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The Weekend Scene: Holiday boat parade, plus 11 can’t-miss markets in the DC area

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The Weekend Scene: Holiday boat parade, plus 11 can’t-miss markets in the DC area


If you have Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge, it’s time to throw them out to make way for holiday treats. We’re celebrating National Cookie Day on Thursday with a bracket to determine – once and for all – the best holiday cookie. We explain it all on Instagram and TikTok.

  • Weekend weather: Storm Team4 is tracking snow chances for Friday. It won’t add up to much – just enough to get excited about. Here’s the full forecast.

11 can’t-miss holiday markets in the DC area

  • Christmas Markt: The Heurich House Museum’s castle-like building is a fairy tale setting for this German-style Christmas market. Thurs. to Sun., Dupont Circle, $14 (adult)/$2 (kids 2-15)
  • Native Art Market: Indigenous artists from across this half of the globe will sell handcrafted works from jewelry to pottery and beyond at this National Mall museum (just a 5-minute walk from the U.S. Botanic Garden and its holiday display)! Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., National Museum of the American Indian
  • Norwegian Festival: Find Norwegian foods and coffee, linens, books and sweaters at this unique indoor market. It’s free, but reservations are recommended to shop inside. Outside, enjoy a Norwegian cafe, games and other cultural activities. Fri. to Sun., Norway House in Fairfax
  • Holiday Gift & Craft Show, plus Children’s Holiday Shop: Do your children need to pick out gifts? With the help of trained volunteers, kids can pick out gifts priced under $6 for all their families and friends on Saturday (make sure to bring cash). Adults can also shop while little ones stay busy at the kids’ corner. Sat., 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Sun., 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Community Center in Falls Church
  • Friends of the National Arboretum’s Winter Festival: Get your Christmas tree or winter greenery at the Arboretum’s Grove parking lot, then head to the visitor center for a family-friendly festival with a holiday train ride and a Gift Vendor Village. Sat., Northeast D.C.
  • The Lodge: This ski-inspired winter festival features a covered holiday market and live entertainment underneath a tent. Bring kids for train rides, face painting and crafts or your dog for special treats. Sat., 1-7 p.m., Metropolitan Park in Arlington, free entry
  • Bethesda’s Winter Wonderland: Live ice sculpting and music, Santa Claus and crafts level up this URBNmarket featuring more than 50 artisans (they’re also hosting a Clarendon pop-up this weekend). Sat., noon to 4 p.m., Norfolk and Cordell Avenues
  • Holiday Her-Story Market: The shop at Hotel Zena aims to highlight the area’s “most visionary female artisans, makers, and entrepreneurs.” Sat., 1-5 p.m., Northwest D.C.
  • HCC Holiday Market: How about holiday shopping in a historic cemetery? Drop in for unique gifts, handcrafted goods, sweet treats – and a great story for your giftee. Leashed dogs are welcome, too! Sun., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Congressional Cemetery in Southeast D.C.
  • Del Ray Artisans 30th Annual Fine Art & Fine Craft Holiday Market: It’s Del Ray Artisans’ 30th year doing this market featuring fine art and crafts from local artists, and you’ll find different sellers each weekend. First three weekends in December, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. in Alexandria

More weekend highlights

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Free & family-friendly
Holiday Boat Parade
Saturday, The Wharf in D.C. and Old Town Alexandria

Captains have decked the hulls of dozens of boats to show whimsical and over-the-top holiday scenes for the annual parade setting sail on the Potomac and Washington Channel.

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You’ll find numerous good viewing locations from The Wharf in D.C. and the waterfront in Alexandria, Virginia, and both locations will have plenty of extra festivities and views of the fireworks finale at 8 p.m.

The Wharf kicks things off at 5 p.m. with D.C.’s own Too Much Talent Band on the Transit Pier. The Transit Pier will host the main party with My Hero Zero, a bar and views of the boat parade emcee’d by our own Tommy McFly (full disclosure: He’s hired to host the event). Or, explore the entire waterfront to find holiday karaoke, s’mores roasting, ornament decorating, photo opportunities and more (here’s a map).

Want to watch from Alexandria? The boat parade kicks off about 5:30 p.m. at the Old Town Waterfront, where you’ll also find dockside festivities from 2-8 p.m. – including Santa arriving by fireboat at the Alexandria City Marina at 3:30 p.m.

Find good watch locations and find tips on beating crowds and other locations on this map.

Landlubbers, head out early to partake in more activities for Alexandria’s Biggest Holiday Weekend, including the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade.

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Family-friendly
Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show
Dec. 5 to 21, Arena Stage, $49+
🔗 Details

“The world’s first holiday show highlighting the African American tradition of stepping” is returning to Arena Stage to sweep up audiences with a blast of holiday music and nonstop cheer.

Check this page to find available discounts for families, those under 35, educators and others.

Other holiday shows worth checking out in D.C. include “A Christmas Carol” at Ford’s Theatre and Washington Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” at Warner Theatre.

Free pick
Room Service – Holiday Edition
Fri. to Sun., plus Dec. 12-14, 1345 4th Street NE, free
🔗 Details

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A former motel near Union Market has been transformed into a festive design showcase. D.C. designers and creatives put their mark on several rooms you can explore before hitting up the Hot Lotty pop-up bar with mulled wine and firepits.

Family-friendly
Santa Fly-In and holiday celebration
Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., College Park Aviation Museum, $10 for residents or $13 for nonresidents
🔗 Details

Santa is scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m. and depart at 3 p.m., weather permitting. So, check the forecast and the event’s page before you go!

Family-friendly
Lea Salonga concert
Sat., 8 p.m., The Music Center at Strathmore, $28 to $108
🔗 Details

The Tony Award-winner is also known as the singing voice for Disney’s Mulan and Princess Jasmine from “Aladdin.” She’ll perform Disney songs, pop songs, Broadway hits and more.

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Free & family-friendly
Holiday Walk of Lights at Neabsco Regional Park
Select dates through Dec. 4-28, Woodbridge, free
🔗 Details

One of our favorite free holiday lights displays is back, and Neabsco Regional Park’s is extra special because it sits on a boardwalk. It will be open Thursday to Sunday, 5-9 p.m. this week. Make sure to check the page for exact dates and information on parking and shuttles.

Concerts this weekend

They Are Gutting a Body of Water, 7 p.m. Thursday, Black Cat, $24.40

Stunning, skull-rattling Philly band gets an easy shoegaze label for its My Bloody Valentine reverent, ear-bleeding guitar feedback. But its visceral, emotional sound recalls slowcore, electronics, and the dark and lonely post rock of Slint as well. On fourth LP “Lotto,” the band sounds as raw and experimental as ever. Details.

Model/Actriz, 8 p.m. Friday, Black Cat, $29.90

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After years of perfecting their craft, the queercore dance-punks became a sudden indie juggernaut with debut LP “Dogsbody” in 2023. This year’s “Pirouette” finds the band turning down the noise and turning up the beat for a roomier sound – dark, dance floor bangers perfect for provocative frontman Cole Haden’s vocals. Opening up, prolific singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Asher White’s deconstructed pop gets more adventurous. Whether sparse or raucous, folk or indie pop, her unique ear speaks when she introduces styles and instruments that seem like they should clash but harmonize instead for unexpected thrills. Oh man, Friday’s gonna be such a twisted fun night. Details.

J Roddy Walston, 10 p.m. Saturday, Pearl Street Warehouse, $38

For a few years, just a few more years back, J Roddy fronted the most exciting live band on the road — The Business. Hard rock ‘n’ roll with boogie led by a gravelly, piano-bashing wildman — and glam gradually introduced to the diet (and more central to his next band, Palm Palm). The Christmas to the Bone Tour has become Walston’s holiday tradition, his offering for rockin’ ‘round the Christmas tree. Details.

Steve Gunn, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, DC9, $31.93 (advance)/$38.11 (day of)

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter is a guitar virtuoso first. A folk revivalist at his core, Gunn’s style varies from country to indie to world music. A beautiful, nimble player with a gift for improvisation who knows when to fill out a song and when to let it breathe. Details.

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White Hills and Pink Mountaintops, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Pie Shop, $21.44 (advance)/$27.11 (day of)

For about two decades White Hills has delivered dense, heavy psychedelic rock to rattle a stoner sober. In more recent years, the New York band has played around in quieter, gauzy territory, as well. Not quite so psychedelic is Stephen McBean’s project Pink Mountaintops. The frontman of the heavy stoner rock band Black Mountain pursues folk, indie rock, alt-country and pop interests here. Opening up, MFers JMB & Co. play instrumental improv featuring Geologist of experimental band Animal Collective on hurdy gurdy. He has an album due out early next year. Details.

More to do in D.C.

Ongoing winter favorites

“A Christmas Carol”: Through Dec. 31, Ford’s Theatre, $42+

“The Nutcracker” by The Washington Ballet: Through Dec. 29, Warner Theatre, $63.50+

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Sculpture Garden Ice Rink returns: Daily through winter, National Gallery of Art, $12-$15 admission and $7 skate rental

Light Yards: Through Jan. 2, The Yards Park, free

Season’s Greenings: Dino-Mite!: Through Jan . 4., U.S. Botanic Garden, free

Downtown Holiday Market: Through Dec. 23, F Street NW (between 7th and 9th streets), free

Winter Wonderfest: Through Dec. 30, Nationals Park, $29.50

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ZooLights: Through Jan. 3, National Zoo, $9

Frosted at Franklin Park: Through Jan. 7, downtown D.C., free

Theater – “ho ho ho ha ha ha ha” with Julia Masli: Through Dec. 21, Woolly Mammoth, $49

Weekend happenings

Comedy – Adam Conover: Thurs., 7 p.m., The Lincoln Theatre, $45.30

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Christmas Markt: Thurs. to Sun., Heurich House Museum, $14 (adult)/$2 (kids 2-15)

Room Service – Holiday Edition: Dec. 5-7 and 12-14, 1345 4th Street NE, free

FONA’s Winter Festival: Sat., National Arboretum, Visitor Center, free

Holiday Her-Story Market: Sat., 1-5 p.m., Hotel Zena, free

Georgetown Jingle: Sat., 1-4 p.m., throughout Georgetown, free

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Jingle Block Rock: Sat., 4:30-6:30 p.m., Southwest Duck Pond, free

More to do in Maryland

Gingerbread House Contest & Show: Opens Fri., Darnall’s Chance House Museum, $2 (free for kids 4 and under)

Jingle Jubilee & Tree Lighting: Fri., 6:30-8:30 p.m., Gaithersburg Concert Pavilion, free

“Elf” with live accompaniment by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Fri., 7:30 p.m., Music Center at Strathmore, $29+

Santa Fly-In and holiday celebration: Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., College Park Aviation Museum, $10 for residents or $13 for nonresidents (Santa arrives at 11 a.m. and departs at 3 p.m., weather permitting)

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Bethesda’s Winter Wonderland: Sat., noon to 4 p.m., Norfolk and Cordell Avenues, free entry

Winter’s Eve: Sat., 3-6 p.m., Glen Echo Park, free

Light Up the Lakefront: Sat., 4-7 p.m., rio in Gaithersburg, free entry

National Harbor Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show: Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 21, free entry

Concert – Lea Salonga: Sat., 8 p.m., The Music Center at Strathmore, $28 to $108

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Concert – Rare Essence: Sun., BlackRock Center for the Arts, $45

Concert – Monaleo: Sun., The Fillmore Silver Spring, $67+

Luminocity’s Wonder Journey holiday lights festival: Through Jan. 1, Montgomery County Fairgrounds, $33.47 (child)/$40.23 (adult)

More to do in Virginia

Ice & Lights – The Winter Village at Cameron Run: Through Feb. 28, Alexandria, $9-$24

Rosslyn Cheer tree lighting, yappy hour and holiday market: Thurs. to Sun., free

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Concert – Johnnyswim: Fri. and Sat., The Barns at Wolf Trap, $60+

McLean Holiday Art & Crafts Festival: Fri. Sat and Sun., McLean Community Center, $5 entry (free for kids 12 and under)

PCRS WinterFest: Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, free

Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk Parade: Sat., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Old Town Alexandria, free

Fairfax Holiday Market: Dec. 5-7 and Dec. 12-14, Old Town Square in Fairfax, free entry

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Bull Run Festival of Lights: Daily through Jan. 4, Centreville, $32.45

Winter Lantern Festival: Through Jan. 18, Lerner Town Square at Tysons II, $18.99-$25.99

Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights: Through Jan. 4, Vienna, $20.85

9th Annual Old Town TUBACHRISTMAS: Sun., 3 p.m., Market Square, free





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Washington, D.C

Washington Commanders to pay DC $1M to resolve lawsuit over abusive workplace culture – WTOP News

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Washington Commanders to pay DC M to resolve lawsuit over abusive workplace culture – WTOP News


Brian Schwalb, the District’s attorney general praised the new ownership for rectifying the Commanders’ internal issues.

The former owners of the Washington Commanders will pay the District of Columbia $1 million to resolve a 2022 lawsuit that alleged the NFL franchise misled its fans regarding the team’s toxic and abusive workplace culture in order to protect the its brand.

Dan Snyder still owned the team at the time, and as D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced the settlement Monday, he praised the new owners for rectifying internal issues, including accusations of rampant sexual assault and harassment.

“The Commanders’ current owners have commendably opened a new chapter in the team’s history, committing to ensure all employees are protected from abuse and treated with dignity,” Schwalb said. “I want to thank the victims for coming forward to tell their stories — without their bravery, none of this would have come to light.”

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A group led by Josh Harris purchased the Commanders in 2023 from Snyder, who had faced pressure to sell the team after a series of scandals and decades of perceivable mediocrity on the field.

Since then, new ownership has strengthened the team’s human resources department and implemented an anti-harassment policy and an investigation protocol for complaints of misconduct, Schwalb’s office said in a news release.

Under the agreement, the team will maintain those reforms, along with paying $1 million to D.C.

The NFL separately fined Snyder $60 million in 2023 after its own investigation concluded that he personally engaged in multiple forms of misconduct, including sexual harassment.

D.C.’s suit accused Snyder and the team of misleading the public about what they knew regarding the hostile work environment and Snyder’s role in creating it.

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The Commanders and Snyder deny all the allegations and are not admitting wrongdoing by reaching a resolution, according to the terms of the settlement.

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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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Army Corps: Reservoir expansion ‘doesn’t fix, but improves’ DC’s drinking water supply for future Potomac River emergency – WTOP News

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Army Corps: Reservoir expansion ‘doesn’t fix, but improves’ DC’s drinking water supply for future Potomac River emergency – WTOP News


Developing a regional solution to enable all local water companies to share drinking water in the event of a future Potomac River emergency remains a long-term challenge facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Developing a regional solution to enable all local water companies to share drinking water in the event of a future Potomac River emergency remains a long-term challenge facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But the Corps is leaning-in to near term solutions, for now, because current issues “are quite, quite dire.”

In an interview with WTOP, Trevor Cyran, Chief of the Civil Works project management office of the Baltimore District Corps of Engineers, elaborated on the Corps’ ongoing three-year feasibility study funded by Congress and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Last week, during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, lawmakers pressed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explain what’s being done to secure solid backup options for the D.C. region’s drinking water.

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D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton challenged the Corps after learning that the study that Congress authorized to identify a secondary water source for the region was being narrowed to only expanding the current Dalecarlia Reservoir, adjacent to the Washington Aqueduct, which remains the only source of drinking water for D.C., Arlington, and parts of Fairfax County, Virginia.

“Expansion of the reservoir is not a secondary water source,” Norton said. “With only a one day of backup water supply, human-made or natural events that make the river unusable would put residents, the District government and the regional economy at risk.”

Cyran said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t disagree.

“We’re trying to find a quick win that addresses some of the near-term issues, because they are quite, quite dire,” Cyran said. “The Dalecarlia expansion would add approximately 12 hours of water storage into the system,” he said. “So, while we know that doesn’t fix the problem, it improves the situation.”

Recently, drinking water in D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland has remained safe because the January collapse of a portion of the aging Potomac Interceptor regional sewer line happened downstream of the main Potomac River water intake serving the Washington Aqueduct.

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“We’ve moved forward with the Dalecarlia expansion, as our most probable recommendation,” said Cyran. “The Corps is laser focused on delivering something right here, right now that can actually help with the issue, while still exploring some of those long term solutions.”

Cyran said the dangers to public health and the economy are substantial, with the Potomac as the sole drinking water source. “It’s not a great situation — we’ve seen a very real risk come to fruition recently, with the spill.”

While drinking water has been unaffected by the spill, the advisory for the public to avoid contact with the Potomac River remains in effect in the District and Montgomery County, where the Potomac Interceptor spill happened, along the Clara Barton Parkway.

The advisory is expected to be lifted Monday, by the D.C. Department of Health, as E. coli levels have recently returned to the typical range for D.C.’s rivers.  The District’s Department of Energy and Environment is now doing daily testing of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.

How would increased storage at Dalecarlia Reservoir look?

According to the Army Corps, expanding the Reservoir over 54 available acres would provide approximately 70 million gallons per day, doubling the capacity at Dalecarlia. Since the land is already owned by the Washington Aqueduct, it would not require acquiring any land.

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Cyran said it’s not yet certain whether the expansion would provide an extra 12 hours of storage of raw water from the Potomac, or finished water, after it had gone through the Washington Aqueduct’s water purification process.

Regardless, either option would result in the Aqueduct having more water on hand, if drawing water from the Potomac was suddenly unsafe.

Another near-term option that wouldn’t require land acquisition would be advanced treatment, Cyran said.

“We could implement something that allows us to treat for a wider array of contaminants, if you had a spill,” said Cyran, although noting the recent spill from the Potomac Interceptor, which poured approximately 240 millions of raw sewage into the Potomac, “might not be a good example” of how the technology would work.

The Army Corps list of possible solutions includes reusing water. In November 2025, DC Water outlined its own plans to recycle water from the utility’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest of its kind in the world.

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Quarry storage cannot happen quickly

During its ongoing study, the Army Corps has identified possible long term regional solutions, including the potential use of the Travilah Quarry in Montgomery County, Maryland, and two quarries in Loudoun County, Virginia, owned by Luck Stone.

10 years ago, in December 2016, WTOP first reported that the Travilah Quarry, located on Piney Meetinghouse Road in Rockville, was quietly being considered by DC Water, WSSC Water, and Fairfax Water, as an alternative source of water, if the Potomac River were unavailable.

“The three utilities, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, along with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments have been working over the last several years to look at alternatives to get better interdependencies, to have more resilience in our system,” said Tom Jacobus in 2016, while he was general manager of the Aqueduct.

Now, a decade later, the logistical, real estate, and financial challenges of obtaining a quarry which could be interconnected between DC Water, WSSC Water, and Fairfax Water remain.

“We’re not saying they can never happen, we’re just saying they cannot, in any way, shape, or form, happen quickly,” said Cyran. “Travilah is still an active quarry, so that can’t even be considered for storage until they’re done mining, which might be 30 years from now.”

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The Dalecarlia Reservoir expansion would not be regional solution, Cyran said.

“That would only benefit folks who are tied directly to the Aqueduct at this time,” he said. “However, while we’re going to be looking at other alternatives that we could potentially spin off and continue to look at, that would address some of those more regional issues.”

‘We can’t hand half-baked ideas to Congress’

While an interconnected, resilient system, that could provide additional water sources and storage to DC Water, WSSC Water, and Fairfax Water would be optimal, Cyran said the Corps is limited by a Congressional paradigm that limits its feasibility study to four years and five million dollars.

“We can’t hand half-baked ideas to Congress,” Cyran said.

With the Corps’ current focus of implementing near-term improvements, quickly, the agency will continue to use its expertise to envision a more resilient, long term solution.

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“We are committed to looking at this issue and try to explore some regional solutions, within the paradigms of the legislation that we have to operate within,” said Cyran. “If Congress wants to consider something else to expand our authority, we could maybe look at a bigger solution, with more time and money.”

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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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New AAPI-led Jaemi Theatre Company launches in DC

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New AAPI-led Jaemi Theatre Company launches in DC


Jaemi Theatre Company, a new AAPI-led theater company based in Washington, DC, officially launches this spring with its inaugural project, BAAL, a staged reading at the 2026 Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival on Friday, March 6, at 7:30 PM at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

Jaemi Theatre Company co-founder and playwright Youri Kim

Founded by Artistic Director Youri Kim and Artistic Associate Juyoung Koh, Jaemi Theatre was born out of a recognition that DC, one of the largest theater markets in the United States, had no company dedicated to centering Asian stories or led by Asian artists. The name “Jaemi” comes from a Korean word meaning “fun,” and in its Sino-Korean form, 在美, means both “to live in America” and “to live in beauty.”

“I kept hearing from companies that it was hard to find Asian actors, and I heard it so often that I started to believe it myself,” said Youri Kim. “But through building community with other AAPI theater artists in the area, I realized the talent was always here. What was missing was the infrastructure to connect us. Jaemi is that infrastructure.”

BAAL, an original work written by Youri Kim (not to be confused with Bertolt Brecht’s 1918 play of the same name), is a body horror drama set in a dystopian city where the air is toxic and birth is outlawed. In the city of Baal, citizens are forced into an impossible choice: terminate or sacrifice a family member. The play uses the language of biological mutation and bodily control to examine how systems of power decide who gets to exist and on what terms, questions that resonate deeply within AAPI and immigrant communities navigating structures that seek to define, contain, and assimilate them. The staged reading features a cast of seven and an original sound design.

BAAL plays as a staged reading Friday, March 6, 2026, at 7:30 PM in Lab Theatre II at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St NE, Washington, DC). Tickets ($29.75) are available online.

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Looking ahead, Jaemi Theatre plans to host a founding party and fundraiser this fall, and will launch an Asian Writer Play Submission program in the second half of 2026. The program will pair playwrights from selected Asian countries with Asian playwrights based in DC for a workshop development process, building a pipeline that connects diasporic voices across borders.

For more information, visit yourikimdirector.com or follow @jaemitheatre on Instagram.

About Jaemi Theatre Company
Jaemi Theatre is a newly formed AAPI-led performance initiative based in Washington, DC, co-founded by Artistic Director Youri Kim and Artistic Associate Juyoung Koh. “Jaemi” is Korean for “fun” and, in its Sino-Korean form, means “to live in America” and “to live in beauty.” The company creates interdisciplinary performance rooted in diasporic imagination and radical storytelling. Jaemi is a home for the unfinished and the unassimilated, where performance holds contradiction without needing to resolve it.





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