14 things to do around D.C. this weekend

Every Thursday, we share weekend events happening around the city. Are you planning an event you’d like us to consider for this roundup? Send it to our team using this form. Find more events in our Civics Roundup, which focuses on ways to get more involved locally.

It’s a liminal time of the year. Thanksgiving is over, and it’s time to throw out those leftovers. But even as the temperatures are trending down, Christmas and the official start of winter are still weeks away. Need to calm your restless-end-of-the-year spirit? Our recommendations include art shows, classical music concerts, a cleanup of Rock Creek Park, and even a fireworks show. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 4

Chamber music at the library
📍 MLK Jr. Library (901 G St. NW)
⏰ 12 – 1 p.m.
💸 FREE, donations accepted
The MLK Library — already an architectural wonder — hosts a free monthly concert series exploring contemporary classical music. If you’re a musician or even just a music lover, stop by on a mid-day break to hear the Levine School of Music in action! 

Kumbia y Karaoke: A Fundraiser for Immigrant Families
📍 Haydee’s Restaurant (3102 Mount Pleasant St. NW)
⏰ 6 – 10 p.m.
💸 $20 at door
Getting involved helps with feelings of hopelessness — and so does singing your heart out. Haydee’s, Fire Ant Collective, and Ward 4 Mutual Aid are hosting a fundraiser for local families separated from their loved ones by recent ICE raids, featuring live music by community favorites Los Locos and DJ Rumba-Fi.

FRIDAY, DEC. 5

A to DC: Transportation in Washington
📍 The George Washington University Museum (701 21st St. NW)
⏰ 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
💸 FREE
D.C.’s public transit system is one of the best in the country, thanks to Benjamin Banneker’s original city layout that left a solid transportation foundation. Learn about the history of one of our great wonders, and discover how innovations over the last two centuries have changed the identity of the District, in this exhibit at GW’s museum.

Macbeth
📍 Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St SE)
⏰ 8 – 10 p.m.
💸 Pay what you can, suggested $20
Director Mara Sherman’s daring, modern take on the classic large-cast Shakespeare play involves just three actors on a bare-bones stage. In juxtaposition to the holiday spirit blossoming around the city, take a journey through supernatural evil, as you watch the actors stretch themselves to capture all the characters and locations.

The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art
📍 The National Gallery of Art, East Building (6th and Constitution Ave NW)
⏰ 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
💸 FREE
The National Gallery of Art was just named a top-10 museum in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure. That honor can be attributed to their efforts to bring “once-in-a-lifetime” exhibits to DC museum goers — like the largest Aboriginal art exhibit ever shown in North America. Originally shown at the National Gallery in Victoria, the exhibition connects the 250+ Australian Indigenous nations through visual motifs spanning from the 1800s to present day.

Concert: Gwenifer Raymond / Christo Graham / Insect Factory
📍 Rhizome DC (6950 Maple St. NW)
⏰ Doors 7 p.m., show 7:30 p.m.
💸 $15-20
If you love singer-songwriters, Americana, or moody Blues encapsulated in a South Wales accent, this is the event for you. Discover a new favorite international act as Gwenifer Raymond brings her winter tour to Takoma, celebrating the release of her newest album Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark.

SATURDAY, DEC. 6

Invasive Plant Removal at Broad Branch
📍 Broad Branch – Nebraska on the Alley
⏰ 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
💸 FREE
Rock Creek Park is a local and national treasure — but it needs amazing volunteers like you to help it thrive. Join Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service for a restoration event focused on removing plants that threaten the park’s fragile native greenery. Come dressed to work in the cold! Think: Sturdy boots or sneakers, and warm layers like pants and long sleeves.

21st Century Consort: In the Spirit
📍 Hirshhorn Museum (Independence Ave. and 7th St. SW)
⏰ 5 – 7 p.m.
💸 FREE (advance registration sold out, but line up before 4 p.m. for walk-up tickets)
With the legacies of Basquiat and Banksy humming through the walls of the Hirshhorn, two grand pianos and a string quartet will inhabit the museum’s stage, offering a sonic environment within a fine visual arts museum. The program — in honor of the 50th season by one of the Smithsonian Institution’s resident classical ensembles — will feature holiday-adjacent works by six accomplished composers. 

Black Studies Book Club
📍 MLK Memorial Library (901 G St. NW)
⏰ 2 – 4 p.m.
💸 FREE
Are you a fan of Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, and W.E.B Du Bois? Do you love to discuss the African diaspora? Joining the D.C. Public Library’s Black Studies book club could fill your intellectual cup. The group aims to create space to explore both Black radical history and contemporary struggles, with an international lens on freedom and justice.

GoGo Santa 2025
📍 Sycamore & Oak (1110 Oak Dr. SE)
⏰ 2 – 5 p.m.
💸 FREE
Live go-go bands, free food, toy giveaways, and photos with (Black) Santa? You have died and gone to D.C. holiday heaven. Through events like this one, Sycamore & Oak wants to be an epicenter of community and culture for the Congress Heights community.

33rd Annual Holiday Boat Parade & Party at The Wharf
📍 The Wharf DC (760 Maine Ave. SW)
⏰ 5 – 8:30 p.m.
💸 FREE
The Wharf’s annual holiday boat parade is celebrating its “Jesus year” — with 60+ beautifully decorated boats ready to line up along the Washington Channel. Fully immerse yourself in the spirit of the season with ornament decorating, holiday karaoke, and s’mores. Not to be outdone by the shining boats, their 45-foot-tall illuminated Christmas tree will be perfect for photos or just old-fashioned, in-the-moment memories. Be sure to stick around until the parade ends at 8 p.m. for the firework-show finale. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 7

Crochet 101
📍 Rhizome DC (6950 Maple St. NW)
⏰ 11 a.m.
💸 Pay what you can, $15 suggested 
Grandmothers who crochet are always well-dressed, and you could be too. Visit Rhizome on Sunday for this beginner-level class, where you’ll learn the half-double crochet and double crochet stitch — getting you a bit closer to making your own clothes. Supplies are provided!

Decades Sunday Day Party: Afrobeats, HipHop, Dancehall
📍Decades DC (1219 Connecticut Ave. NW)
⏰ 4 – 9 p.m.
💸 FREE before 5:30 p.m., $20 after
If you’re curious about the D.C. club scene, this writer believes you should go to Decades at least once and experience The Connecticut Ave Club Corridor. And what better entry point than a day party? With Burna Boy playing Capital One Arena Friday night, the city will still be buzzing with Nigerian love!

Underground Comedy at Hotbed
📍 Hotbed (2477 18th St. NW)
⏰ 7 – 8 p.m.
💸 FREE
In spite of — or maybe because of? — the politics, D.C. is a huge comedy town. Hanging out at the Hotbed, you’ll find some of the hottest voices in underground comedy. The shows are fast-paced, with 10-15 comics on one show. Seating is first come, first serve, so get there early!