FRIDAY, DEC. 16
BUILD A PLAYGROUND: Parkside is getting a new playground, and you can help. On Friday, CityInterests Development Partners and KABOOM! are leading the first of two volunteer days to help build a playground and adventure park in Ward 7. Volunteers will get food throughout the day from a host of local sponsors, including Compass Coffee, Matchbox Pizza and Call Your Mother Deli. (685 Kenilworth Terrace NE; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; FREE)
MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is a banging Christmas tune, and, for many, a true statement — whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply having a few extra days off work. It’s also the name of Olney Theatre’s new production, which uses skits, songs and dancing to celebrate all the holiday season has to offer. (Olney Theatre Center; through Dec. 31; $50+)
DRINK LIKE A SOMMELIER: This Friday, you don’t need to go to a high-end restaurant to find a sommelier — the sommelier will come to you. Tune into Smithsonian Associates’ virtual event, France’s Hidden Gems: Drink Like a French Sommelier, to learn how to identify and appreciate French wine. A ticket comes with a tasting kit, which is good for one person to sample each wine. (Virtual; 6 p.m.; $75)
RARE BOURBON TASTING: Wine not your thing? Instead, consider spending your Friday evening with Chas Lum, a certified bourbon expert who is leading a Rare Bourbon Tasting at wineLAIR DC. Sample six award-winning bourbons and whiskeys accompanied by some bar snacks. (wineLAIR DC; 7 p.m.; $175)
MORE: Art & Fine Craft Holiday Market (Del Ray Artisans; 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; FREE),Nancy Havlik’s Dance Performance Group (Rhizome DC; 7 p.m.; $10+), Hell Is Real Comedy Show (The Public Option; 7:30 p.m.; $10), Peace on Earth (Vienna’s Church of the Holy Comforter; Friday 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 4 p.m.; $25+), Vocal Music Holiday Concert (Duke Ellington School of the Arts; Friday and Saturday; 7:30 p.m.; $20), A Candlelight Christmas (Music Center at Strathmore; 8 p.m.; $19+), Handel’s Messiah (Kennedy Center; Friday and Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.; $59+), Drake Night Holiday Party (Ivy City Smokehouse; 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; $20+)
SATURDAY, DEC. 17
SKETCH WORKSHOP: Below-freezing temperatures mean we’re spending a whole lot more time inside, and it can be hard to muster up artistic inspiration when you’re staring at that coffee table you got on Facebook Marketplace. Artist Annelisa Leinbach is here to show you how. This weekend, she’ll lead a sketching workshop called Creating Visual Mythology From Everyday Objects, focused on making ordinary items into extraordinary art. (Rhizome DC; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; $15+)
FX’S KINDRED: First it was an Octavia Butler novel, then it was an FX show. This weekend, it’s an immersive pop-up bookstore. To celebrate their release of Kindred, the FX network is setting up shop at The Wharf with a book sale and art display. Anacostia’s own MahoganyBooks will sell the reads, and Atlanta-based Dope Coffee will provide the drinks. (The Wharf; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; FREE)
UMOJA MARKET: Umoja, which means unity, is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It’s under the principle of unity that the Anacostia Arts Center is bringing together Black-owned businesses for the Umoja Market, a one-stop shop for unique products and live DJ sets that takes place all day Friday and Saturday. (Anacostia Arts Center; Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; FREE)
PROCRASTINATOR’S HOLIDAY MARKET: You were gonna get the holiday shopping done in November, right? But then there was Thanksgiving, and then there was that thing you had, and suddenly it’s late December. If you’re a procrastinator, this weekend’s holiday market on Bryant Street NE is calling your name — literally. (Bryant Street NE; 12 p.m.-6 p.m.; FREE)
DANCE WORK IN PROGRESS: This weekend, Joe’s Movement Emporium invites you to be more than just an audience member. If you attend Black Discourse, a dance production about the African diaspora and Black America, you’re invited to be a constructive critic. Black Discourse is a work in progress, and this weekend’s pay-what-you-wish performance invites feedback that may end up shaping the work’s final form. (Joe’s Movement Emporium; 7 p.m; $10+)
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Looking for a holiday show that’s not A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker or Handel’s Messiah? Look no further than Story District’s It’s a Wonderful Life, a storytelling show about real-life holiday generosity, greed and magic. (Union Stage; 7 p.m.; $25)
MORE: Rudolph’s Rockin’ Reindeer Games (The Boro Tysons; 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; FREE),Abbondanza! Minimal Intervention (Sonny’s Pizza; 12 p.m.-4 p.m.; $75+), Eckington Place Holidaze (Eckington Hall; 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; FREE), Train Depot Open House (Northern Virginia Model Railroaders; 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE), Barkin’ Holiday Bash (Ballston Quarter; 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; FREE), Harlem Renaissance Walking Tour (Howard Theatre; 3 p.m.; $25), EJB Quartet Holiday Concert (Kreeger Museum; 3:30 p.m.; $30), Raise Glasses to Raise Funds (Rock Creek Mansion; 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; $125), SHINE: A Holiday Celebration (Ìpàdé; 7 p.m.-10 p.m.; $65), Frost (Eastern Market; 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; $30+), Flashband 2000s Showcase (Black Cat; 8 p.m.; $15+)
SUNDAY, DEC. 18
WORLD CUP FINAL: This Sunday, Argentina and France face off in the World Cup final, and there’s no shortage of bars and restaurants to watch the game at. Atlas Brew Works’ Ivy City Brewery & Taproom makes a good case for themselves: $20 buys you a beer, two breakfast tacos and unlimited Zeke’s coffee. Plus, proceeds go to DC Scores, a nonprofit helping kids play soccer. (Atlas Brew Works Ivy City Brewery & Taproom; 9 a.m.; $20)
SPOONS TOONS AND BOOZE: Swap out bottomless mimosas for bottomless cereal this Sunday at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse’s Secret Formula’s Spoons Toons And Booze Christmas Special. The holiday brunch event features holiday-themed cartoons, comedy, all you can eat cereal and cocktails. (Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse; Saturday and Sunday; 12 p.m.; $15)
MORE: Museum of Illusions (CityCenterDC; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; $23.95), Close-Up Magic Show & Tour (O Museum; 2 p.m. $58), Annual Holiday Concert and Sing Along (Atlas Performing Arts Center; 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; $35), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Dovetail; 6:15 p.m.; $45), Cirque Dreams Holidaze (MGM National Harbor; Friday 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.; $32.50+), Chocolate City Comedy Showtime (Comedy Club DC; Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 8 p.m.; $15+)
