FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14
PLAY AROUND: Signature Theatre hosts a special Pride Night edition of Billy Elliot, the Tony Award-winning musical based on the 2000 film about ballet, coal mining, and trade union disputes, which runs through January 6. (Check out our review.) The evening’s performance includes a post-show reception with drinks and dessert, plus a chance to mingle with the cast. (Signature Theatre, 8:00 p.m., $40-$104)
HOUSES PARTY: Save Ginny Weasley from the basilisk at Harry and the Potters’ Yule Ball 2018. Or if that sounds too daunting, just jam out to a pop-rock band with some seriously magical influences. Other Potter-centric acts The Whomping Willows, Tonks and the Aurors, and Sweden’s the Swedish Shortsnouts also perform. (Black Cat, 6:00 p.m. doors, $20)
AND ALL THAT … The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra—led by artistic director and jazz legend Wynton Marsalis—bring a big band program to Strathmore with guest vocalists Vuyo Sotashe and Veronica Swift. (Strathmore, 8:00 p.m., $58-$108)
MORE: Open Studio: Silk Dying (Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, 1:00 p.m., FREE), Curls with Baby Bry Bry (Songbyrd, 7:00 p.m. doors, 8:00 p.m. show, $13-$15), Miss Saigon (The Kennedy Center Opera House, 7:30 p.m., $49-$175)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15
YOU HAVEN’T BOUGHT YOUR GIFTS YET?? Take your pick of holiday pop-ups, shops and markets this weekend. American Field’s free Meet Your Maker(s) pop up takes over Union Market’s Dock 5 from 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Potter’s House holiday art and vendor market runs Saturday from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and again Sunday from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Appointed’s holiday market features holiday treats and complimentary gift-wrapping from from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. While you’re there, make a holiday garland at a workshop led by Sidra Forman. (Appointed, 1:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m., $55)
TO CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND: Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is a shopping destination any time of the year, but this season, Pop Georgetown brings all things local—think art, clothing, packaged food, and more—to the neighborhood. Bonus: Unlike most markets, this pop up shop stays open through Jan. 21, long after the Christmas wrapping has been recycled. (Pop Georgetown, opens Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., free entry)
SANTATHLETIC WEAR: Roosevelt Island’s weekly parkrun goes all out for the holidays with an ugly sweater-themed iteration. The timed 5k travels around the entirety of the island. (Roosevelt Island, 9:00 a.m., FREE)
SING IT: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s holiday show takes over Lincoln Theatre with three weekend performances of Christmastime classics. The group is promising all the staples of the season: nutcrackers, reindeer, tap dancers, and drag queens—you know, the usual. (Lincoln Theatre, 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., also 2 p.m. Sunday, $25-$65)
WHIP IT: DC Rollergirls close out the 2018 season with a doubleheader. Our National Maulers take on the Free State Roller Derby Black Eyed Suzies and D.C.’s Capitol Offenders battle the Southern Maryland Roller Derby. The event will also feature an on-site holiday market. (DC Stadium Armory, 4:30 p.m., $6-$15)
MORE: District Triathalon Saturday Morning Run (Union Market, 9:00 a.m., FREE), Wreath Workshop: Historic Greenery (Tudor Place, 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m., $45-$55), The 2nd Annual Horton’s Holiday Hayride (Black Cat, 8:00 p.m. doors, $30-$40), Darlingside with Henry Jamison (Sixth and I, 7:00 p.m. doors, 8:00 p.m. show, $22-25), White Ford Bronco (Rock & Roll Hotel, 8:00 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show, $25), Rhizome Fundraiser with Daniel Bachmann, Ian McColm, Forrest Marquisee and more (Rhizome DC, 8:00 p.m., $20), Thalia Zedek Band, Quattracenta and Insect Factory (Comet Ping Pong, 10:00 p.m., $12)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16
SHE’S BACK: Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, released Wanderer, her first album in six years, earlier this year. It has some surprises, including a collaboration with Lana Del Rey, and a welcome cover of Rihanna’s “Stay.” At her 9:30 Club show on Sunday, Reverend Baron opens. (9:30 Club, 7:00 p.m. doors, $40)
SERIOUSLY? JUST BUY YOUR GIFTS ALREADY: Make the most of the weekend and grab gifts at area music venues. The bar’s open at the free 21-and-up holiday punk rock flea market at DC9’s rooftop bar from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. After, head to the Rock’n’Shop at Black Cat. The free sale with music from Sally Go Round, DJ Laura Lopez and DJ Mojo Gogo features records, crafts and clothing. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
TAKE IT TO THE CHORUS: Hear beloved carols and choral music at the National Cathedral during the annual Joy of Christmas program hosted by the Cathedral Choral Society. The night also includes sing-alongs, so start learning the words to “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” (Washington National Cathedral, 4:00 p.m., $25-$81.50)
MORE: Fitbit Local Holiday Bootcamp, Bend and Brews (DC Brau, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., FREE), The Washington Chorus Presents A Candlelight Christmas (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 4:00 p.m., $18-75), Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water | The Fire Next Time: The Gospel According to James Baldwin (The Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, 8:00 p.m., $49-$89), The Second City’s Love, Factually (The Kennedy Center Theater Lab, 8:00 p.m., $59-$85)
