Time to Wrap Up the Holidays, This Is 2020
Well the holidays are over and so is the decade. The presents are put away, the tree is out by the curb to be composted. But a few of the holiday light displays are still lit this weekend if you haven’t had time to see them. This is also the last weekend for Jersey Boys at the National Theatre and Second City’s She the People: The Resistance Continues! at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. New events this weekend include Super MAGFest at National Harbor and Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club at the GALA Hispanic Theatre. Also, area outdoor ice skating rinks are open, and with mild temperatures this weekend would be ideal to go for a spin.
Red Line trains single track between Twinbrook and Grosvenor with trains running every 18 minutes. Additional trains run every 9 minutes between Medical Center and Glenmont from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. All other lines will operate on normal weekend schedules.
Seasons Greenings
The annual Seasons Greenings holiday show at the United States Botanic Garden wraps up this weekend and includes a collection of area landmarks made entirely from plant materials, including the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and more. This year’s display showcases botanic gardens. Trains chug around, below, through and above plant-based recreations of iconic botanic gardens from across Maine to Hawaii, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s red Japanese torii gate, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ flamingo topiaries, Missouri Botanical Garden’s famous Climatron conservatory, Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Rocket Garden featuring NASA space nodes and rockets and many more. There are more than 3,000 blooms on display from exotic orchids to a showcase of heirloom and newly developed poinsettia varieties.
Jan. 3-5 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Super MAGFest
National Harbor is a gamer’s haven this weekend. The annual Super MAGFest (short for Music and Gaming Festival) started in 2002 as a gathering for the Mid-Atlantic gaming community before expanding into a nationally known destination that draws thousands of gamers. Devoted fans will be out in full force for the festival’s usual assemblage of celebrities and musicians of the video and tabletop game world, with panels, concerts, tournaments and indie video game demos. But any newcomers who enjoy a classic way of gaming will be sure to enjoy the access to more than 200 arcade and pinball machines set up in the convention center — all on free play with the price of a ticket.
Jan. 2-5 from 10 a.m. Thursday through 4 p.m. Sunday at the Gaylord National Resort and Conventions Center, 201 Waterfront St., Oxen Hill, Md. Registration is $90-$25.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
You have one last weekend to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception all decked out for Christmas. Mother Teresa, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II and other religious figures have visited the Basilica. The largest Roman Catholic church in North America and the 10th largest in the world dresses up with more than 50 Christmas trees, over 65,000 lights, halls decked with more than 500 poinsettias and two manger scenes, one of which is nearly life size.
Jan. 3-6 from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Georgetown Glow
This is the last weekend to stroll past unique, outdoor public light art installations at Georgetown Glow. A group of artists, from locally renowned to internationally celebrated, display works in outdoor spaces throughout Georgetown. This year’s display, which features 11 exhibits, encourages contemplation of and interaction with the natural environment. Each work has an element of interactivity allowing the viewer to walk in, on and around the piece, while others ask the viewer to become part of the artwork. Afterwards, wander through a winter wonderland at The Washington Harbour, one of our favorite places to ice skate in the District.
Jan. 3-5 from 5-10 p.m. in the business district along the waterfront, around the C&O Canal, along M Street and up Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. Admission is FREE!
Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights
This is the final weekend to be dazzled by Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. Every year from mid-November until just after New Year’s Day, the garden is transformed into a half-mile, walk of lights. Revisit perennial favorites such as the animated Lakeside Lights, the Fountain of Lights and the Holiday Nature Walk, and look for new displays each year.
Jan. 3-5 from 5:30-10 p.m.at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens court, Vienna. Tickets are $14.50 for adults and $8 for children 2-12 in advance or $17 for adults and $11 for children 2-12 at the door.
Festival of Lights
Finishing up its 42nd year, the Festival of Lights celebration at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints visitor center along I-495 includes a display of international Christmas trees and creches from around the world, and a life-size outdoor Nativity scene. A different performing artist or group is featured in concert twice each night, including bell ensembles, choirs, orchestras and more. Visitors can wander the temple grounds while trying to figure out how to take good pictures of more than 650,000 lights with an iPhone.
Jan. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (lights illuminated at dusk) at the Washington D.C. Temple, 9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, Md. Admission is FREE, but tickets are required for concerts.
Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club
Have you ever wondered who would win in a no-holds-barred fight between “Rocket Man” composer Elton John and “Rocket Man” Kim Jong Un? What about if Queen Elizabeth II took on Queen singer Freddie Mercury? And who would come out on top in a faceoff between Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and a Native American? There’s only one place to find out: Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club. For a decade, this bizarre, uproarious mix of performance art, lowbrow humor and choreographed battles royal has been wowing Washingtonians, even though no one knows which characters are taking part — well, except Commodious, Elvis Presley’s toilet, who serves as the master of ceremonies in between the fights, burlesque performances and other surprises. You really have to see it to believe it.
Jan. 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the Gala Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets, which are sold out except for 10 p.m. Friday, are $28.
Jersey Boys
Winner of multiple Tony and Grammy Awards, Jersey Boys is the action-packed tale of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, who rose from blue-collar backgrounds to become one of the greatest pop music groups ever. Featuring an unforgettable score and magnificent choreography, this show should be on everyone’s bucket list.
Jan 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 and 5 at 2 p.m. and Jan 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $54-$114.
She the People: The Resistance Continues!
It is time for a she-quel at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. The Second City’s new version of She the People: The Resistance Continues! closes this weekend and packs in even more satire than the first, if that is possible. The all-female cast riffs on the reality of womanhood, myths that surround body positivity, bachelorette parties, Beyoncé and the 2020 election.
Jan. 3 at 8 p.m., Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are limited and range from $89-$109.
Free Community Day
January is a busy month at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, as three major exhibits are set to close: “Women Artists of the Dutch Golden Age” on Sunday, and “Judy Chicago — The End” and the photographic collection “Live Dangerously” on Jan. 20. If you have put off exploring these exhibitions, take time to do so on the museum’s Free Community Day, which offers free admission to all. A special hour-long tour, dubbed “Fierce Women 2.0,” introduces visitors to trailblazing female artists from the collection. The tour is free, but admission is limited.
Jan. 5 from noon-5 p.m. at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Three Kings Day Celebration
The Gala Hispanic Theatre hosts its annual Three Kings Day Celebration this weekend. One of the most popular celebrations of Latino cultures, this bilingual presentation tells the timeless story of the Magi with song, dance and storytelling. The event will also include the traditional Nativity and the giving of gifts by the Magi. A procession with the Three Kings and live animals – including donkeys, goats and sheep – will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Park Road and 14th Street NW. Churros and hot chocolate will be served in the lobby following the performance.
Jan. 5 at noon at Gala Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Admission is FREE! Tickets will be distributed beginning at noon on a first come, first served basis.
Ongoing events
All Work, No Pay from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through February at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Alonso Berruguete: First Sculpture of Renaissance Spain from 10 a.m.-5 p.m Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
CLOSED UNTIL MARCH! Animals, Collected from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.6 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2020 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $7-$10.
Americans from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2022 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
American’s First Veterans from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 5 at Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Becoming Jane from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through summer 2020 at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $10-$15.
Bonnard to Vuillard: The Intimate Poetry of Everyday Life from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 62+, and children 18 and younger are FREE!
LAST CHANCE! By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs from the 1850s to Apollo 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Elephants and Us: Considering Extinction from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 13 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 29 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
The End: A Mediation on Death and Extinction from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through February at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Heroes: Principles of African Greatness, from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Dec. 31, 2020 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Hokusai: Mad About Paintting from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 8 at the Freer Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
I Am . . . Contemporary Women Artists of Africa from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 5 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
In Mid-Sentence from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 8 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Intersections: Los Carpinteros from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 12 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors 62 and older. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Live Dangerously from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
LAST CHANCE! Manifesto: Art x Agency from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 5 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Oct. 12 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Michael Sherrill Retrospective from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisentaedt from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Jan. 12 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for college students, $5 for children ages 6-18 and children younger than 6 are FREE!
My Fair Lady at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Jan. 19 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $39-$159.
One Life: Marian Anderson from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Outbreak from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 30 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Pat Steir: Color Wheel from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 7 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 30 at the Museum of the Bible, 400 Fourth St. SW. Advance tickets are $19.99 for adults, $9.99 for children 7-17 and children and younger are FREE. Tickets at the door at $24.99 for adults, $19.99 for seniors, military, first responders and students, $14.99 for children 7-17 and children 6 and younger are FREE!
Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Apr. 12 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 30 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 3, 2021, at the National Archives, 701 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Mar. 22 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974-1985 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through June 6 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through 2020 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Section 14: The Other Palm Springs, California from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 17 at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through September at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Subodh Gupta: Terminal from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 12 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through March at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Women Artists of the Dutch Golden Age from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors 65 and older and students. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through May 31 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. 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.