10 Best Things to Do This Winter in Washington DC

The City centre Holiday Market is held right in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and offers dozens of vendors with eclectic wares and live entertainment. You can catch local and national music acts performing Christmas music while you find that perfect gift for your beloved amongst aisle after aisle of tents filled with holiday treasures.

If you get hungry along the way, you can grab handmade mini-doughnuts and locally roasted coffee to snack on. This market is a core part of the District's holiday tradition and is a scene that's not to be missed. It's in Penn Quarter, just 5 minutes from central city centre Washington.

The Pageant of Peace is a tradition that's gone on for nearly a century and features a wealth of entertainers and miniature decorated trees representing all 50 states. The entertainment festival highlight is the illumination of the National Christmas Tree, and the displays stay lit for several weeks. The celebration features musical acts, speakers, and even visits from Santa and his reindeer.

This family-friendly event is one of the biggest parties of the year. You can wander through the trees and get lost in the holiday spirit. It all takes place on the White House Lawn, and getting tickets requires entering a lottery that closes in October.

The opening of the Sculpture Garden Ice Rink at the National Gallery of Art kicks off the ice-skating season and draws thousands to skate surrounded by works of modern art. The enormous and lifelike sculptures are created by some of the most notable artists around, including such names as Alexander Calder, Roxy Paine, Louise Bourgeois, amongst others.

You're sure to get in the holiday spirit as you glide around in the sculpture garden surrounded by the majesty of national monuments and museums. If you get in on the first weekend, you can even get a coupon for a free cup of hot cocoa. It's just about 10 minutes from the heart of city centre.

Christmas at Mount Vernon is an annual festival that lets you see how George and Martha Washington may have celebrated the holidays at their traditional home in the 1700s. The celebration goes on from late November through December with a wide range of activities, including a candlelit tour of the manor and discussion of 18th-century Virginia traditions, a Christmas illumination light festival, and more.

Mount Vernon is technically not located in DC, but in Virginia. It's about 35 minutes from city centre Washington by car, but it is very much worth the journey to see the historic home of the first US president and learn about colonial and early US holiday traditions.

The District's Holiday Boat Parade celebrates the holidays with more than 60 illuminated, decorated boats parading down Washington Channel as you shop, eat, and celebrate on the shore. You can decorate ornaments at workshops, head to the fire pit and warm up with other parade-watchers, go ice skating on the rink, or head for the Waterfront Beer and Wine Garden for holiday-themed drinks. Naturally, it wouldn't be a holiday festival if Santa didn't put in a visit.

The parade takes place in early December every year and is a highlight of the District's holiday season celebrations. If you've never tried a waterfront holiday, this is certainly the one to start with, and you'll find it at the Wharf city centre.

Holiday Films at the Wharf is a holiday tradition in Washington, DC, where folks gather at the waterfront on the Wharf for classic holiday-themed films on a 20-foot LED screen. You reserve a spot and you get your own fire pit that can seat up to 4 people to keep warm. No cooking at the pits is allowed, but if you get hungry, you can head over to the food vendors to grab snacks, drinks, and treats.

The exact schedule changes from year to year, but the event runs from Thanksgiving through the end of December and exhibits famous and iconic holiday films. Past features have included "Gremlins," "Home Alone," "Elf," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Die Hard," and many others.

The Tudor Place Historic House & Garden offers the opportunity to tour an elegant neoclassical house decorated for the holidays in authentic period fashion. The Tudor Place is open all year long, but during the holidays, the whole estate comes alive with beautiful decorations, wreaths, candles, Christmas trees, and live holiday music performances. Family fun activities abound here with children's craft activities and workshops. Light refreshments are also on offer for attendees.

The holiday festivals here have become a hit amongst locals and visitors alike. It's only about a 10-minute drive to the west of city centre.

Zoo Lights is an annual holiday celebration held at the Smithsonian Zoo and featuring train rides, light displays, and unique ways to see your favourite animals. This free event is a wonderland for families that lets you see animals like pandas, orangutans, elephants, cheetahs, and others in the form of light-up lanterns. The festival turns one of the world's oldest zoos into a fairy-tale landscape of winter celebration that's a fantastic time for the whole family.

The event goes on all December and, best of all, the light display is completely eco-friendly in keeping with the responsibility we all have to the planet. The zoo is just a 9-minute drive north of central city centre.

The National Menorah celebrates the holiday tradition of the Jewish faith with the lighting of one of the largest menorahs in the world followed by a doughnut feast and music. While everyone talks about Christmas celebrations, Washington celebrates religious diversity by honouring the Jewish tradition as well. The lively music following the lighting is accompanied by dancing. Menorah kits and dreidels are also available for kids and family fun.

In keeping with tradition, 1 candle is lit on each of the 8 days of Chanukah. The celebration takes place on the White House Ellipse, right by the National Christmas Tree as a symbol of the unity of all faiths.

Step Afrika! is the first professional company celebrating the tradition of stepping and offers an annual holiday extravaganza of this unique African form of entertainment. The family-friendly performance combines stomping, clapping, stepping, and percussive, rhythmic dance, and it often features furry friends like penguins and polar bear twins. It's a celebration of diversity and life, and everyone is invited.

This is another holiday celebration in Washington, DC, that steps outside of the traditional and offers something truly different and unique. Step Afrika! performs all year long, but their Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is an experience not to be missed. It's held at the Joy of Motion Dance Centre on High Street, just a 20-minute drive from city centre.