Weekend Buzz: Dec. 4, 2025
As the weather chills and the holiday season heats up, so many cool activities are coming our way! In Falls Church, don't miss the Santamobile, the Holiday Craft Fair and the Children's Holiday Shoppe at the Community Center, as well as many nearby Holiday Markets. Georgetown's hosting a major outdoor music festival, Georgetown Jingle, and the Wharf DC will have its annual crowd-pleasing Boat Parade & Party (with fireworks!) We also have the latest in local author talks, music, dance, film, theater, visual arts, and history. Enjoy!
Enjoy the Holiday Craft Fair and the Children's Holiday Shoppe at the Community Center!
Annual Holiday Gift and Craft Show with Children’s Shoppe
Falls Church City Community Center, 223 Little Falls St., Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Children's Shoppe open from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free admission. The Children’s Shoppe runs only on Saturday but kids' crafts and activities will be held both days.
Deck the halls this holiday season with special gifts from the annual two-day gift and craft show! Over 50 crafters and merchants sell unique gifts, handmade goods, and something for everyone on your shopping list during the first weekend in December. Support local businesses, artisans, and merchants as well by shopping at the Holiday Gift and Craft Show presented by Livewell Animal Hospital Falls Church, along with Children's Holiday Shoppe.
Don't miss live holiday performances from local Falls Church City Public Schools student musicians and singers, multiple daily raffles, and the Kids’ Corner with holiday crafts and treats!
The Children's Holiday Shoppe, hosted by the Friends of Cherry Hill, is a sweet holiday tradition open on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Located in the Community Center, volunteers help children select gifts for $6 or less for friends and family. The Children’s Shoppe is open only on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Don’t miss the live holiday entertainment from FCCPS musicians and raffles on both days!
Sales at the shoppe are cash and check only, with free gift-wrapping available! More details, including a list of vendors, will be available at fallschurchva.gov/CraftShow.
The Farmers Market will also be taking place Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., adding to the busy morning. Attendees are encouraged to park for free at the Kaiser Permanente Garage on the corner of Park Avenue and N. Washington Street (201 N. Washington St.; garage entrance on Park Avenue) just two blocks away.
Visit the official webpage for event details and schedules.
Find all of the City's holiday events and programs at fallschurchva.gov/Holidays.
Here Comes the Santamobile!
Santamobile from the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department
- Friday, Dec. 5, through Saturday, Dec. 14
- Nightly routes for the Santamobile are posted on the Fire Department’s website (see below), Facebook, and Instagram.
- Questions? Please don't call the fire station! Email the Santamobile coordinator. Santa is unable to respond to requests for private drive-bys.
Visit fallschurchfire.org for more information about the Santamobile and other Fire Department programs.
For our recent story about the F.C. VFD see below:
Christopher Jones
Pictures with Santa at Solace Outpost!
Sponsored by Worthy Dog Rescue!
Solace Outpost Brewery, 444 West Broad St. Sunday, Dec. 7, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to helping dogs in distress, especially those living on chains, in pens, or in neglectful and abusive situations. Our mission is to provide a better life for these dogs through rescue and rehabilitation, outreach and education in the communities we serve, and addressing the root causes of animal overpopulation. We believe in a comprehensive approach because every dog we can keep in its home, make healthy, or prevent from having puppies is another dog saved.
For more info go here.
Check Out the Fairfax Holiday Market!
9th Annual Holiday Market (Dec. 5-7 & 12-14)
December 5-7 & 12-14; Next Markets: Friday, Dec. 5, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, 12:00 - 6:00 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7, 12;00 - 5:00 p.m.
Discover unique, handcrafted gifts and support local artisans during the first two weekends of December in Downtown Fairfax! Each weekend features a rotating lineup of talented craft vendors — so there’s always something new to explore.
As you shop, enjoy festive live entertainment and holiday cheer throughout the market!
For more go here.
See the City of Fairfax Festival of Lights & Carols!
Festival of Lights and Carols
Fairfax City, Old Town Square, 10415 North St. Saturday, Dec. 6, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Celebrate the holiday spirit as Downtown Fairfax transforms into a winter wonderland aglow with sparkling tree lights and festive cheer! Enjoy live holiday music, complimentary s’mores, warm cider, children’s crafts and activities, and much more!
Don’t miss Photos with Santa from 3-5:00 p.m. — a perfect chance to capture those holiday memories! Then, join us at 5:30 p.m. for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, complete with joyful caroling as we light up the night.
Performance Schedule:
Noon - Daniels Run Singers, Daniels Run Elementary School, The Fairfax Choral Society Youth Choir.
1:00 p.m. - George Mason University Tuba Euphonium Ensemble.
2:00 p.m. - UUCF Handbell Choir.
3:00 p.m. - Girl Scouts of Fairfax City.
4:00 p.m. - The Metropolitan Follies.
5:00 p.m. - Vienna-Falls Chorus.
5:30 p.m. - Tree Lighting Ceremony and Caroling.
For more info go here.
Attend a Holiday Art Show & Sale
Glen Echo Holiday Art Show & Sale
Glen Echo, Partnership Galleries, Through Jan. 4. For hours, see below. (Hours may vary.)
With so many unique gifts, the Holiday Art Show & Sale is a great place to shop for everyone on your holiday list! The show features the Park's resident artists and instructors, as well as other invited guests with works in:
Glass | Ceramics | Photography | Painting | Jewelry | Holiday Ornaments | and more!
The Park's major resident visual arts organizations are represented, including the Art Glass Center, Glen Echo Glassworks, Glen Echo Pottery, SilverWorks, Photoworks, the Sculpture Studio, the Stone Tower Studio, and the Yellow Barn Studio.
Hours: Holiday Hours and Gallery Closures listed on the Holiday Art Show & Sale Page.
Popcorn Gallery & Stone Tower Gallery: Thursdays & Fridays, 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Park View Gallery: Monday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Partnership Galleries.
Admission: FREE
For more info go here.
Explore the Rosslyn Holiday Market!
Rosslyn Cheer 2025: Holiday Market
Central Place Plaza, 1800 North Lynn St., Rosslyn, Dec. 6, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Find one-of-a-kind gifts and support small businesses this holiday season!
From the Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID).
For more info go here.
Celebrate St. Nicholas Day and Support Ukraine!
Ukrainian Holiday Season: St. Nicholas Day
Ukraine House, 2134 Kalorama Rd. NW. Dec. 6, 4:00-6:00 p.m. All guests required to purchase ticket.
Join us at Ukraine House for the fun celebration of the Holiday Season in Ukrainian style. Sweet treats and light snacks included.
One General Admission ticket for adult includes 1 glass of mulled wine.
One General Admission ticket for child includes 1 gift from St. Nicholas.
Tickets for workshops are optional and must be purchased separately. Please carefully check the workshop schedule.
Your ticket also gives you access to:
Games, quizzes, Christmas short movie, cardboard playhouse decoration, Christmas concert performed by Ukrainian kids.
All guests will have a chance to win amazing prizes worth over $100 each in a raffle!
Program for the evening:
4:00 p.m. - Doors open.
4:10- 5:00 p.m. - Christmas Workshops and Entertainment.
5:10 - 5:30 p.m. - Christmas Concert.
5:30 p.m. - Raffle.
5:40 p.m. - Meeting with St. Nicholas.
For ticket info go here.
Enjoy an Author Talk!
December Author Talk: Sophia Glock
Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Main Conference Room, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2-3:00 p.m. Ages: 9th grade through Adults.
Registration will close on Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Author and artist Sophia Glock discusses her YA graphic memoir, Passport, about growing up overseas – and discovering that her parents work for the CIA.
Come learn about Sophia's creative process, and how she went from writing fairy tale comics to drawing a memoir of growing up internationally in a family full of secrets. She'll discuss how she draws, writes, and mines her life for ideas for both long-form comics such as Passport, as well as shorter cartoons for publications such as The New Yorker. Sophia celebrates the power of comics as devices for deep connection and storytelling, and delves into how to develop a point of view when writing complicated personal histories.
This event is co-hosted with Bards Alley Bookshop. Copies of the author's book will be available for sale at the program or you can reserve copies by calling Bards Alley at 571-459-2653. A book-signing will follow the author talk.
About the Book: Passport
Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents’ work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America. Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents’ secret. They are not who they say they are; they're working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact this has on Sophia’s emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives. In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
About the Author
Sophia Glock is a cartoonist and the author of the graphic memoir Passport as well as the forthcoming Before We Wake (February, 2026). Her comics and cartoons have been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Buzzfeed, Narratively, and Time Out New York. She currently lives and draws in Virginia.
To register go here.
LOCAL MUSIC
Creative Cauldron’s Holiday Cabaret Series
Creative Cauldron, 127 E. Broad St., Dec. 8-18. All performances at 7:30 p.m.
Creative Cauldron tops off our holiday celebration every year with this special Holiday Cabaret Series. Enjoy some of Creative Cauldron’s favorite performers, as well as some talented newcomers. They’ll perform in our intimate cabaret setting with special table seating options that include wine, beer or your favorite beverage. Don your holiday finery and be prepared to sing along to your favorite songs. This series is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Get in the festive spirit or shake off some holiday blues with these seasonal cabarets that blend creativity and classics!
TIER 1: $30.
TIER 2: $25.
VIP TABLES WITH WINE: FOR 2: $90, FOR 4: $180.
LIVE STREAM: $15.
Sponsored By Falls Church News-Press
For show and ticket info go here.
Georgetown Jingle
Throughout Georgetown, Dec. 6, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Jingle All Day!
Be there with bells on at our second annual Georgetown Jingle, a holiday music event featuring 15 live music performances at 11 outdoor locations in Georgetown. Artists will perform festive songs and holiday favorites – from soul to jazz, a cappella, pop, and DJ sets. More than 45 Georgetown shops, restaurants and services will also be offering special discounts, refreshments, and more. Check out our Google map for all performers, locations and times, as well as shopping and restaurant specials (also listed if you scroll below).
Afterward, don’t miss the beautiful, candlelit St. Lucia Choir as they perform outside the Embassy of Sweden by the Georgetown waterfront (5:00 – 6:00 p.m.) The Embassy is also hosting their annual Swedish Holiday Market from 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., featuring Nordic goods and treats.
This event may be photographed and/or video recorded. Please be advised that by entering this event site you agree to being filmed and/or photographed, and the resulting assets may be used for marketing or promotional purposes.
Participating Food & Drink Establishments:
+ 1310 Kitchen & Bar (1310 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Hot chocolate and hot apple cider bar outside for purchase, with the option to spike with your favorite alcohol.
+ 7th Street Burger (1424 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – From 1-4:00 p.m., the first 20 orders (over $25) at the top of every hour will get a free burger card for your next purchase.
+ Bacchus Wine Cellar (1635 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Enjoy Bourbon hot cocoa & chocolate-dipped treats while you discover the perfect wines and spirits to make your holidays merry and bright.
+ Blossom Daily (3207 M St. NW) – Special Jingle drink which comes with a free beignet.
+ Cafe Georgetown (3141 N St. NW) – Complimentary mini peppermint mochas, hot chocolate, and cookies. Try our festive printed holiday lattes, Gingerbread Espresso Martini, or Holiday Spritz — all 15% off. Enter our Latte Art Giveaway to win a custom printed latte for you and a friend. Cozy holiday décor, music, and photo spots all day; tastings and giveaways from 12-5:00 p.m.
+ Chaia (3207 Grace St. NW) – Enjoy $7 Ruby Palomas – tart, skinny, and the perfect balance and calm before the next boutique. Add tacos and call it a very productive day!
+ Compass Coffee (1351 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Free hot chocolate and coffee at our door!
+ Cottage House Ethiopian Cuisine (1529 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Sample Ethiopian coffee and a small tasting of Chechebsa (Ethiopian flatbread mixed with butter and spices).
+ GRECO (1335 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Free Greek doughnuts (loukoumades).
+ Guapo’s (3050 Water St. NW Suite WG60) – Buy a $100 gift card and get a Bonus Card (redeemable Jan. 2 – Jan. 31).
+ Ice Cream Jubilee (3333 M St. NW) – Free drip coffee with a purchase of 6 mini-donuts.
+ Lil sweet treat (3285 M St. NW) – Exclusive product offering and gift bundling.
+ maman (1353 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Buy 4 cookies, get 1 free.
+ Manny & Olga’s Pizza (1641 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Pick-up holiday special: Large 3-topping pizza for $13.99.
+ Milo & Mav (3206 N St. NW) – Live music, free hot chocolate for you and a holiday treat for your dog.
+ Pinstripes (1064 Wisconsin Ave. NW) – Tag us in your Jingle post and be entered into our holiday raffle. Prize TBD!
+ Say Cheese! (1071 Thomas Jefferson St. NW) – Free Christmas cookies.
+ Sequoia (3000 K St. NW) – Complimentary hot chocolate, spiced hot cider, and cotton candy by the ice skating rink entrance.
+ The Sovereign (1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW #1) – Serving a special house-made Chartreuse hot chocolate, also available in a non-alcoholic version.
+ Yala Greek Ice Cream (3143 N St. NW) – Get transported to the Greek North Pole, with festive photo moments and decor crafted by a former White House decorator, all inside America’s first authentic Greek ice cream shop.
For more info go here.
A Christmas Kaleidoscope of Bronze - Handbell Concert!
Stacy C. Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd., Fairfax. Saturday, Dec. 6, 8:00 to 9:15 p.m.
Celebrate the joy of the season with a tapestry of holiday music from around the world in Bronze Unlimited's handbell concert - beloved carols, serene lullabies and festive classics designed to uplift and inspire. Take a moment, sing along, and share in the magic of this special time of year.
For ticket info go here.
Music on the Canal
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center, 11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac, Md. Saturday, Dec. 6, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Free.
Join us for our Music on the Canal program! Our next program will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. Musicians from the Northern Virginia Dulcimer Group will share their interpretations of 19th century music and perform songs on a variety of historical instruments, including dulcimers, banjo, and upright bass. Stop in to listen and learn about music of the Canal Era during your visit!
For more info go here.
The Johnnyswim Christmas Show
Limited Availability! ~ The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna, Dec. 5, 8:00 p.m. Doors Open: 6:30 p.m.
For the first time ever, JOHNNYSWIM makes The Barns their “Home” for the holidays! Composed of Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, the “captivating and unforgettable” pair (Rolling Stone) has become almost as well-known for their folk-pop albums (When the War is Over, Diamonds) as their beloved Christmastime shows. Sing along to their fan-favorite holiday song “Fairytale of New York,” remastered rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and more for a joyful and heartfelt celebration of the season.
Tickets Start at: $60 (incl. fees).
For ticket info go here.
Holiday Celebration with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra Brass
Capital One Hall, The Vault, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons, Sunday, Dec. 7. Doors open: 3:00 p.m. Showtime: 4:00 p.m.
Presented by Virginia Chamber Orchestra.
Holiday favorites, The VCO Brass Quintet will perform a delightful selection of holiday musical pieces to entertain kids and adults alike! Wear your favorite holiday outfits – Santa hats encouraged!
Tickets required for all attendees.
For ticket info go here.
Laura Ballestrino
Reserve Your Tickets Now! ~ The Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road, NW, Thursday, Dec. 11. Doors open 6:00 p.m. Showtime: 7:00 p.m.
The Kreeger Museum is pleased to welcome Laura Ballestrino for a piano concert in collaboration with the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and guests may enjoy a glass of wine and explore the main floor and lower galleries until 6:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Tickets: $30.
Museum Members: $25 for two.
Limited parking available on site. Ride sharing strongly encouraged.
About the Artist
Laura Ballestrino (2000, Madrid) is a Spanish concert pianist and composer. A member of Yamaha’s exclusive “Young Talents” program, her artistic journey is marked by international awards, including First Prizes at Jeunesses Musicales Spain, Antón García Abril, María Herrero and Gran Klavier International Piano Competitions, Third Prize at Compositores de España International Piano Competition and the Yamaha Music Europe Foundation Scholarship, among many others.
Her career encompasses recitals and concert tours in prestigious venues both in Spain and abroad, such as the Spanish National Auditorium, the Solitär hall at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and The Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta. She has made her orchestral debut with Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra, University of Granada Symphony Orchestra, Virtuosos de Madrid International Orchestra, Mariana Martínez Classical Orchestra, and more.
A graduate of Madrid Royal Conservatory, where she studied with Professor Elena Orobio, she later completed a Master’s degree in performance at Alfonso X el Sabio University under the guidance of renowned pianists Leonel Morales and Leo de María.
Ballestrino combines her activity as a concert pianist with her work as a composer and teacher, and is currently a member of the piano faculty at Forum Musikae Higher School of Music in Madrid. Upcoming highlights include her debut with the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra in 2026 performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.
For more info go here.
LOCAL DANCE
Centre Company presents The Nutcracker
Capital One Hall, Main Theater, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons. Dec. 6, 12:00 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 5:00 p.m. Doors open one hour before showtime.
Centre Company Presents The Nutcracker.
Celebrate this holiday season with the Centre Company’s annual performance of The Nutcracker. Travel with Clara as she embarks on a journey into the magical Land of Sweets, where she meets dancing Snowflakes and Sugarplums, Dragons and Peacocks, Shepherdesses and Bon Bons, and avoids the tricks of a mischievous naughty little mouse. Featuring breathtaking costumes, stunning dancers, and renowned guest artists, the beauty, elegance, and charm of the Centre Company's full-length performance of the Nutcracker ballet will leave you astounded. Come join us at the Centre Company Nutcracker, for all who want to experience the season with childlike wonder.
American Ballet Theatre’s principal dancers Cory Stearns and Hee Seo will perform the roles of Cavalier and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Centre Performing Arts Company’s production of The Nutcracker.
Stearns, who has been a principal dancer with ABT since 2011, received his early dance training in New York at the Seiskaya Ballet, and then went on to study at the Royal Ballet School in London, receiving honors and the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence. Stearns won the 2009 Erik Bruhn Prize for best male dancer, and his work continues to be acclaimed around the world. Ballet Herald describes his performance in a recent production of Giselle, with “His dancing is altogether so elegant, gravity-defying, and expressive.” Stearns frequently partners with Seo, and from that same Giselle production, Sarah Kaufmann of the Washington Post wrote, “Seo set the tone right away with her supple precision, a combination of effortless technical command and musical shading.” Seo has been principal dancer with ABT since 2012. She received her early training in Seoul, South Korea, before studying in the United States and Stuttgart, Germany. She is the recipient of the 2003 Prix de Lausanne Award and the 2003 Grand Prix at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York.
For ticket info go here.
The Washington Ballet's Nutcracker
Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Doors Open: 6:00 p.m. Show: 7:00 p.m. Through Dec. 28.
A D.C.-Holiday Tradition for Over 60 Years!
Experience the magic of the holidays with The Washington Ballet's The Nutcracker, a cherished D.C. tradition featuring over 380 talented dancers! From our dedicated students to our professional company, witness a spectacular performance set in historic Georgetown. Enjoy the familiar story with unique local touches, including George Washington as the Nutcracker and a springtime cherry blossom scene. This visual feast offers holiday joy for all ages. Don't miss this special production that showcases the vibrant talent of the entire Washington Ballet team. Treat yourself and your family this holiday season.
For ticket info and showtimes go here.
LOCAL FILM
GALA FILM FEST: Latin American Innovation
GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th Street, NW. December | Diciembre 3 - 7.
All films in Spanish with English subtitles | Todos los filmes en español con subtítulos en inglés
Curator | Curador: Carlos Gutiérrez, Cinema Tropical (New York).
This year’s festival will feature six contemporary films by emerging directors and a classic from the Mexican Golden Age. Join us for exclusive talkbacks with producers, artists, directors, and experts, and receptions after the screenings.
Este año, el festival incluye seis películas contemporáneas de jóvenes cineastas y un clásico de la Época Dorada del cine mexicano. Disfruta coloquios después de las proyecciones, recepciones y más.
Individual tickets | Boletos individuales: $10 per film | por película.
Watch all seven movies for only $35! | ¡Disfruta las 7 películas por solo $35! GET FILM FEST PASS | COMPRAR PASE DE FESTIVAL
All films are DC premieres, but Luis Buñuel's ÉL | Todos los filmes son estrenos en DC, excepto ÉL de Luis Buñuel
All films will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted, and most are appropriate for ages 13 and up, except those with a different age recommendation noted. | Todos los filmes son en español con subtítulos en inglés, a menos que se indique lo contrario, y la mayoría son apropiados para personas a partir de 13 años, excepto las películas que indican una recomendación de edad distinta.
LINEUP & SCHEDULE | PELÍCULAS Y HORARIOS
**
ARGENTINA: Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m.
LAS COSAS INDEFINIDAS / UNDEFINED THINGS
María Aparicio, Argentina, 2023. – DRAMA
Reception courtesy of the Embassy of Argentina to the U.S.
**
MEXICO: Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
CASI EL PARAÍSO / QUITE LIKE PARADISE (16+)
Edgar San Juan, Mexico/Italy, 2024. – COMEDY
Talk-back with director Edgar San Juan.
Reception courtesy of the Mexican Cultural Institute.
**
MEXICO: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
VALENTINA O LA SERENIDAD / VALENTINA OR THE SERENITY
Ángeles Cruz, Mexico, 2023. – DRAMA
**
COLOMBIA: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 p.m.
LLUEVE SOBRE BABEL / RAINS OVER BABEL (16+)
Gala del Sol, Colombia/USA/Spain, 2025. – DRAMEDY
Talk-back with director Gala del Sol.
Reception courtesy of the Embassy of Colombia to the U.S.
**
MEXICO: Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2:00 p.m.
ÉL
Luis Buñuel, Mexico, 1953. – DRAMEDY
**
MEXICO: Sunday, Dec. 7 at 5:00 p.m.
THE IN BETWEEN
Robie & Alejandro Flores, USA/Mexico, 2024. – DOCUMENTARY
Talk-back with producer Alejandro Flores.
For more info go here.
LOCAL THEATER
A Christmas Carol
Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria. Dec. 5 - 20. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Based on the novel written by Charles Dickens and adapted by Rachael Hubbard with additions by Michael Page. Producers: Alexis Delaney and Patricia Nicklin. Executive Producer: Russell M. Wyland. Director: Michael Page.
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter, cold-hearted old miser who despises Christmas and all things joyful. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him to change his ways or face a grim fate in the afterlife. In this production, the story of Scrooge’s journey – immortalized by Charles Dickens in 1843 – will both remain true to the LTA holiday tradition and be inspired by the director’s dark and playful vision of Victorian England. The concept of this production brings the characters of the Charles Dickens's story to life through the imagination of the Grandchild as they are read the story by their Grandparent.
Estimated running time: 1 hour and 15 minutes without intermission.
Tickets: $25 Reserved Seating.
*Due to Alexandria’s annual Scottish Walk, there will not be a Saturday 2:00 p.m. performance on Dec. 6.
While our version of A Christmas Carol is designed to be a child friendly production, it is as Charles Dickens himself titled it, a ghost story which includes many aspects that might be frightening to young children. Parents should use their own discretion about whether this show is appropriate for their young children over the age of 3. We ask patrons considering bringing young children to please review our policy on attendance HERE.
For ticket info go here.
It's a Wonderful Life, Live Radio Play
Vienna Theatre Company, Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE, Vienna. Saturday, Dec. 6, 4:00 p.m. And, at Emmaus United Church of Christ, 900 Maple Ave. E., Vienna, Sunday, Dec. 7, 4:00 p.m.
Tickets available at door only.
Adults: $10.00.
Children under 8 years-old: $5.00.
Seniors: $8.00.
For more info go here.
Chanukah in the Dark
Theater J, 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW. Saturday. Dec. 6 and 13, at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7 and 14, 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Written by Hayley Finn. Directed by Tyler Herman. Music by Adam Wernick.
When the lights go out during Chanukah, Max and family begin sharing songs, stories, and traditions – only to discover the lights they needed and the miracles they searched for were in their midst all along. Perfect for ages 5 and up.
Duration : 1 hour.
For ticket info go here.
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas
Olney Theatre Centre, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd., Olney, Md. Through Dec. 28.
The Tradition Lives On!
Michael Russotto returns to star for a second holiday season in this solo show that is a masterclass in theatrical storytelling. As he portrays nearly 50 different characters from the Charles Dickens classic, you’ll find yourself swept up in a story that is funnier, more timely, and far more familiar to our modern-day circumstances than you could ever imagine. Even more impressive, Paul Morella’s beloved adaptation stays true to Dickens’ original language – making this perhaps the most authentic Christmas Carol out there. There’s a reason our audience has made this part of their holiday tradition for the past 16 years.
Conceived, Adapted, and Originally Staged by Paul Morella. From the novella by Charles Dickens.
Audio-Described Performance – Wednesday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Please email wbrown@olneytheatre.org if you plan to utilize this service.)
ASL Interpreted Performance – Thursday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m. (Please email wbrown@olneytheatre.org if you plan to utilize this service.)
Age Guidance: If this were a film, it would be rated G. Because of the format and Victorian language, however, we recommend it for ages 11 and up.
For ticket info go here.
Birthday Candles
Opens Today! ~ 1st STAGE, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons. Runs Dec. 4-21.
Written by Noah Haidle. Directed by Alex Levy.
Ernestine Ashworth spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it’s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. This poignant and funny play takes its audience through the highlights, heartbreaks and extraordinary moments that make up one woman’s ordinary life.
“For my money, Birthday Candles is precisely why people go to the theater.” ~ Chicago Tribune
Presented with generous support from Wilma Probst Levy, in honor of Louis Levy.
Birthday Candles runs about 90 minutes with no intermission.
For ticket info and showtimes go here.
Some Like It Hot
Closes This Sunday! ~ Broadway at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Through Dec. 7.
“A super-sized all out song-and-dance spectacular!” ~ The New York Times
Winner of 4 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography and Best Costumes, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, SOME LIKE IT HOT is “A Super-Sized, All-Out Song-And-Dance Spectacular!” ~ The New York Times
Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, SOME LIKE IT HOT is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime.
And what a trip it is! With its irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance, SOME LIKE IT HOT won more theater awards than any show in its season, and was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk, The Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle. No wonder Deadline calls it “a tap-dancing, razzle-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater.”
Join Some Like It Hot and Broadway at The National for PRIDE NIGHT on Sunday, November 30 at 7:30 pm! Enjoy pride-themed photo ops, specialty drinks for purchase, and more before the show. Plus! DC’s Different Drummers, an LGBTQ+ community music organization, will fill The National’s lobby with free jazz music beginning at 6:30 p.m.
For ticket info and showtimes go here.
Guys and Dolls
Just Openend! ~ Shakespeare Theatre Company, Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Runs: Dec. 2 - Jan 4.
Based on a Story and Characters of Damon Runyon. Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser. Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Choreographed by Joshua Bergasse. Directed by Francesca Zambello.
The oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York just got busted and Nathan Detroit needs cold hard cash to get it up and running again. Enter high-roller Sky Masterson, who Nathan wagers can’t get a date with the straight- laced Sarah Brown, a Save-A-Soul missionary trying to rescue them all from sin.
Directed by Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse (Smash, Bull Durham), dance the night away to “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” and more classic tunes in the must-see show of the holiday season.
Runtime: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.
THIS WEEK ONLY, no fees for any performance of Guys and Dolls with code THANKS. *Enter code prior to selecting your seats. Code THANKS subject to availability. Cannot be combined with other offers or applied to previously purchased tickets. Valid on all seats and performances on sale now, and 3- and 4-Play Packages. Limit 4. Offer expires Sunday, NOV. 30 at 11:59 p.m. Note: The Box Office will be closed NOV. 27–28. Order online to guarantee your seats.
For ticket info and showtimes go here.
Sylvia
Nova Nightsky Theatre, Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Memorial Hall, 225 E. Broad St. Through Feb. 6.
When Greg brings home a stray dog named Sylvia, his marriage takes an unexpected turn. A witty, heartwarming comedy about love, loyalty, and the messy joy of rediscovering connection — in marriage and in life.
For ticket info go here.
A Christmas Carol
Just Opened! ~ Ford’s Theatre, 511 Tenth Street, NW. Through Dec. 31.
Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic, with familiar characters, ghosts and a children’s ensemble in the spirit of the holidays. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s annual tradition heralded as a “rich visual and vocal treat” (TheaterMania) and “infectiously jolly” (The Washington Post).
Duration: two hours including one intermission. Recommended for ages 5 and older.
Accessible:
Audio-Described Performances: Dec. 4, at 7:00 p.m. and Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m.
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Dec.4, at 7:00 p.m. and Dec. 13, at 2:00 p.m.
Sensory Friendly: November 23, 2025 at 2 p.m.
For ticket info go here.
Fiddler on the Roof
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Through Jan. 26.
The iconic musical gorgeously staged in-the-round in Signature’s intimate setting and directed by Joe Calarco (Jesus Christ Superstar, Gypsy).
Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, his family and their tight-knit community honor tradition but must contend with a changing world and a rise in antisemitism at their home in Czarist Russia.
The glorious score with songs “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Matchmaker,” unite with exquisite dance in this classic of the musical theater canon filled with humor, heart – and life.
“One of the most glowing creations in the history of musical theater” ~ The New York Times
- Running time: approximately 2 hours, 50 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
- Show will use flashing lighting effects, loud noises and theatrical haze.
- Show explores social and political issues including religious intolerance/threats, and has one scene depicting antisemitic violence.
- Recommended for ages 13+. Signature does not admit anyone under 6.
For more info go here.
ho ho ho ha ha ha ha
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D ST. NW. Through Dec. 21.
Last time she was at Woolly, she sold out the house, earned Helen Hayes Award nominations, and left D.C. audiences roaring (and maybe questioning what just happened). Now, award-winning Estonian clown Julia Masli returns to Woolly with a holiday remix of her international hit ho ho ho ha ha ha ha.
In ho ho ho ha ha ha ha, Julia once again sets out to solve problems in her own off beat style — only this time, they’re holiday problems. From family meltdowns to gift-related despair, she’ll tackle it all with no script, no plan, no guarantees.
It’s bold. It’s warm. It’s wildly unpredictable. And it might just be the most uplifting chaos you’ll experience all season.
“★★★★★” ~ Brian Logan, The Guardian
“★★★★★ A strange and beautiful masterpiece” ~ Tim Harding, The Telegraph“
★★★★★” ~ Georgia Evans, Time Out
“…hilarious and deeply affecting…” ~ DC Theater Arts“… funny and, at times, downright hilarious as well as warm and hopeful.” ~ MD Theatre Guide
ASL INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES: Friday, Dec. 12, 8:00 p.m.
OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES: Sunday, Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m.
Audio Described PERFORMANCES: Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:00 p.m.
MASK REQUIRED PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 8:00 p.m.
Childcare Matinee: Sunday, Dec. 7, 5:00 p.m.
For more info go here.
A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
Mosaic Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Through Dec. 7.
A moving story of fatherhood, friendship, and finding hope where you least expect it.
By SAMUEL D. HUNTER. DIRECTED BY DANILO GAMBINI.
MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient Samuel D. Hunter’s intimate, powerful play is a thoughtful meditation on human resilience. Inside a small office in southern Idaho, two men struggle to understand the confounding terms of a mortgage loan while connecting over the joy and pain of fatherhood. The pair form an unlikely friendship, using humor to find hope in the face of heartbreak.
Hailed as a New York Times Critic’s Pick, this moving new play is a testament to the power of finding one’s own community in the face of loneliness.
“…at times tense and tenuous, at others mutually affirmative…“A Case for the Existence of God” is …touchingly resonant.” ~ The Washington Post
For more info go here.
Hello, Dolly!
Olney Theater, Roberts Main Stage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Through Jan. 4.
"Some people paint, some sew ... I meddle!"
Dolly Gallagher Levi is a woman on the make. And what’s she making? Whatever you need. A husband? A wife? Dance lessons? Pierced ears? There’s never been a more indefatigable figure in American musical theatre, and perhaps that’s why the role has served as a vehicle for some of our greatest stars, from Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey, to Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler.
Now, the DMV’s reigning musical superstar, Nova Y. Payton (World Goes 'Round), takes on the title role of a musical that churns out laughs, songs, and over-the-top antics as fast as humanly possible… and then goes a little faster. Audiences of all ages are guaranteed a great time at this classic musical about love, second chances, and the magic of an adventure to the big city!
Tickets: $42 - $133 (service fees inclusive).
Age Guidance: If this were a film, it would be rated PG.
For ticket info go here.
Fremont Ave.
Closes This Sunday! ~ Arena Stage, Kreeger Theatre, 1101 6th St. SW. Through Dec. 7.
All the Cards are on the Table.
A soulful new dramatic-comedy about love, legacy, and, of course, a cutthroat game of Spades.
Written by Reggie D. White and directed by Lili-Anne Brown, Fremont Ave. is a raw, electric world premiere that moves across decades with the force of memory and the rhythm of Spades. From young love and big dreams to buried resentment and unmet expectations, three generations of Black men face off at the card table and come face-to-face with each other. At the center of it all is the family’s formidable matriarch: beloved, feared, and never forgotten. What begins as a game becomes a reckoning with masculinity, identity, and the weight of silence passed down. Fremont Ave. lays every card on the table and dares you to do the same.
By: Reggie D. White. Directed by: Lili-Anne Brown. A Co-Production with South Coast Repertory.
- Running Time: Approx. 2 hours, 25 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
- Advisories: Contains mature language and sexually suggestive content.
Fremont Ave. is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.
For ticket info go here.
LOCAL VISUAL ARTS
Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey
Closes this Sunday! ~ National Archives Museum, Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, 701 Constitution Ave. NW. Open Daily: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Through Dec. 7. Free and open to the public.
Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey is an exhibition of photographs of coal communities by American documentary photographer Russell Lee. These images tell the story of laborers who helped build the nation, of a moment when the government took stock of their health and safety, and of a photographer who recognized their humanity.
Power & Light is free and open to the public. The exhibition features more than 200 of Russell Lee’s photographs of coal miners and their families in the form of large-scale prints, projections, and digital interactives from a nationwide survey of housing and medical and community facilities of bituminous coal mining communities. The survey was conducted by Navy personnel in 1946 as part of a strike-ending agreement negotiated between the Department of the Interior and the United Mine Workers of America. The full series of photographs, which numbers in the thousands, can only be found in the holdings of the National Archives. These images document inhumane living and working conditions but also depict the joy, strength, and resilience of the miners' families and communities.
Note: All photograph captions are original, as provided by the photographer. Unless otherwise noted, the images are in the holdings of the National Archives, Records of the Solid Fuels Administration for War. I'm taking pictures of the history of today. —Russell Lee
Power & Light features Russell Lee’s 1946 coal survey photographs of miners in their homes, mines, and communities.
About Russell Lee:
Russell Werner Lee (1903–86) was born in Ottawa, Illinois. Originally trained as an engineer, he was methodical in his work, but approached his subjects with warmth and respect. The quiet Midwesterner put people at ease, enabling him to capture scenes of surprising intimacy. Many of his photographs reveal worlds through small details — keepsakes on the mantel, lined and calloused hands. What may be most distinctive about these images is their reflection of the photographer’s compassion for his subjects. Despite their plight, it is their strength, dignity, and humanity that strike the viewer.
If you recognize Lee’s photos — but not his name — you’re not alone.
Although the coal survey photos represent some of Lee’s finest work, his best-known photographs are from an earlier project. Lee was one of several photographers hired by the federal government in the 1930s to document the toll of the Great Depression and drought on rural Americans. While he worked alongside famous colleagues including Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, Lee eschewed celebrity. His aim was to inspire social change, believing visual evidence of struggle and hardship could generate support for reforms.
For more info go here.
Subtle Energy
Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, 888 N Quincy St., #102, Arlington. Artists Talk: Saturday, Dec. 6, 4-6:00 p.m.
For more info go here.
The Art of Looking: George Bellows’s New York
National Gallery of Art, Friday, Dec. 5, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Virtual program. Ages 18 and over.
George Bellows’s New York is the inspiration for this interactive conversation. Join us for a one-hour virtual session and share your observations, interpretations, questions, and ideas about this work of art.
These conversations will encourage you to engage deeply with art, with others, and with the world around you as you hone skills in visual literacy and perspective-taking.
The program is free, open to the public, and is designed for everyone interested in talking about art. No art or art history background is required.
This program is free, open to the public, and is designed for everyone interested in talking about art. No art or art history background is required. Closed captioning is available to all participants.
Questions? tickets@nga.gov or call 202.737.4215.
To register go here.
Finding Awe: Giovanni Paolo Panini’s Rome
National Gallery of Art, West Bldg. Main Floor, Gallery 31, 2:15-4:00 p.m. In person. Ages 18 and up.
Part of Finding Awe. Talks & Conversations.
Look closely at Giovanni Paolo Panini’s paintings of the Interior of Saint Peter’s and Interior of the Pantheon. Explore the role of awe and architecture in tourism from the 18th century to the present. Consider where, when, and how architecture elicits awe in your own life.
During this 90-minute pause from your daily route, we’ll look slowly and mindfully at the artist’s work. You’ll be invited to look closely, wonder, and share your insights with the group. Together, we’ll learn “awe practices” that you can bring to your everyday life.
The workshop exploring Giovanni Paolo Panini’s Rome will be offered on December 5 at 2:15 p.m. and on December 6 at 10:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. We encourage you to register for one workshop on this topic and to join us for future topics as well.
Questions? Email us at talks@nga.gov.
“Finding Awe” is grounded in the National Gallery’s mission to welcome all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. It offers new “awe practices” drawn from the research of Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California-Berkeley, director of The Greater Good Science Center, and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023). Research shows that experiences of awe help support mental and physical wellbeing and open us up to greater creativity and deeper empathy.
To register go here.
The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art
National Gallery of Art, East Building Concourse, 4th & Constitution Ave. NW. Through March 1, 2026. Admission free. Passes not required.
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art — the largest ever shown in North America.
Australian Indigenous art is a visual thread connecting more than 250 nations across 65,000 years. Explore its breadth and brilliance through nearly 200 works from the late 1800s to today.
You’ll find ochre paintings made on bark, maps of the Central and Western deserts (so-called “dot paintings”), groundbreaking works in neon, video, and photography, and more. And you’ll meet iconic artists who maintain and reinvigorate Ancestral traditions — revealing the rich, living history of creativity behind the world’s longest continuous culture.
Drawn exclusively from the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, The Stars We Do Not See features many masterpieces that have never left Australia — until now. We’re honored to debut this landmark North American tour.
Introductory Tour:
Join us for an introduction to the exhibition The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art, featuring works of modern and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Explore a range of works, from ochre bark paintings and experimental weavings to immersive sound and video art, that reveal a rich history of creativity.
Meet at the East Building Information Desk.
This tour will be given on December 6, and December 12, 2025, and January 10, January 23, February 7, and February 13, 2026.
For more info go here.
The Mirage of Ancient Egypt: Exploring Ancient Egypt’s Legacy in Popular Culture
Opens Tomorrow! ~ Mason Exhibitions, Fenwick Gallery, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. Runs: Dec. 5 - Feb. 13, 2026.
Ancient Egypt fascinates us, yet most knowledge of this remarkable society is based on a fiction built upon Orientalism: a lens through which Western colonial powers judge Eastern cultures. These ideas harm modern Egyptians, whose history is no longer their own but a creation of the modern misunderstandings of the West.
This exhibit discusses this false view through three connecting themes. Consuming Ancient Egypt demonstrates how modern media and consumer culture intentionally exploits Ancient Egypt to create marketable products. Unwrapping Spirituality reveals how the West reimagines Ancient Egyptian spirituality to explore their own ideas of life, death, and the unknown. Undressing Orientalist Fantasies examines the over-sexualization of Ancient Egyptians in a variety of media. With this foundation, The Mirage of Ancient Egypt provides an opportunity to reflect on how society has shaped today’s interpretation of Ancient Egypt.
For more info go here.
Joey Enríquez: as i look towards what could have been mine
Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, 3350 Wilson Blvd, Arlington. Through Jan. 25, 2026.
as i look towards what could have been mine is Joey Enríquez’s elegiac ode to the desert of the American Southwest, a place synonymous with the artist’s personal ethnography, familial ancestry, and, for the artist, a place where their soul is at rest. Taking viewers to the edge of ruins, both metaphorical and literal, Enríquez alludes to the deserts’ innate expansiveness through poetic prose, printmaking, sculpture, and found object installations.
Enríquez’s abstracted desert revels in paradox. Here, the desert is presented as both unforgiving and romantic: a place of last resorts, desolation, and death; but also a place lush with awe-inspiring grace and tranquility. Contrasting the remains of a ruined adobe structure with a broken stained glass window that looks out onto the vastness of an open pit mine, Enríquez places sun-bleached fragments of prose declarations atop hand-printed landscape vistas. These writings — all original and often confessional — allude to love, fear, and memories of the desert from the artist’s childhood. In its construction and tone, as i look towards what could have been mine aspires to the scale and reverence of a cathedral: monumental and imposing, yet intimate.
The desert reminds us of our mortality and of our place within the vastness of the universe. In as i look towards what could have been mine, the desert is at once a place of despair and a site of communion: with ourselves, with nature, and with love.
Joey Enríquez (born Simi Valley, CA, 1997), is an artist, designer, educator, and geographer in the Washington, D.C. area who uses image-making, sculpture, and community engagement as a practice of remembrance and critical fabulation. They focus on politics of land, body, and occupation in their work, and their practice is informed by archival research and reclamation of their own Nde (Apache) indigeneity. Enríquez earned their B.A. in Design from California Lutheran University (2018) and their M.F.A. in Fine Arts at George Washington University (2020). They’ve been awarded fellowships and residencies at Hamiltonian Artists in Washington, D.C. (2020–22), The Studios at MASS MoCA (2021), and MoCA Arlington (2022–present). Their artwork has been shown at The Kreeger Museum, Hamiltonian Artists, and Culture House in Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Arlington, VA; and Edge on the Square in San Francisco, CA. Enríquez’s practice has extended beyond their artwork into project support and graphic design for the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at GW as well as for the artist collective Related Tactics (Michele Carlson and Weston Teruya). Recently, after entering the field of geography, Enríquez was part of a team of geographers working with The Nature Conservancy (Maryland/DC chapter) towards completing a report to be presented to legislators and stakeholders titled “SEAFARE (Supporting Equitable Access to Funding for Adaptation Resources)” at the 2024 National Adaptation Forum in Saint Paul, MN. Enríquez has taught at the Corcoran at GW, American University, and George Mason University as an adjunct for the past four years. In their spare time, they’re an avid runner and motorcyclist.
For more info go here.
Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe
National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth & Independence Ave. SW. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except Dec. 25.) Through Jan. 1.
Water’s Edge is the first major retrospective of the acclaimed Ho-Chunk artist. Lowe’s elegant, minimalist sculptures made of willow branches, feathers, and other organic materials evoke the rivers, streams, and waterfalls of the Wisconsin woodlands where he was raised and the canoes used to traverse them. His sculptures and sensitively rendered pastel and charcoal drawings reflect on cultural traditions, memory, and human relationships to place. Water’s Edge features 50 of Lowe’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings that explore the evolution of and themes within the artist’s work throughout his career. The exhibition brings to light rarely seen monumental works, significant pieces from public and private collections, including 28 from the National Museum of the American Indian’s collection. A companion catalogue offers a range of new perspectives, chronicling the artist’s life and development of his work with scholarly essays and reflections by artists whose work has been impacted by Lowe.
For more info go here.
Kinship
Falls Church Arts, 700-B West Broad St. Through Jan. 4.
Check out Falls Church Arts's new all-media show, "Kinship," featuring "works that reference the bonds between or among communities, families, cultures, or other groups."
Meet the Artists Reception: 7:00-9:00 pm, Saturday, Nov. 22.
Juror: Glen Kessler
Location: Falls Church Arts Gallery and online.
Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work
Just Openend! ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F Streets NW. Through July 12. Free admission. Open Daily: 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Free admission.
Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work sheds new light on a beloved body of work by Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860 – 1961). Grandma Moses used creativity, hope, and togetherness as tools for shaping a life that she metaphorically likened to “a good day’s work.” The artist’s fame made her a polarizing figure — beloved by the popular press and American public but belittled by the art world and critical press. This exhibition introduces the artist to new generations and examines her legacy in the context of America today.
Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work repositions Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860–1961) as a multidimensional force in American art, whose beloved painted recollections of rural life earned her a distinctive place in the cultural imagination of the postwar era. Drawing its name from Moses’ reflection on her own life as a “good day’s work,” the exhibition reveals how Moses’ art fused creativity, labor, and memories from a century-long life.
Moses began painting in earnest in her late 70s and was 80 when gallerist Otto Kallir introduced her to the American public with her first solo exhibition in 1940. In her artworks, Moses melded direct observation of nature and personal memories, resulting in idiosyncratic, yet engaging, stories of America. “Grandma Moses” as the press would indelibly dub her, quickly became a media sensation, achieving a controversial celebrity status that surpassed the female artists of her day and remains compelling today.
The exhibition is the culmination of a special collection initiative at the museum that began in 2016 and is anchored by 33 artworks from SAAM’s collection, including many of Moses’ most celebrated paintings. It is organized by Leslie Umberger, senior curator of folk and self-taught art, and Randall R. Griffey, former head curator, with support from Maria R. Eipert, curatorial assistant.
A richly illustrated catalogue, published in association with Princeton University Press, is available for purchase ($60) in the museum's store and online.
For more info go here.
Colorburst
Stacy C. Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd., Fairfax, Through Dec. 19.
Colorburst showcases artistic creations across all genres, unified by their emphasis on bold and vibrant colors as the primary thematic element. Carefully curated by The Rogue Art Project, this exhibition features powerful interpretation of color realized through a diverse array of materials, spanning the spectrum from realism to abstraction. EnChroma eyewear available. Open during business hours.
For more info go here.
Material Acts of Resistance: Michèle Colburn
Founders Gallery at Mason Square, Van Metre Hall Lobby, Mason Square Campus, 3351 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington. Open daily, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Through Feb. 6.
Material Acts of Resistance: Michèle Colburn brings together a selection of mixed-media works that transform the materials of conflict into meditations on endurance, vulnerability, and dissent. Through the use of gunpowder, wire, thread, and burnt paper, Colburn reconfigures symbols of violence into gestures of reflection and renewal. Her practice explores how the act of making can itself become a form of resistance, translating the volatile into the contemplative, and the destructive into the poetic.
Courtesy Arlington Arts.
For more info go here.
Out of Many: Reframing an American Art Collection
The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., NW. Through: Feb. 15.
Special Exhibition
Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States, Out of Many: Reframing an American Art Collection is a celebration and examination of the beauty and complexity of this nation’s history. Presenting artists well-known and understudied from the permanent collection, Out of Many builds a dynamic story about how, from the early 20th century to the present, various artists have imagined and depicted the people, cultures, landscapes, and histories of the United States. To tell a more diverse constellation of stories, the exhibition includes artworks from the historic collections of African American art at Howard University Gallery of Art and The David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, among other institutions.
For more info go here.
“Bernard (Bernie) Boston Retrospective: A Photojournalist, Social Justice Advocate, and Family Man”
McLean Project for the Arts, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Open: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Through Feb. 24, 2026.
McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will open its next Atrium Gallery exhibition, Bernard (Bernie) Boston Retrospective: A Photojournalist, Social Justice Advocate, and Family Man, on Thursday, November 6, 2025, with an Opening Exhibition Reception from 4-6:00 pm.
An award-winning photo journalist, Bernie Boston made history by becoming the first African American member of the White House press corps, covering every president from Truman through Clinton. Boston was a long-time McLean resident, and former Chairman of the McLean Community Center Governing Board (1977-1979). The Atrium Gallery exhibit will feature framed photographs from his fascinating, decades-long career.
Phoebe Mills Farris, Ph.D. (Powhatan-Pamunkey) — a retired Purdue University professor emerita, photographer, and freelance art critic — curated the exhibition.
‘We’re very excited about the exhibit. It’s something new for us, as we usually only work with living artists, and Bernie was more of a journalistic photographer than a strictly artistic one. We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate and build community with Historic Pleasant Grove Church,” said Nancy Sausser, MPA Artistic Director.
The exhibit is a collaboration between MPA and the Friends of Historic Pleasant Grove Church in McLean and will be held concurrently in MPA’s Atrium Gallery and at the Historic Pleasant Grove Church. An opening reception for the Pleasant Grove Church exhibition will be held Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 3-5:00 p.m., and will include light refreshments. Visit www.historicpleasantgrove.org to RSVP.
The MPA Atrium Gallery is available for viewing during McLean Community Center operating hours. The Historic Pleasant Grove exhibition is available for viewing December 7 and 21, from 2-4:00 p.m.; January 11 and 25, from 2-4:00 p.m.; and February 8 and 22, from 2-4:00 p.m.
Bernard (Bernie) Boston Retrospective: A Photojournalist, Social Justice Advocate, and Family Man runs through February 24, 2026. The McLean Project for the Arts Emerson Gallery Visit www.mpaart.org for exhibition information. To learn more about Bernie Boston, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Boston.
For more info go here.
Imagining Together:
Share Your Memories and Dreams
Mosaic Arts, The PARC Gallery at Tysons, 8508 Leesburg Pike, Tysons. Through Dec. 13.
MosaicARTs Gallery is proud to partner with Celebrate Fairfax to present Imagining Together: Share Your Memories and Dreams — a community art show that brings together artists of all ages from across the DMV. This special exhibition features work by young artists (ages 7–17) as well as emerging and established adult artists (18+). Through painting, drawing, mixed-media, and more, participants share personal memories and dreams, creating a heartfelt and inspiring collection of stories told through art.
Imagining Together celebrates creativity, connection, and imagination across generations. It’s a space where different voices come together to explore what unites us — and what makes each of us unique. Join us as we celebrate the power of art to bring people together.
For more info go here.
Wild Spaces by Lisa Green
Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, 230 W. Broad St. Free and open to the public. Through Jan. 11.
Local landscape artist Lisa Green will present her new solo exhibition, Wild Spaces, at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in Falls Church from October 13 through Jan. 11.
Wild Spaces invites visitors to step away from the daily rush and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Through her paintings, Green explores meadows, mountains, and coastlines where shifting light, rich textures, and open space create a sense of presence and wonder.
“Noticing wild spaces, whether they’re vast landscapes or a patch of meadow by the roadside, is essential to my everyday life,” says Green. “When we pay attention to the beauty around us, we build a sense of connection and responsibility. I hope these paintings encourage people to see and value the natural world so that it can be protected and enjoyed by others for years to come.”
The collection includes a range of colorful oil paintings and black and white ink wash paintings, from intimate 8x10 pieces to larger works up to 36x36 inches. All pieces are available for purchase through Green’s website, with QR codes onsite linking directly to the online shop.
Lisa Green is a Herndon–based artist whose work reflects her deep connection to the landscape. Her paintings are collected nationwide and recognized for their luminous color and sense of place.
The exhibition is free and open to the public during Rare Bird’s regular business hours.
For more info go to: www.lisagreenfineart.com.
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters
The Phillips Collection, Phillips@THEARC Exhibition, 1801 Mississippi Ave., SE. Free and in-person. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 12-5:00 p.m., and second and third Wednesdays open until 8:30 p.m. Through Feb. 19.
Pioneering D.C. artist Rik Freeman has been creating paintings and murals that focus on the African diaspora for over three decades. Wade in the Waters features artworks that engage themes of history, community, resilience, joy, and faith. The power and rhythm of water flows through the paintings — from the beaches of Bahia to the Anacostia River — sharing stories of both survival and triumph. Through a kaleidoscope of narratives, the exhibition draws from several of Freeman’s series, exploring waterways and their connection to the diaspora over generations.
About Rik Freeman
A native of Athens, Georgia, Rik Freeman began his professional career as an artist in Washington, D.C. in 1989, painting numerous murals throughout the metropolitan area. Some of his most notable commissions are “Ode to Barry Farms” (2016), Barry Farms Recreation Center; “KNOWLEDGE” (2011), Dorothy I. Height Library, “Learn From Your Past” (2011), H.D. Woodson High School, “Shaw Rhythms” (2003), Washington Convention Center; “ARL@200” (2002), Arlington County Courthouse; and “A Libertade de Maria Felipe” (2012), library in Itaparica, Brazil.
Freeman has widely exhibited his works on canvas, including at the Honfleur Gallery, Hill Center, and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. From 2008-11, Freeman’s critically acclaimed series “The Chittlin’ Circuit Review,” based on the early history of Blues music, toured seven venues in seven states. Currently he's working on his series “Black Beaches During Segregation,” which began in 2022 with the support of the Honfleur Artist-in Residence fellowship and award. He is also continuing his series “BAHIA!,” about the African contribution to Brazil’s history and culture and based in part on his two residencies at Instituto Sacatar in Itaparica (2011 and 2015).
For more info go here.
Material Witness
Rubell Museum DC, 65 i Street SW. Through Fall, 2026.
Material Witness presents 30 of today’s most compelling and innovative artists employing non-traditional materials and processes. Squid ink, Coca-Cola, ostrich eggs, anointing oil, lipstick, discarded metal, and animal hides are several of the preformed, natural, and unnatural mediums incorporated into three-dimensional works that expand upon the storied legacy of assemblage — a critical approach to artmaking that was first formalized in the 1961 exhibition The Art of Assemblage at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
With echoes of land art, Arte Povera, abject art, and readymades these artists employ industrial waste, organic detritus, and mass-produced commodities to explore formal, environmental, political, and social concerns. Found objects in various entropic states provide the backbone for many of these works, illuminating cycles of consumption, decay, and renewal.
Material Witness spans 23 galleries across the museum’s three floors and presents individual artist rooms as well as group presentations connecting artists who share similar materials and motives. For many of these artists, Material Witness represents their first exhibition in our nation’s capital or at the Rubell Museum.
For more info go here.
Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift
Rubell Museum DC, 65 I Street SW. Through Fall, 2026.
Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift marks the first solo museum exhibition in Washington D.C. for Kincaid (b. 1986, St. Louis, Missouri). Four large-scale quilted artworks created during the artist’s residency at the Rubell Museum in Miami in 2023 will be presented in the D.C. museum’s largest gallery. Kincaid’s work pays homage to the long history of quilt-making while exploring the relationships between identity, ancestry, and place. Some themes are deeply personal and autobiographical, others are more universal, but all evoke the joy inherent in the artist’s love for and nurturing of community. The entailed and labor-intensive process of creating these monumental works is balanced by an improvisational, spontaneous, and fluid quality that runs throughout them. The result is as indebted to freehand drawing and jazz music as it is to patchwork quilt making and embroidery.
For more info go here.
A Land and 河/River
Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, 12001 Market St., #103, Reston. Through Dec. 20.
Kimberly M. Becoat & Hong Hong
A Land and 河/River explores the powerful and intricate relationship between place, our histories, and imaginings of self. Artist Kimberly M. Becoat uses acrylic paint, sumi ink, and watercolor as well as tar paper, candy wrappers, and other detritus to investigate the idea of urban displacement. Her series, Seneca Village – Everywhere explores the idea of Seneca Village; a 19th Century free-black community of landowners in New York City that was removed for the construction of Central Park. Learn more about Seneca Village here.
Hong Hong’s work 河/River is her first thematic, research-based project that considers her personal relationship with water. The paper-based installation imagines and presents water as a long-form poem, documenting the river as meteorological occurrences, the artists’ birth, her family’s immigration process, and texts she and her mother both love. Hong Hong (whose last name means flood) makes no distinction between our symbolic understanding of water, its nurturing properties, or its ability to destroy or divide.
For more info go here.
Fairfax Art League's New Fall Show
Light Up at the National Zoo!
Zoo Lights
Smithsonian's National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Nov. 21 - Jan. 3, 5:00 - 9:30 p.m., Mondays - Saturdays.; 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sundays. Last entry 30 minutes before end of event.
Celebrate the holidays at ZooLights! Enjoy twinkling lights and a festive atmosphere as this beloved winter classic returns to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Journey through magical displays of glowing animal lanterns, watch live musical performances, sip hot cocoa and other festive treats, and explore the Zoo under the dazzling glow of one million environmentally-friendly LED lights.
ZooLights is a family-friendly, conservation-minded holiday tradition — each visit helps support the Zoo’s mission to save species and protect habitats worldwide.
General Admission: $9 per guest (ages 2 and up).
Member Night (Dec. 9–11): Free for members (limit 6 tickets per membership).
Adults-Only Date Night (Dec. 17): $19 per person.
Parking: $30 per vehicle.
For ticket info go here.
LOCAL HISTORY
Founding Frenemies
Final Weekend! ~ Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center, 10209 Main St., Fairfax. Open: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Through Dec. 8.
Virginians were among Alexander Hamilton's most influential allies and his worst enemies. Hamilton’s relationships with these Virginians helped shape the character of the United States, its founding institutions, and patterns of civil discourse still felt today.
This traveling exhibit will be located at the Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center from October 29 - December 8. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
For more info go here.
Feeling Nautical? Here's a Parade and Party for You!
Holiday Boat Parade & Party
The Wharf DC, Saturday, Dec. 6. Free. See RSVP info below.
Join us on Saturday, Dec. 6, for the Holiday Boat Parade & Party at The Wharf!
Kickoff the holidays with this iconic D.C. tradition that features over 60 beautifully decorated boats parading along the Washington Channel.
This free event features holiday-decorated vessels boat-parading along the Washington Channel, as well as fun land-side holiday activities including live music, ornament decorating, holiday karaoke, family photos with Santa, fireworks, and so much more.
Party to live music on District Pier while you sip on hot toddies and drinks from the Corona Cheer Garden. Get into the spirit with ornament decorating, holiday karaoke, s’mores at Camp Wharf, and visits with Santa. Don’t forget to bring your camera to take photos in front of the Jack Daniel’s Barrel Tree and 45-foot illuminated Christmas tree on District Pier. A spectacular fireworks salute will conclude the boat parade at 8:00 p.m.
Here's a breakdown of fun activities at the event:
⭐ Kids can decorate ornaments and play games in M Street Landing.
⭐ Roast s’mores at the Caps Campfire wood-burning fire pit.
⭐ Visit The Christmas Tree Market for freshly cut trees.
⭐ Visit the 45-foot nautical-inspired tree on District Pier.
⭐ Adults can sip on Jack Daniel's holiday cocktails for a cause at participating restaurants.
⭐ Live music and DJs on all of our stages.
⭐ Shop the Mini Holiday Market in Market Square.
⭐ Kids can get their photos taken with Santa in The Grove.
⭐ Sing holiday karaoke with your friends by Recreation Pier.
⭐ Visit the Pet Pix Photobooth with Brandywine Valley SPCA and VEG ER from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
⭐ Decorate an adorable festive little stocking for your pet to get into the holiday spirit.
⭐ Snap a photo in front of the life-sized "Joy" sign in District Square.
⭐ “Salute” oversized toy soldiers in District Square.
⭐ Adults can sip on winter drinks at the Corona Cheer Gardens.
⭐ Ice skate at The Wharf’s Ice Rink.
⭐ Visit the Jack Daniel’s Barrel Tree in Blair Circle to play games, sample cocktails and learn how to take home a barrel from the tree.
⭐ Watch a dazzling fireworks finale over the Washington Channel at 8:00 p.m.
View and download the official Event Map to see where each activity will take place.
Event & Music Schedule:
5:00 – 8:00 p.m. — Activities throughout The Wharf (Corona Cheer Garden, s’mores, ornament decorating, holiday karaoke, live music by My Hero Zero and the Too Much Talent Band).
7:00 p.m. — Boats arrive in the Washington Channel, Tommy McFly emcees the parade.
8:00 p.m. — Fireworks!
8:15 p.m. — After Party on District Pier with My Hero Zero.
Compiled by Christopher Jones
Member discussion