Ice! Opens This Weekend at National Harbor
J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens this weekend. But, if you aren’t in the theater or waiting in line, there are plenty of other things to do in the DMV this weekend.
As Metro’s SafeTrack Surge 10 winds down, the Rhode Island Avenue and Brookland stations remain closed until Tuesday, with free shuttle buses replacing trains between NoMa-Gallaudet University and Fort Totten. Trains will operate every 12-15 minutes between Shady Grove and NoMA-Gallaudet and every 15 minutes between Fort Totten and Glenmont. Orange and Blue Line trains will single track between the McPherson Square and Smithsonian stations with trains running every 24 minutes. Blue Line trains will also single track between Pentagon City and National Airport. Because of that work, Silver Line trains will run every 24 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston ONLY. Green Line trains will single track between Navy Yard and Anacostia with trains operating every 24 minutes. Yellow Line trains will also run every 24 minutes between Huntington and Fort Totten to allow for single tracking between Pentagon City and National Airport.
Ice!
Explore the world this winter during the annual Ice! installation at National Harbor. Two million tons of ice were used to carve the ice sculpture for the “Christmas Around the World” theme, which takes visitors through icy illuminated interpretations of holiday traditions in Germany, Mexico, Britain and other countries. There are also five ice slides for adults and children as well as a parade of toys ice carving demonstrations.
Nov. 19 through Jan. 1 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays, 1-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Water St., Oxen Hill, Md. Tickets are $29-$36 for adults, $21-$29 for children 4-11 years old, $25-$32 for members of the military, $17-$27 for military children and free for children 3 and younger. Ice! is closed Dec. 5-7.
Ice Skating
Imagine ice skating amid magnificent works of art and towering sculptures in a lush, green garden. The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden ice rink is a quintessential winter experience in the DMV. It opens for the season Friday and lasts until mid-March, and it is a scenic atmosphere firmly planted on the outskirts of the National Mall. Skating lessons are available and the Pavilion Café is open for a bit to eat, a hot drink, beer or wine.
Through March from 10 a.m-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for children 12 and younger and a season pass is $195. Skate rental is $3 and locker rental is 50 cents with a $5 deposit.
Bill Viola: The Moving Portrait
Bill Viola: The Moving Portrait is the National Gallery of Art’s first exhibit devoted to video and digital art and offers a new interpretation of the work of pioneering video artist Bill Viola. Viola has long been recognized for his groundbreaking and masterful use of video technologies, creating poetic works that explore the spiritual and perceptual side of human experience and search for a deeper understanding of the world around us. The exhibit covers the span of his bizarre work since 1970, much of which is “moving portraits” of people (including himself) underwater, illuminated by flashlight or in some other way obscured.
Nov. 18 through May 7 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Gene Davis: Hot Beat
When he finally decided to become an artist in is 40s, Gene Davis went big, painting perfect, colorful strips of all sizes on wide canvases. Gene Davis: Hot Beat showcases 15 1960s pieces from the famed Washington Color School artist, including Dr. Peppercorn, Red Witch and Raspberry Icicle. A few of the works by Davis, who died in 1985, have not been on public display for decades.
Through April 2 from 11:30 a.m-7 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Creative Control: After Hours with Art of the Airport Tower
FotoWeek D.C. wraps up this weekend, but not before Creative Control: After Hours with Art of the Airport Tower. Smithsonian photographer and museum specialist Carolyn Russo, who has traveled to 23 countries to photograph airport towers, will be on hand to discuss Art of the Airport Tower, an in-depth exhibit that explores the history and beauty of airport towers all over the world. The 21-and-over event will connect photography and aviation in detail, with Russo discussing her creative process and inspiration. The museum will open its archives so you can examine some of its zaniest images. Photographer Sam Krisch, renowned for his iPhone photography, will also be on hand to teach visitor how to get the most from the camera on their cell phone. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available, and limited galleries will be open for viewing.
Nov. 18 from 6-8 p.m. at the National Air and Space Museum, Independence Avenue at Sixth Street SW. Admission is $20.
A Christmas Carol
Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (acclaimed actor Craig Wallace) on a journey of transformation and redemption in A Christmas Carol. This lavish Victorian-style musical production has been a tradition in the DMV for 35 years. Scrooge’s riveting journey alongside the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future is a joy even if you have experienced it a hundred times before – especially in one of the world’s most historic theaters.
Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. with additional Monday and weekday matinees through Dec. 31 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th Street NW. Tickets are $22-$105.
The Secret Garden
Shakespeare Theatre Co.’s The Secret Garden is based on a children’s book of the same name, this Tony Award-winning musical is about 10-year old Mary Lennox and her discovery of her late aunt’s mysterious walled garden. Mary loses her parents in a cholera epidemic in India, then moves to her uncle’s house, a man still grieving the loss of his wife 10 years earlier. Mary’s journey through the garden is an uplifting one, a coming-of-age story that showcases the power of imagination.
Through Dec. 31 at Shakespeare Theatre Co.’s Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW. Tickets are $44-$123.
Book Fair and Author’s Night
Signed books make great holiday gifts, and the National Press Club’s 39th annual Book Fair and Author’s Night is the perfect place to stock up on practically every genre. Nearly 100 authors will be in attendance, talking to fans and signing books. One book worth seeking out: Seoul Man: A Memoir of Cars, Culture, Crisis, and Unexpected Hilarity Inside a Korean Corporate Titan by Frank Ahrens, a former Washington Post reporter who experienced every possible kind of culture clash when he got married and moved to Korea to work in Hyundai’s public relations department.
Nov. 18 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW Admission is $10 at the door.
Holiday Shops
The Junior League of Washington’s 58th annual Holiday Shops returns this weekend. More than 70 vendors will be on hand to help you find unique gifts for everyone on your shopping list with everything from clothing to jewelry, furnishings to food and grooming materials to spices, even beer from Manassas’ BadWolf Brewing Co. You can even have your pets’ photo taken with Santa for $25 between 1-3 p.m. Saturday or your family from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday for $30.
Nov. 19 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and Nov. 20 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. at Union Market’s Dock 5, 1309 Fifth St. NE. https://www.jlw.org/?nd=ticket_list&fundraiser_id=35 Admission is $5.
Finnish Christmas Bazaar
You don’t have to be Finnish to enjoy the five-decade-old Finnish Christmas Bazaar. You don’t even have to enjoy holiday shopping, even though the marketplace is packed with Finnish jewelry, Iittala glass, Arabia wares, artwork, crafts, books and baked goods, as well as the occasional gnome. But you should have a taste for strong coffee, warm glogg, Karelian pies, Christmas pastires and Pulla, because the holiday cafeteria is not to be missed. Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi is set to officially open the event at 11 a.m. Satruay.
Nov. 19 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Road, Bethesda. Admission is FREE!.
CatVideoFest 2016
Filmmaker Will Braden, creator and curator of the Internet Cat Video Festival, has transitioned that project into the CatVideoFest, which screens this weekend in Silver Spring. He will even be on hand at the last Sunday show to introduce the screening. If you can’t stop laughing at videos of cats doing ridiculous, seemingly demented things, grab your tickets fast, since these screenings have typically sold out in the past, and they raise money for local animal welfare organizations.
Nov. 19 and 20 at 11 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre, Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for matinees and senior citizens and $8 for children.
Salsa Class
Discover a fun, new way to express yourself – and maybe even break a sweat – courtesy of Knowledge Commons D.C. beginners salsa class. The only thing required, aside from comfortable clothes, in an open mind and a desire to try something different. No experience or a partner is necessary.
Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. at the Chinatown Cultural Community Center, 616 H St. NW, 2nd Floor. Admission is FREE!
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.