Washington, D.C
36 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend
Photograph courtesy of the Wharf.
Happy December, DC!
Embrace the holiday season this week at a number of new festivities as well as beloved seasonal events. From holiday boat parades at the Wharf and in Alexandria, to a new neighborhood-wide holiday concert in Georgetown, there are joyful experiences for everyone.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
December 2–December 8
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- Wharf Holiday Boat Parade & Party. Watch more than 60 decked-out boats parade across the Washington Channel. In addition to the shimmering fleet, there will be ornament decorating, letters to Santa, holiday karaoke, meet-and-greets with Santa, live music by Yani the Band, and a fireworks finale (Sat, free, Wharf).
- A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. If you’re a fan of iconic singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, you’ll enjoy this live narration of the rockstar’s rise to fame. The hit-packed jukebox musical arrives at National Theatre this week; viewers can clap along to popular songs like “Sweet Caroline” and “Cracklin Rosie” (Tues-Sun, $69+, National Theatre).
- European Union Film Showcase. The AFI’s annual showcase highlights new and contemporary films. This year’s lineup screens 54 flicks, including the Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton drama The Room Next Door, and the movie adaptation of the ’70s novel The Summer Book (Wed through December 22, $15, Silver Spring).
- Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights. This vivid waterfront parade has been running for nearly 25 years. View the decorated sailboats and powerboats from any spot on the Old Town waterfront, or head to Waterfront Park for crafts and a Port City Brewing Company pop-up beer garden (Sat, free, Alexandria).
- Rigoletto. Opera admirers can see Verdi’s mid-career masterpiece as part of InSeries’ revival at the Goldman Theater DCJCC. The playful production is set under the big top, with a circus band, and a ribald new libretto by Bari Biern (Sat-sun, December 14-15, $42+, Northwest DC).
- Georgetown Jingle. Georgetown Glow isn’t returning this year, but there’s a new holiday event taking over the neighborhood this month. Georgetown Jingle debuts this weekend boasting 10 live holiday, jazz, pop, a cappella, and DJ music performances throughout the neighborhood. After the pop-up concerts, you can watch the St. Lucia Choir procession and sip non-alcoholic Glögg (Sat, free, Georgetown).
- Salaam Bombay! screening with Mira Nair. Veteran film director and activist Mira Nair delivers a lecture at National Gallery of Art ahead of a screening of her breakout Indian crime drama Salaam Bombay! (Sun, free, National Gallery of Art).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- Gilmore Girls’ Kelly Bishop chats with Dana Bash at Sixth & I about her memoir Third Gilmore Girl (Wed, $40+ for in-person ticket and book, $12 for virtual, $37 for virtual ticket and book, Downtown, virtual).
- Clear Harmonies Carolers, art, and wintry cocktails are highlights of Phillips after 5’s Winter Wonderland (Thurs, $20, Dupont).
- Find deals on your next read at the White House Historical Association’s Holiday Book Festival (Fri, free, Downtown).
- Author Jessica B. Harris of High on the Hog discusses her new Kwanzaa project at the Smithsonian (Sat, free, but registration required, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
- Browse jewelry, gourd art, and textiles at African Art Holiday Marketplace (Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art).
- Attend the opening reception of “Journey to Self” to see visual art about self-discovery from seven artists at Homme Gallery (Sat, free, Downtown).
- Create a flower arrangement with fellow plant enthusiasts at MoCA Arlington (Sat, $45, Arlington).
Community and heritage:
- Delight in cultural cuisine, art, and goods from more than 50 embassies at The Winternational Embassy Showcase (Thurs, free, Downtown).
- Sip hot cocoa with neighbors at the Columbia Heights Tree Lighting (Fri, free, Columbia Heights).
- Celebrate Kwanzaa at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Community Day (Sat, free, but registration required, Smithsonian NMAAHC).
- Meet Native artists and browse their handmade jewelry and beadwork at Native Art Market (Sat-Sun, free, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).
Theater and shows:
- Keegan Theatre’s An Irish Carol puts a modern Dublin twist on Dickens’s classic holiday tale (Wed through December 31, $64, Dupont).
- A Swingin’ Little Christmas is a comedy-cabaret packed with musical classics from the ’50s and ’60s (Wed, $28+, Bethesda).
- Philadelphia’s BalletX arrives in DC for a four-day contemporary dance showcase (Wed-Sat, $40+, Kennedy Center).
- Grammy Award-winner Patrick Page stars in All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain (Fri through December 29, $39+, Downtown).
- Join a live Hamilton Sing-Along at Penn Social (Sat, $17+, Penn Quarter).
Music and concerts:
- Don your ugly holiday sweater and listen to National Symphony Orchestra play seasonal tunes at the Anthem (Wed, $25+, Wharf).
- Veterans and service members can snag tickets to a complimentary holiday concert featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and Broadway’s Jessica Vosk (Thurs, free, Kennedy Center).
- EDM DJ Tiësto spins electric hits at Echostage (Thurs-Fri, $65+, Langdon).
- Underground Richmond rapper Nettspend brings his hype rhymes to the Fillmore (Fri, $41+, Silver Spring).
- The Folger Consort performs carols in A Mass for Christmas Eve (Fri through December 15, $20+, Capitol Hill).
- DC native Billy Woods raps live at Union Stage (Sun, $25+, Wharf).
Get involved:
- Shop books on DC housing at Solid State Books to help raise funds for Everyone Home DC (Tues, free, H Street Corridor).
- Put your barista skills to the test for a good cause. Proceeds from this latte art-making competition will support the Sexual Violence Protection Association (Tues, free to attend, $5 for participants, Columbia Heights).
Budget-friendly:
Things to do with kids:
- See outdoor illuminations and zoom down the eight-lane Penguin Plunge at Winter City Lights (through December 29, $27 for adults, $23 for seniors $18 for ages 4-12, Olney).
- Kids can take a train ride through Met Park, and capture memories with Santa at The Lodge (Sat, free, Arlington).
- Youngsters can play in a bounce house, drink hot chocolate, and decorate stockings at Jingle Bell Bash (Sat, free, Tysons).
If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, on Wednesday removed a well-known priest as an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.
McElroy said the archdiocese also was cutting ties with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based nonprofit headed by the priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
The archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
“There’s a danger here,” Rossetti said in a May 29 video posted on his Facebook page addressing UFO sightings and the existence of aliens. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. … They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.”
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
Rossetti also said that people can be good Catholics and believe there’s life on other planets, though he does not personally believe life exists elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the St. Michael Center website, Rossetti said he was saddened by the action of the archdiocese.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic,’” he said. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
Rossetti, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.
In 2023, he told The Associated Press there was increasing and renewed appetite for information about demonic possession and exorcism.
Washington, D.C
Nurses at Washington D.C.’s largest hospital call on leadership to reverse planned cuts to maternal health
RNs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center say closure of postpartum unit will disproportionately harm marginalized and underserved communities
Union nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. are demanding that management stop the planned closure of an entire postpartum unit, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). The hospital notified the union on May 26, 2026 of its intention to eliminate 11 maternal health beds and displace eight nurses by July 26, 2026, leaving MWHC with one postpartum unit.
In a follow-up town hall with staff nurses, Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek confirmed the closure. Other leaders have additionally informed staff that the hospital will strictly limit scheduled C-sections and inductions for patients from numerous D.C. maternal health organizations. The list of organizations includes many that primarily serve low-income patients, immigrants, and patients of color, all communities with significantly higher risks of maternal mortality. Additionally, staff were informed that Kaiser Permanente, which notably insures a large number of DC city employees and even many of MWHC’s own workers, will see a strict limit on scheduling inductions and C-sections for their patients as well.
“Closing postpartum unit 5F will gravely impact those most affected by health disparities,” said Stephanie Sims-Coates, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Our low-income families and families of color will be most affected by this closure. Families trust the medical staff at MWHC and plan to come to us for their care. In a city where Black women make up 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths despite being only half the population, the hospital’s decision to close this unit is a significant mistake.”
Community leaders and healthcare workers are joining the call for MedStar to put patients before profits and keep the unit open. This past weekend, nurses met with D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 4 councilwoman Janeese Lewis George about the planned closure and the impact it would have on DC’s most vulnerable residents.
“Maternal mortality is a crisis for Washington, DC, and our healthcare system needs to address the crisis immediately, rather than exacerbate the challenges that birthing parents face,” said Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George. “Now is the time to invest in health care, rather than make cuts. I want to work with the hospital to identify solutions that work for patients and the provider.”
“In my time at Washington Hospital Center, I’ve seen the hospital tout its Safe Moms, Safe Babies program and host a community baby shower specifically designed to call attention to the maternal mortality crisis,” said Marcqueata “Tiya” Butler, RN in the Mother/Baby unit. “Their current plan to shut down 11 postpartum beds betrays the hospital’s stated commitments. They are aware of persistent inequities in access to care. We are calling on the hospital to consider the impacts on the community, safeguard the mothers and infants of DC and commit to addressing the maternal mortality rate.”
In 2024, MedStar Health, a registered non-profit, reported $9 billion in operating revenue.
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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