–29, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Games can be fun as well as teach important life skills. Jeremy Red Eagle (Sisseton Wahpeton) from the International Traditional Games Society, Julia Garcia (Aymara), and members of the Native Hawaiian school Hālau O‘Aulani, share Indigenous games from the Great Plains, Bolivia, and Hawai’i.

Feb
11
Sat
Native Cinema Showcase Screening: Encanto @ Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Feb 11 @ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Native Cinema Showcase Screening: Encanto

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m.

(USA, 2021, 120 mins.) Directors: Byron Howard, Jared Bush, and Charise Castro Smith

 

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in a magical house in a vibrant town in the mountains of Colombia. The magic of this wondrous, charmed Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift, from super strength to the power to heal—every child that is except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.

Special support for Native Cinema Showcase provided by the Walt Disney Company.

Mar
4
Sat
FITDC HerStory 5K Run/Walk at Freedom Plaza @ Freedom Plaza
Mar 4 @ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Runners take your mark. In celebration of Women’s History Month, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting the fifth annual FITDC HerStory 5K Run/Walk at Freedom Plaza on Saturday, March 4 at 9:00 a.m. The FITDC HerStory 5K is free of charge, open to all DC residents and for all race levels. Residents can submit race registrations at: http://herstory5k.com.

Downtown DC’s flat running course along Pennsylvania Avenue will again serve as the perfect backdrop for the race event, which highlights panoramic views of the U.S. Capitol and national monuments. Both dog and stroller friendly, the FITDC HerStory 5K is geared toward families, kids, weekend athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Events and prizes for the FITDC HerStory 5K include:

  • Free commemorative HerStory T-Shirt and Race Bib for all race participants while supplies last (courtesy of AETNA)
  • Post-Race Finish Festival with music, giveaways and vendors from local women-owned businesses.
  • Freedom Plaza adorned with quotes for HerStory making women
  • Pop-up exhibits about women’s history
  • Parking space is extremely limited at Freedom Plaza, so FITDC encourages race participants to leave their cars at home. Convenient methods of transportation include: walking, Capital Bikeshare, DC Metro, Uber, Lyft or taxicab.

Race packet pick-up will take place on Wednesday, March 1 and Tuesday, March 2 from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at SteadFast Supply (301 Tingey Street, SE) Hook Hall (3400 Georgia Ave., NW) and Bourne 2 Fly Fitness (3408 18th Street NE). When registering, please specify shirt size and preferred packet pick-up location.

Before, during, and after their run/walk, residents are encouraged to tag @myfitdc, while they share pictures and selfies on social media using the hashtags #HerStory5K and #CelebrateWomen. Race participants can track their run time through our sign-up portal to compare and connect with family and friends.

REGISTRATON: DC residents can submit race registrations at: http://herstory5k.com.

WHAT:  Fifth Annual FITDC HerStory 5K Run/Walk

  • Free and Open to DC Residents
  • Free commemorative T-Shirt & Race Bib for All
  • Participants
  • Post-Race Finish Festival: Music, Giveaways, Vendors from
  • Women-Owned Businesses
  • Freedom Plaza Featuring Exhibits and Quotes from
  • HerStory Making Women

WHEN:  Saturday, March 4, 2023 / Registration 9:00am | 5K Begins 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:  Freedom Plaza – 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Race Route:  Downtown DC along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

PACKET
PICK-UP:  Wednesday, March 1 & Tuesday, March 2 / 
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Three Locations:

-SteadFast Supply at 301 Tingey Street, SE

-Hook Hall at 3400 Georgia Avenue, NW

-Bourne 2 Fly Fitness 3408 18th Street NE

Registrants please specify pick-up location and T-shirt size

Race Day: Saturday, March 4 at 9:00 a.m. (Freedom Plaza)

Mar
23
Thu
Eudora Welty Lecture Features Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout @ National Press Club
Mar 23 @ 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM

On Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 pm the Folger Shakespeare Library’s

O.B. Hardison Poetry Series presents the Eudora Welty Lecture with Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton) at the National Press Club. Sponsored

by the Eudora Welty Foundation, this annual lecture celebrates creative origins in the spirit of Welty’s

treasured One Writer’s Beginnings.

Ann Patchett (Bel Canto and The Dutch House), who presented the Lecture from Welty’s living room in

Jackson, Mississippi in 2022, will introduce Strout. The Lecture will be followed by a book signing with

Elizabeth Strout.

Tickets are $25 ($20 for Folger Members and subscribers) and can be purchased at www.folger.edu/poetry

or by contacting the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

Previous Welty Lectures were delivered by Salman Rushdie in 2016, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in

2017, Richard Ford in 2018, Jesmyn Ward in 2019, and Ann Patchett in 2022.

Elizabeth Strout is widely known for her works in literary fiction and her descriptive characterization.

She was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and her experiences in her youth served as inspiration for

her novels—the fictional "Shirley Falls, Maine" is the setting of four of her seven novels. Strout's novels

include Amy and Isabelle, Abide with Me, Olive Kitteridge for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for

Fiction, The Burgess Boys, My Name Is Lucy Barton, Anything is Possible, Olive, Again, and Oh,

William!. Her latest book Lucy by the Sea was published in 2022.

Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels: The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s

Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, and Commonwealth. She has written three books of

nonfiction—Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy; What Now?, an expansion

of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College; and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a

collection of essays examining the theme of commitment. In 2019, she published her first children’s

book, Lambslide.

Mar
26
Sun
National Kite Festival @ Various
Mar 26 @ 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The event is NOW ON SUNDAY, MARCH 26 in pursuit of better weather! Same time, same place, same fun and FREE activities.

National Kite-Flying Day is the perfect day for the National Cherry Blossom Festival to share all the ways attendees can “spring” on the fun of kite flying, including its signature Blossom Kite Festival, taking place Saturday, March 25, 2023 (10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) at the Washington Monument Grounds. Presented by Hilton, National Cherry Blossom Festival’s proud Premier Hotel Provider, the Blossom Kite Festival is free, fun, and open to the public and features activities, music, competitions, and performances suitable for all ages.

The Blossom Kite Festival showcases kite performances and competitions, kite-making activities, a Family Field with children’s activities, and more. Special guest, Mr. Mikio Toki, a master of traditional Edo-style kites, has traveled the world showcasing his kites and will travel from Japan to be at this year’s Blossom Kite Festival.

FEATURED PARKS: People of all ages can join Blossom Kite Festival from their homes, favorite neighborhood parks, or anywhere around the world. Participating parks in all eight D.C. wards, Maryland, and Virginia will offer free activities for local residents between April 1 and 2. All interested parties can show off their skills, virtually learn how to make and fly kites, and take to the skies on March 25. Featured parks will be listed on the Blossom Kite Festival event page.

Attendees at the Festival’s kite-flying activities can bring their own kites, purchase kites onsite, or pick up free kite kits they can decorate (while supplies last), courtesy of Hilton. Kite flyers can even purchase the official 2023 Festival kite onsite or online at National Cherry Blossom Festival Store.

COMMEMORATIVE KITES: Kite flyers can purchase commemorative kites from previous years (while supplies last) at the Festival’s online gift shop. The 2023 commemorative kite, featuring the work of the 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Official Artist Orlando Quevedo, will be available for purchase in March during the Festival at select events and in the online store. 

PLANNING YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE: The Festival begins March 20 and runs through April 16. Visit the Festival website to add the Blossom Kite Festival to your calendar. When planning your Festival experience, it matters where you stay. As Premier Hotel Provider, Hilton has over 100 properties in the Washington, D.C., area to meet the needs of any kite enthusiast seeking a staycation or vacation throughout the Festival season. Visit the Festival hotel page to learn more about recommended Hilton hotels.