Events/Things To Do

Capital Food Fight returns to The Anthem on Thursday, November 9th for the 19th installment of DC Central Kitchen’s raucous night of fighting hunger. Tickets to this year’s event, presented by Instacart, at capitalfoodfight.org.

First hosted in 2004 by DC Central Kitchen’s long-time volunteer and Board Chair Emeritus José Andrés, Capital Food Fight has long been the must-attend event of food lovers, TV stars, and philanthropists alike. Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Money Muscle BBQ/All Set/Fryer’s Roadside Ed Reavis, Chef Rachel Bindel of 101 Hospitality Group (Michele’s, Gravitas, Bakers Daughter), Executive Chef of dLeña Carlos Camacho, and Estuary’s Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes join a storied list of notable chefs who have faced off in head-to-head culinary challenge on the main stage featuring a spotlighted ingredient. Each dish will be judged by a panel of culinary icons, including Top Chef’s lead judge, restaurateur, and James Beard award-winning chef Tom Colicchio; restaurateur, Iron Chef America champion, and star of truTV’s Fast Foodies Justin Sutherland, retired Washington Nationals All-Star Ryan Zimmerman, and more!

Celebrity chef and DC-based restaurateur, Spike Mendelsohn, Chef Andrés, and local media personality Tommy McFly return as the evening’s hosts and emcee, respectively, to keep things rocking from the main stage with one of DC’s most in-demand performers, DJ Neekola, on the decks all night long as attendees feast on delicious bites from more than 80 of the DMV’s best restaurants.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.capitalfoodfight.org  General admission tickets are $325, with VIP access going for $550. VIP ticket holders will have exclusive access to the second floor with balcony seating and full open bar. All proceeds from the event, including donations and silent auction, go to support DC Central Kitchen’s award-winning solutions to hunger and poverty in Washington, DC, from providing culinary job training to serving scratch-cooked school meals to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables at deep discounts to small corner stores across city.

Special thanks to the 2023 Capital Food Fight Presenting Sponsor, Instacart, along with Showcase Sponsors CoBank, Lineage Logistics, and Wegmans, which will also be stocking this year’s on-stage pantry. The battling chefs will be highlighting special ingredients provided by Wegmans, Keany Produce, and AUI Fine Foods. Further appreciation goes to our Executive Chef Sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clark Construction, RTX, Wells Fargo, Vox Media, and Appliances A Better Way (ABW), and Sous Chef Sponsors Bank of America, DoorDash and Geico. For a full list of 2023 sponsors and information on remaining availability, please visit capitalfoodfight.org/sponsors.

Capital Food Fight is a 21 and older event. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.capitalfoodfight.org

Native Art Market

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2–3, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. 

National Mall

Make your holiday shopping special and support more than 30 award-winning Indigenous artists. Visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and enjoy the museum’s annual Native Art Market.

This weekend event invites lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Indigenous artists and learn about traditional arts and contemporary Native creativity. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to purchase handcrafted artworks, including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture.

Enjoy an electrifying performance by QVLN playing his own brand of dynamic world music on his blue violin. Throughout the day, DJ Sunny Z soundtracks your shopping spree.

Native Art Market

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2–3, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. 

National Mall

Make your holiday shopping special and support more than 30 award-winning Indigenous artists. Visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and enjoy the museum’s annual Native Art Market.

This weekend event invites lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Indigenous artists and learn about traditional arts and contemporary Native creativity. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to purchase handcrafted artworks, including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture.

Enjoy an electrifying performance by QVLN playing his own brand of dynamic world music on his blue violin. Throughout the day, DJ Sunny Z soundtracks your shopping spree.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced its 2024 family festival commemorating Lunar New Year, a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. The event takes place Feb. 3, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

This year’s Lunar New Year festival will celebrate the year of the dragon. It will consist of performances, talks, tours, hands-on activities and more. The full schedule is available online. The museum also offers many resources to learn about Lunar New Year on its website such as virtual tours of related collections, lesson plans and webinars.

About Lunar New Year
Commonly known as the Spring Festival in China, Lunar New Year is a 15-day celebration marked by many traditions. The Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner is the highlight that kicks off the holiday, a feast with a spread of symbolic dishes, such as a whole fish representing abundance, that bring good luck and fortune. The 15th and final day of the holiday is the Lantern Festival, during which people have tangyuan, or sweet glutinous rice balls, and children carry lanterns around the neighborhood at night to mark the end of the celebration.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the year of the dragon. Different regions across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year in many ways and may follow a different zodiac. Many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do not observe the Chinese/lunar zodiac.

Capital Harvest Market (CHoP), a weekly downtown market, opens for a 16th season. Explore a vibrant array of specialty foods, take a culinary tour around the world, and indulge in locally produced, small-batch and handcrafted products along with seasonal offerings from over 25 vendors. Visitors can also indulge in artistic expressions while enjoying delicious food and vibrant community spirit when the Capital Arts Collective joins CHoP on the Woodrow Wilson Plaza.

WHEN: Every Wednesday, May 1 to October 20, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Capital Harvest Market (CHoP), a weekly downtown market, opens for a 16th season. Explore a vibrant array of specialty foods, take a culinary tour around the world, and indulge in locally produced, small-batch and handcrafted products along with seasonal offerings from over 25 vendors. Visitors can also indulge in artistic expressions while enjoying delicious food and vibrant community spirit when the Capital Arts Collective joins CHoP on the Woodrow Wilson Plaza.

WHEN: Every Wednesday, May 1 to October 20, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Capital Harvest Market (CHoP), a weekly downtown market, opens for a 16th season. Explore a vibrant array of specialty foods, take a culinary tour around the world, and indulge in locally produced, small-batch and handcrafted products along with seasonal offerings from over 25 vendors. Visitors can also indulge in artistic expressions while enjoying delicious food and vibrant community spirit when the Capital Arts Collective joins CHoP on the Woodrow Wilson Plaza.

WHEN: Every Wednesday, May 1 to October 20, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.