CityCenterDC kicks off the season's holiday festivities on Saturday with a tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. at 10th Street and New York Avenue NW. The event will include a musical performance by the Washington Chorus. (Photo courtesy of CityCenterDC)

The DC Lineup for this weekend: helping hands, heritage and holiday lights

By Jennifer Anne Mitchell On Nov 29, 2019 Last updated Dec 1, 2019

Those in town this holiday weekend can get a first glimpse of the annual light show at the National Zoo — plus festively decorated Christmas trees in Shaw, at CityCenter DC and on Capitol Hill. The District is also building community through meal distribution, a book drive and Small Business Saturday. Holiday markets, concerts, a Native American Heritage Day celebration, and a historic home tour are also on the Lineup for this weekend, Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

Sun is in the forecast for Friday, followed by a cloudy Saturday and a rainy Sunday, according to the weekend weather report. Temperatures will be chilly, ranging from 34 to 49 degrees.

1. Community Service: Post-Thanksgiving, help hand out meals to the homeless at Franklin Square. Volunteers are invited to arrive and help out from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The event is hosted by MakeSpace and Extending Hands Charity. Those interested in supporting the cause — including similar events in the future — may donate money for food online.

2. Literature: A holiday book drive for low-income students in the DC area starts this Saturday at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café in Dupont Circle. Those interested in donating may purchase one of five suggested children’s books from the store: Except When They Don’t, Peep and Egg, and Baby Botanist by Laura Gehl; Always Looking Up by Alex Oxton and Laura Gehl; or Welcome to Jazz by Carolyn Sloan. Kramerbooks will then provide the donations to An Open Book Foundation when the gift drive ends at the end of the year.

The Abner Cloud House, one of the oldest structures along the C&O Canal, will be open to visitors on Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Chris Kain)

3. History: An open house Sunday gives visitors a chance to explore the Abner Cloud House, one of the oldest structures along the C&O Canal. Originally built in 1801, the house and its nearby mill provided grain and flour to local customers for nearly seven decades. Sunday’s open house takes place from noon to 5 p.m. at the historic site, which was closed earlier this year for preservation efforts that are now complete. The Cloud House is located at Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Canal Road NW, and is maintained by the National Park Service and the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter III.

4. Local Business: Following Black Friday, business areas across the city are participating in Small Business Saturday, a nationwide campaign led by American Express to support local shops and entrepreneurs. Deals include discounts on merchandise, raffle drawings, and free gifts and treats for shoppers like wine, hot apple cider, coffee and cocoa. The DC Department of Small and Local Business Development has a list of several commercial corridors celebrating the event, with links to detailed information. Among the special events: On Petworth’s Upshur Street, Willow clothing and gift store is hosting a Holiday Toy Drive for DASH to benefit the District Alliance for Safe Housing, which supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Those who donate have the chance to win a year of free dresses from Willow.

5. History: Native American Heritage Day at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian invites visitors to honor “the many contributions of Native Americans to all aspects of life in the United States,” according to the event description. The festival celebrates Native American culture through music, dance (including performances by the Dineh Tah Navajo Dancers), games, storytelling, hands-on activities and crafts. It takes place Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, at 4th Street and Independence Avenue SW, and is free to attend.

6. Holiday Events: Several free Christmas tree lighting ceremonies are happening on Saturday. City Market at O’s sixth annual tree lighting takes place at 5 p.m. at 800 P St. NW. Preparatory activities kick off at 2 p.m., including electric train rides, holiday photos, moon bounces, fire pits, s’more stations and other seasonal food, live music from The JoGo Project, and a canned-food drive benefiting So Others Might Eat. … The 13th annual Capitol Hill Holiday Tree Lighting is from 5:30 to 6 p.m. in the southwest quadrant of Eastern Market Metro Plaza, 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Joyous Voices, the Washington Youth Choir, vocalist Adalia Jimenez and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop’s Suzuki Strings are among the slated performers. The Capitol Hill Business Improvement District hosts the event, featuring a tree nicknamed “Big George” in honor of the late George Didden and his contributions to the neighborhood. … The sixth annual CityCenter DC Holiday Tree Lighting takes place from 6 to 7 p.m., featuring a 75-foot tree decorated with over 150,000 lights and 4,500 ornaments. NBC4’s Eun Yang will emcee the free event at 1098 New York Ave. NW. Balloon artists, face painters and a musical performance by The Washington Chorus are among the activities.

7. Seasonal Festival: Tenley WinterFest kicks off this weekend and runs through Dec. 7. Saturday’s activities include a story time at the Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library, at 10:30 a.m.; Carols & Cocoa at Fessenden Park, at 3 p.m.; and the selection of winners in Tenleytown’s fourth annual window-decorating contest, at 5 p.m. Organized by Tenleytown Main Street, the fest includes specials on food and merchandise as well as winter light displays, historic tours, live music and a yeti hunt throughout the week. A winter market with over 100 merchants concludes the celebration from noon to 4 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 7, at Janney Elementary School, 4130 Albemarle St. NW. Vendors from the District include Shout Mouse Press, which publishes books by marginalized DC-area youth; Studio 4903, an art studio in Tenleytown; and Palo Borracho, which sells DC-themed glassware, ornaments and cards.

The Northeast Performing Arts Group’s will hosts the Dynamic Gospel Explosion Fundraiser on Saturday at THEARC. (Photo courtesy of Northeast Performing Arts Group)

8. Performing Arts: The Dynamic Gospel Explosion Fundraiser showcases regional and national performers as well as local talent such as gospel comedienne Tanya Lewis, the Northeast Performing Arts Group, Raw Element Dance Company and choreographer and dancer Camal Pugh. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door. The show, hosted by the Northeast Performing Arts Group, starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC), 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. … “Home for the Holidays” features a performance of Handel’s Messiah as well as spirituals, anthems, gospel and soul music from the canon of the black church tradition. DC-area musicians Nova Payton, Chelsea Green and Iyona Blake are slated to perform along with DC Strings and the United Voices of Metropolitan. The show takes place Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M St. NW. Tickets cost $25 and benefit the church’s historic preservation efforts.

9. Holiday Event: The 29th annual BZB Holiday Gift and Art Show opens on Black Friday, featuring more than 75 retailers each weekend until Christmas at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1510 9th St. NW. Merchandise includes jewelry, home goods, artwork, greeting cards and ornaments, and participating local vendors include ZURESH beauty company, Ida’s Idea Boutique and couture designer Brenda Winstead. This weekend highlights fine art artisans, with hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Shaw marketplace is produced by BZB International Inc., and upcoming dates are Dec. 7, 14, 21, 23 and 24.

10. Holiday Event: Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute presents its annual winter event, ZooLights, starting with Friday’s opening night ceremony from 5 to 9 p.m. Music, treats, and a laser light show will fill the Zoo. New this year is Entre Les Rangs, an art exhibit featuring reflecting lights and dozens of large, glowing animal lanterns. ZooLights is free to attend, with some ticketed activities. It runs nightly from 5 to 9 through Jan. 1 (except for Dec. 24, 25 and 31). … Once again this year, the DC Circulator is offering special shuttle service to ZooLights, with a loop between the Woodley Park Metro station and the Zoo’s Panda Plaza lot from 5 to 9:30 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For ZooLights’ opening night, expect to see the route served by DC Circulator’s newly unveiled Winter Wonder Bus, which is decorated with a “Gingerbread Holiday” theme. The seasonal bus will rotate among the DC Circulator’s various routes through year’s end.