Washington, D.C
The Weekend Scene: Downtown Holiday Market and more to do around DC, through Nov. 23
Happy “Wicked: For Good” opening weekend! After you see the movie, let your stan flag fly with drink specials, trivia and karaoke – there’s even a one-day choir where singers can channel their inner Ariana Grande or Cynthia Erivo. Check out our roundup here.
Swap your pink and green for yellow to cheer on the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League championship Saturday night. Watch parties will be happening at Franklin Hall, metrobar and across the Spirit Bar Network.
Grocery shopping, traveling and/or welcoming family into town might be your focus on the last weekend before Thanksgiving, but make some time to enjoy festive fun all over the D.C. area.
- Weekend weather: The weekend might start with rain before the weather takes a turn for the better. Here’s the forecast.
D.C. highlights
Downtown Holiday Market
Nov. 21 to Dec. 23, F Street NW (between 7th and 9th streets), free entry
🔗 Details
Browse dozens of vendors while picking up gifts for everyone on your nice list.
The market is right outside the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, so why not check out some art before shopping?
Family-friendly
ZooLights
Nov. 21 to Jan. 3, National Zoo, $9
🔗 Details
The National Zoo was closed for weeks during the government shutdown, but ZooLights is happening, and it’s opening on time. You can visit Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus more days into the new year. Read more and see the full list of ZooLights dates here.
“Our team has been working around the clock to make ZooLights happen,” the National Zoo’s Director of Business Operations, Nikki Mounts, said.
The shutdown is gone, and Zoo Lights is on. News4’s Tommy McFly has a preview of the National Zoo’s annual holiday attraction.
One million environmentally friendly LED twinkle lights and more than 100 animal lanterns await visitors as they wind down the zoo’s main walkway, dotted with scenes of rainforests, deserts and pandas.
We suggest buying tickets in advance for this popular event.
D.C.’s free Umbrella Art Fair returns for its fifth year. News4’s Eun Yang talks with one of the organizers about what to expect.
Free & family-friendly
Umbrella Art Fair
Fri. to Sun., The Square at International Square (1850 K St NW)
🔗 Details
One of the biggest showings of art is back again, showcasing more than 100 artists’ work across over 35,000 square feet in downtown D.C. Expect to see work by Autumn Spears, Rose Jaffe, Alex Solis, Tracie Ching, Jessie and Katey, Tom Kim (aka Death by Narwhals) and more.
It’s the Umbrella Art Fair’s fifth year. It will be open to the public 6-10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Family-friendly
Washington Harbour Ice Rink opens
Opens Thurs., Georgetown Waterfront, $9-$11 admission, $7 skate rental
🔗 Details
One of D.C.’s most scenic ice rinks is back for the winter season! Glide near the Georgetown waterfront until 8:30 p.m. on work nights and 10:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and during winter break (Dec. 22-31).
The rink is even open on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s (check holiday hours on their website).
Want to make a day of it? We shared suggestions on what to do nearby in this edition of The Weekend Scene newsletter.
Maryland highlights
Family-friendly
LuminoCity’s Wonder Journey holiday lights festival
Through Jan. 1, Montgomery County Fairgrounds, peak admission, including taxes and fees, costs $33.47 (child)/$40.23 (adult)
🔗 Details
Step into a wintery fairy tale filled with lights spanning 12 acres. Don’t miss the red heart slide in the “Alice in Wonderland” zone.
Beyond the lights, you can visit dozens of roaring life-size dinosaurs, boogie on an LED dance floor or dig for fossils. You can also pay extra for train rides, a safari dig and a bounce zone.
Free & family-friendly
Holiday Share Fair
Sat., Black Hill Discovery Center in Boyds
🔗 Details
An old coat that’s too small? Boots you just don’t wear? A board game you’ve outgrown? If you’re decluttering before the holidays or looking for winter gear on a budget (i.e. FREE!), we’ve got the spot.
Imagine a trunk-or-treat for adults where “Givers” are invited to dress up their tables of fun finds.
Family-friendly
Festival of Lights – Bikes and Lights
Sun., in Upper Marlboro, $5
🔗 Details
Put a unique spin on your holiday lights tradition by biking through the enchanting displays in Watkins Regional Park.
This display with thousands of bulbs is usually a drive-through experience, so biking by will be extra special.
Virginia highlights
Free & family-friendly
Alexandria Holiday Tree Lighting with Santa
Sat., 6-8 p.m., near Alexandria City Hall (301 King St.)
🔗 Details
Take a stroll down King Street to Market Square for Alexandria’s tree lighting ceremony, which is expected to begin at or shortly after 6:40 p.m., followed by live music.
Make sure to stick around to watch Santa roll in on the King Street Trolley! Mr. and Mrs. Claus will greet families until 8 p.m.
Alexandria Cider Festival
Sat., Lloyd House (220 N. Washington St.), $55 or $25 for designated drivers
🔗 Details
Sample cider, enjoy live music and join in on tavern games at the Llyod House in Old Town. It’s a great opportunity to explore the historic Georgian house, one of five such buildings that still exist in Alexandria.
Concerts this weekend
Robyn Hitchcock, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, The Atlantis, $45.30
Listen to your elders. The Bob Dylan of alternative rock first made the scene in the ‘70s with psychedelic folk rock cult heroes The Soft Boys. Since then, with the Egyptians and later on as a solo act, the British singer/songwriter spent decades delighting fans with his surreal lyrics brimming with biting wit, as well as his esoteric stage banter. Not the artist to tell to shut up and play. In song and shtick, his storytelling is welcome and deserving of audience attention. Details.
Die Spitz, 7:30 Thursday, Black Cat, $26.40
Austin, Texas, quartet takes a wild and heavy approach to rock ‘n’ roll, leaning toward punk but too varied to pigeonhole. All things heavy — and wild. Band members trade instruments and share vocal responsibilities, with even the drummer getting out from behind the kit to take her turn at the mic. Their high-energy live shows will find them hanging from the rafters. Matching that energy — potentially upstaging it — North Carolina queer punk band Babe Haven opens. Details.
The OBGMs, 8 p.m. Thursday, Pie Shop, $21.44 (advance)/$24.54 (day of)
The Toronto punks’ music is thrilling, in your face and thought provoking. Their last two LPs — moving toward more accessible alternative rock — were shortlisted for Canada’s Polaris Prize. Details.
Silvana Estrada, 6 p.m. Friday, 9:30 Club, $45.30
Mexican singer/songwriter with a gorgeous, gently fluttering voice. The folk music of her country prevails, but her modern take is informed by many other styles. Her vocals need no translation to convey the emotion in her songwriting. Details.
American Analog Set, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Miracle Theatre, $40
This indie band from ‘90s Austin, Texas, shuffled along at the pace of Yo La Tengo’s mellow moods while involving the krautrock of Stereolab and post rock similar to that of The Sea and Cake and even decelerating into slowcore. They call this set “Magic Hour,” consisting of songs from their original run of six albums. (The band took another 18 years to release a seventh LP in 2023.) Details.
More to do in D.C.
Frosted at Franklin Park: Nov. 21 to Jan. 7, downtown D.C., free
Concert – Sir Chloe: Fri., Lincoln Theatre
Punk Rock Flea: Sat., noon to 5 p.m., St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, free entry
DowntownDC Holiday Market: Nov. 21 to Dec. 23, F Street NW, free entry
Theater – “ho ho ho ha ha ha ha” with Julia Masli: Through Dec. 21, Woolly Mammoth, $49
Theater – “Hadestown”: Through Sun., National Theatre
More to do in Maryland
Montgomery County Thanksgiving parade: Sat., 10 a.m., Silver Spring, free
Thanksgiving coaster craft: Sat., Brentwood Arts Exchange, free
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center 10×10 art sale: Nov. 22 opening reception, on view through Jan. 4, Hyattsville, free entry
Movies on the Potomac – “The Grinch”: Sun., 2 p.m., National Harbor, free
More to do in Virginia
Pet Nights With Santa: Mondays from Nov. 17 to Dec. 8., Tysons Corner Center lower level, free
Buffalo Plaid Christmas Wreath Workshop: Thurs., 6 p.m., Ono Brewing Company in Chantilly, $67 per person
Herndon Turkey Trot 5k: Sat., 4 p.m., Herndon Community Center, $25-$45
Alexandria Holiday Tree Lighting with Santa: Sat., 6-8 p.m., near Alexandria City Hall (301 King St.), free
Alexandria Cider Festival: Sat., Lloyd House (220 N. Washington St.), $55 or $25 for designated drivers
Winter Lantern Festival: Opens Thurs., Tysons, $18.99-$25.99
Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.
Washington, D.C
Senators Seek to Change Bill That Allows Military to Operate Just Like Before the DC Plane Crash
Senators from both parties pushed Thursday for changes to a massive defense bill after crash investigators and victims’ families warned the legislation would undo key safety reforms stemming from a collision between an airliner and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.
The head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crash, a group of the victims’ family members and senators on the Commerce Committee all said the bill the House advanced Wednesday would make America’s skies less safe. It would allow the military to operate essentially the same way as it did before the January crash, which was the deadliest in more than two decades, they said.
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz filed two amendments Thursday to strip out the worrisome helicopter safety provisions and replace them with a bill they introduced last summer to strengthen requirements, but it’s not clear if Republican leadership will allow the National Defense Authorization Act to be changed at this stage because that would delay its passage.
“We owe it to the families to put into law actual safety improvements, not give the Department of Defense bigger loopholes to exploit,” the senators said.
Right now, the bill includes exceptions that would allow military helicopters to fly through the crowded airspace around the nation’s capital without using a key system called ADS-B to broadcast their locations just like they did before the January collision. The Federal Aviation Administration began requiring that in March. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called the bill a “significant safety setback” that is inviting a repeat of that disaster.
“It represents an unacceptable risk to the flying public, to commercial and military aircraft, crews and to the residents in the region,” Homendy said. “It’s also an unthinkable dismissal of our investigation and of 67 families … who lost loved ones in a tragedy that was entirely preventable. This is shameful.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he is looking into the concerns but thinks they can be addressed by quickly passing the aviation safety bill that Cruz and Cantwell proposed last summer.
“I think that would resolve the concerns that people have about that provision, and hoping — we’ll see if we can find a pathway forward to get that bill done,” said Thune, a South Dakota Republican.
The military used national security waivers before the crash to skirt FAA safety requirements on the grounds that they worried about the security risks of disclosing their helicopters’ locations. Tim and Sheri Lilley, whose son Sam was the first officer on the American Airlines jet, said this bill only adds “a window dressing fix that would continue to allow for the setting aside of requirements with nothing more than a cursory risk assessment.”
Homendy said it would be ridiculous to entrust the military with assessing the safety risks when they aren’t the experts, and neither the Army nor the FAA noticed 85 close calls around Ronald Reagan National Airport in the years before the crash. She said the military doesn’t know how to do that kind of risk assessment, adding that no one writing the bill bothered to consult the experts at the NTSB who do know.
The White House and military didn’t immediately respond Thursday to questions about these safety concerns. But earlier this week Trump made it clear that he wants to sign the National Defense Authorization Act because it advances a number of his priorities and provides a 3.8% pay raise for many military members.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week, and it appears unlikely that any final changes will be made. But Congress is leaving for a holiday break at the end of the week, and the defense bill is considered something that must pass by the end of the year.
Story Continues
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Washington, D.C
Bill would rename former Black Lives Matter Plaza for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk – WTOP News
A South Carolina Republican Congresswoman wants to rename a well-known stretch of 16th Street NW in D.C. after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
A South Carolina Republican Congresswoman wants to rename a well-known stretch of 16th Street NW in D.C. after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Rep. Nancy Mace introduced legislation Wednesday to designate the area once known as “Black Lives Matter Plaza” as the “Charlie Kirk Freedom of Speech Plaza.” The proposal comes three months after Kirk was killed while speaking at a free-speech event at a Utah college.
Mace said the change would honor Kirk’s commitment to the First Amendment, calling him “a champion of free speech and a voice for millions of young Americans.” Her bill would require official signs to be placed in the plaza and updates made to federal maps and records.
In a statement, Mace contrasted the unrest that followed George Floyd’s killing in 2020, when the plaza was created, with the response to Kirk’s death, saying the earlier period was marked by “chaos and destruction,” while Kirk’s killing brought “prayer, peace and unity.”
She argued that after Floyd’s death, “America watched criminals burn cities while police officers were ordered to stand down,” adding that officers were “vilified and abandoned by leaders who should have supported them.”
But D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton pushed back, saying Congress should not override local control.
“D.C. deserves to decide what its own streets are named since over 700,000 people live in the city,” Norton wrote on X. “D.C. is not a blank slate for Congress to fill in as it pleases.”
The stretch of 16th Street was originally dedicated as Black Lives Matter Plaza in 2020 following nationwide protests over Floyd’s death. Earlier this year, the city removed the mural.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment on the bill, as did several members of the D.C. Council.
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Washington, D.C
Chicago woman testifies about being dragged out of car, detained by federal agents in viral video
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 2:09AM
Chicago woman Dayanne Figueroa testified in Washington, DC about being dragged out of a car by federal agents in a viral YouTube video.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago woman, who is a U.S. citizen, testified in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday about her experience being dragged out of her car and taken into custody by federal agents.
Dayanne Figueroa told a group of senators that on Oct. 10, she had just dropped off her son at school when an SUV rammed into hers.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Once she was stopped, she says masked men dragged her out of her car.
A video posted on YouTube that has been seen more than 42,000 times shows what happened.
Figueroa was one of five U.S. citizens who testified.
Figueroa said she suffered severe bruising, nerve damage and aggravated injuries to her leg.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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