FRIDAY, DEC. 9
FAR FROM HOME: Cecilia Kim is far from home. Born in South Korea, the video artist also lived in Australia, England and Singapore before landing in D.C. Her work Far From Home will be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington’s biennial exhibition. Learn more about it this Friday, when Kim will be in conversation with Betsy Johnson, an assistant curator at the Hirshorn. (Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington; 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; FREE)
NEW WORLD CHRISTMAS: Another December weekend, another Christmas concert you can stream from your couch. St. Mark’s Church is hosting a number of talented musicians for A New World Christmas, a program featuring the work of 16th to 18th century Spanish composers who, during periods of colonialism, drew influence from indigenous American and African traditions. (St. Mark’s Church and virtual; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday 2:30 p.m.; $20+)
FENCES: Maybe you’ve read the original play, seen a live performance, or watched the acclaimed 2016 film adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences. Or maybe you’re a newcomer, uninitiated into the world of Troy Maxson. Either way, Wilson’s Jim Crow era story never fails to deliver. Consider catching it this weekend at Prince George’s Publick Playhouse. (Prince George’s Publick Playhouse; 7 p.m.; $20)
STRUGGLE MAG: Support your local literary magazine this Friday at Struggle Mag’s launch party for their third issue. The event will feature live music, a wine tasting, and readings from the writers featured in Struggle Mag, a D.C.-based quarterly publication that seeks to “create a tangible expression of what it [means] for us to have artistic freedom in this world.” (National League of American Pen Women; 7 p.m.-10 p.m.; $25)
VIENTO Y TIEMPO: Get on your dancing shoes and head down to the Library of Congress for a free performance by Cuban pianist and composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola. The talented musicians will present their album Viento y Tiempo, a Grammy-nominated work that pays tribute to their Cuban roots. (Library of Congress; 8 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Self Help Opening Reception (11:Eleven Gallery; 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; FREE); Bushwick Book Club (The Potter’s House; 7 p.m.; donation-based), Jokes Up In Smoke (The Pyramid Lounge; 7 p.m.; $15+), Love’s Labor’s Lassoed (Lumina Studio Theatre; Friday and Saturday 7 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.; $18), Stars (9:30 Club; 7 p.m.; $29), A Holiday Pops! (Kennedy Center; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; $49), John Mulaney (MGM National Harbor; 8 p.m.; $203+), Sarah Chang: West Side Story & Romeo + Juliet (Music Center at Strathmore; 8 p.m.; $39+); Holiday Masquerade (Provision No. 14; 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; $19)
SATURDAY, DEC. 10
EXPLORE KWANZAA: Created by activist Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa evokes harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. Carry Karenga’s torch forward this weekend with Explore Kwanzaa! Hosted by Culture Queen, the event invites the whole family to learn more about the holiday. (Anacostia Community Museum; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; FREE)
UGLY SWEATER WORKSHOP: Take a look at your favorite wintertime sweater. Do you get the feeling that it could be a bit … uglier? With Love Dija to the rescue. Join the DIY group for Ugly Sweater Making, an event that invites you to spruce up your sweater, and enjoy some spiked cocoa while you’re at it. (Shop Made in DC Union Market; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; $40)
NAVIDAD FLAMENCA: This Saturday, the Atlas Performing Arts Center invites you to travel with them to southern Spain, the birthplace of flamenco. Holiday special Navidad Flamenca features a rich cast of musicians and dancers performing villancicos and flamencos, as well as recreating Spanish and Puerto Rican holiday traditions. (Atlas Performing Arts Center; 4 p.m.; $35)
BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN: A few years ago, solo folker Anaïs Mitchell, Fruit Bats and The Shins’ Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman of The National joined forces for a folk supergroup: Bonny Light Horseman, which released their self-titled debut in 2020 to critical acclaim. Now, the trio is touring their follow up album, Rolling Golden Holy, and they’re stopping at the Howard Theatre. (Howard Theatre; 7 p.m.; $25)
MORE: Polar Express Pajama Party (The Boro Tysons; 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; $8), Early Education EXPO (DC Armory; 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), Pretty Girl Rock Drag Brunch (Hard Rock Cafe; 10 a.m.; $15), Yoga in the Sculpture Garden (Kreeger Museum; 10 a.m.; $15), Holiday Used Book Sale (Petworth Library Meeting Room; 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), Holiday Pop-Up (Van Ness Main Street; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; FREE), Cleveland Park Winter Market (Cleveland Park; 2 p.m.-7 p.m.; FREE), DC Santa Crawl 2022 (Dupont Circle; 2 p.m.; $25), Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show (Arena Stage; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; $76+), Modern Nutcracker Ballet (CulturalDC’s Source Theatre; 4 p.m.; $33), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Music Center at Strathmore; 7 p.m.; $25+), Brassy Jazzy Christmas (George Washington Masonic Theatre; 7:30 p.m.; $20)
SPONSORED: PERSPECTIVES ON ART AND SCIENCE: Embracing intersectional perspectives and the multi-faceted wisdom of cultures and communities worldwide can help us become active global citizens. Join a conversation with artists and scholars, moderated by Smithsonian curator Adriel Luis, on Tuesday, Dec. 13. (Virtual; 6 p.m.-7 p.m.; FREE)
Maydan is turning 5.SUNDAY, DEC. 11
BOX IT UP: Head to a special holiday pop-up location of Shop Made in D.C. on M Street in Georgetown to build your own specialty gift box full of local items for your giftee of choice. The gift box-specific popup runs for the next two weekends, through Dec. 18. The shop has items from 36 local makers to choose from, and Shop Made’s “elves” will wrap up all your goodies and make it look pretty in a reusable gift box. (2920 M St. NW, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, hours vary other days; Cost varies)
FIVE YEARS OF MAYDAN: Maydan, the Michelin star-holding restaurant, has been serving up its Middle Eastern menu for five years, and they’re patting themselves on the back this weekend. Join the restaurant for their anniversary celebration and holiday market. Ticket proceeds will be donated to Children of Persia and the Center for Human Rights in Iran. (Maydan; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; $15)
SUGAR AT SANDLOT: Have you ever bopped around a crowded D.C. neighborhood and enjoyed free live music on your neighbor’s porches? Porchfest DC may have been the ones making that possible. Thank them by attending Sugar at Sandlot, Porchfest DC’s inaugural fundraising outdoor concert and shopping experience. (Sandlot Anacostia; 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.; $25+)
BLUE CRESCENT SYNCOPATORS: The Blue Crescent Syncopators will be light on the holiday tunes and heavy on the syncopation this Sunday at Silver Spring’s Rosensteel Hall. Join the band, which takes after New Orleans jazz traditions, for the Potomac River Jazz Club’s Holiday Special. (Rosensteel Hall Silver Spring; 1:30 p.m.; $22.50)
BOHEME IN THE HEIGHTS: What would Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème look like if it was set in the middle of the pandemic in Columbia Heights? That’s the premise of Boheme in the Heights, an animated coming of age story from INseries Opera, which you’ve got a chance to see this Sunday at Atlas Performing Arts Center. (Atlas Performing Arts Center; 2:30 p.m.; FREE)
NIGHTMARES BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Christmas isn’t all adorable reindeers and a jolly Santa Claus. It’s also Krampus, the hairy, horned demon who accompanies Saint Nicholas in Central European folklore. Find out more about Krampus and the dark underbelly of the holiday season this Sunday at Profs & Pints’ talk Nightmares Before Christmas, featuring Johns Hopkins University professor William Egginton. (metrobar; 6 p.m.; $12.72)
MORE: Rosslyn Cheer Holiday Market (Central Place Plaza; Saturday and Sunday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), Brunch with Santa (Watermark Hotel; 11:30 p.m.-3 p.m.; $49), Expressing the Unsaid (Jackson Arts Center; 2 p.m.; FREE), DC’s Different Drummers (Church of the Reformation; 3 p.m.; donation-based), Fieldwork Works (Rhizome DC; 3:30 p.m. FREE), Champagne, Comedy and Drag Show (DC Comedy Loft; 7 p.m.; $15); You, Me, Them, Everybody (DC9 Nightclub; 7:30 p.m.; $10)
