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Happy New Year! |
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Greetings, Curious Explorers — If you’re a last-minute planner, we’ve got you covered with some awesome and unique ways to ring in the New Year. And after you recover from your year-end celebrations, we’ve curated tons of things to do, from First Day hikes to winter Restaurant Week and after-hours museum events, for you to look forward to in the month ahead. |
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🎉 Unique Ways to Ring in the New Year in DC. |
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There are obvious things to do on New Year's Eve, like going to a New Year's party, watching the ball drop on TV, or enjoying a delicious dinner.
But there are plenty of other awesome and unexpected ways to celebrate the countdown to 2023 around DC.
From dazzling holiday lights and nature hikes, live music and performances, scavenger hunts and more, we've rounded up 20+ fun alternative ways to ring in the new year whether you'll be solo, with a group or family. |
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🗓 Awesome things to do this month. |
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DC jump starts 2023 with a month full of awesome things to do.
Residents and locals looking to embrace the best of winter can head to any number of ice skating rinks and warm up with hot chocolate and seasonal cocktails. The winter edition of Restaurant Week returns this month, celebrate the Lunar New Year at the annual Chinese New Year parade and other celebrations, celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday with special tributes, partake at the Fire and Ice Festival, and more!
Check out our guide to the most awesome and unexpected events coming to DC this January. |
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There's just something about this time year that makes you want to recreate the ice skating scene from the Charlie Brown holiday movie. Luckily, there are plenty of places around DC to lace up your skates and get out on the ice, even if your triple lutz needs work. |
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👟 First Day Hike Spots in DC. |
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If you’re looking for a healthy and refreshing way to kick off 2023, how about enjoying the great outdoors with a “first day hike" (or walk if that's more your speed.? Of course, there's always Rock Creek Park, but let us introduce you to nine less obvious, but still awesome, places for a peaceful winter walk. |
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💖 Live from the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors Red Carpet. |
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The Kennedy Center Honors is the night of nights in DC when the power of celebrity, paparazzi, politics and arts meet. This year's honorees are George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, U2 and Tania Leon. Before the ceremony aired on Dec 28 on CBS, we braved the temperatures for a bit of celeb-spotting on Dec. 4 when the stars gather for the show taping. Here are a few of our pictures from the big night🎉
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At some point, you’ve probably wondered: Why is Kennedy Center all lit up in 🌈 colors? It's in honor of the annual Kennedy Centers Honors gala to celebrate the five artists who have in some way shaped cultural life in America. The colored lights are a nod to the rainbow ribbons on the Kennedy Center Honors medallions. |
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Actor and activist George Clooney (honoree) and his wife, attorney Amal Clooney |
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Singer and legend Patti LaBelle was on hand to present to honoree Gladys Knight |
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Hip-hop legend and former honoree LL Cool J. He’s always a crowd favorite. |
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Country singer and past honoree Garth Brooks who performed “Midnight Train to Georgia” for honoree Gladys Knight |
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Honoree George Clooney and his wife Amal on the red carpet awaiting their turn on the red carpet after fellow honoree Gladys Knight. |
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Honorees U2. We never once saw the Edge without his signature cap. |
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Former honoree Big Bird was on hand as a presenter. Not going to lie, seeing him in real life was an epic moment! |
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Eep! We were thrilled to have our photograph taken with “Mayor Pete” (Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg); 📸taken by his husband Chasten. |
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👀 Sneak Peek: Museum of Illusions |
With more than 50 unique illusions and Instagram-ready visual installations, the newly opened Museum of Illusions is an intriguing visual and sensory experience where nothing is what seems. |
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The skinny: The immersive installations and puzzles will make you doubt your senses, question reality, and totally confuse you, yet amaze you all at the same time. Some might even have you double-checking gravity! It's a fun addition to CityCenter and the downtown scene for date night, a group hang or family outing. With lots of restaurants, shopping and Smithsonians nearby, you can easily add it to your DC itinerary. Getting in: Tickets are $23.95 for adults and children get in for (5 – 12): $18.95.
Children age 4 and under are free. The museum is open Sunday – Thursday, 10 am – 8 pm and Friday and Saturday, 10 am – 9 pm. Getting there: 📍927 H St NW Curious Tip: It's much more fun exploring the museum with another person, plus you'll want someone to take your picture 📷 in all the Instagram photo opportunities. |
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Something magical happens once a month at National Museum of Asian Arts when the shuttered windows of the famous Peacock Room are opened. This rare occurrence gives you a unique chance to see the room's shimmering hues, which are as iridescent as the bird it's named after, in all their glory.
The room is a stunning visual feast. James McNeill Whistler designed the blue-and-gold room to set off the more than 250 sumptuous, Far Eastern ceramics on display. Charles Lang Freer, founder of the National Museum of Asian Art (formerly the Freer Gallery of Art), bought the Peacock Room from its heirs and had it shipped from London to the US. He later donated it to the Smithsonian, along with 8,000 other works of art, to create the gallery that bore his name.
The Peacock Room shutters will open January 19 from 12 to 5:30pm and then the third Thursday of every month. Admission is free.
Curious Tip: Arrive before the shutters open to see the room before and after. It's quite a dramatic transformation. 📍:1050 Independence Ave. SW |
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🔗 ICYMI: DC Link Roundup. |
Arts + Entertainment Your 2023 Concert Agenda: Catch These Big Acts Coming Through The D.C. Region (DCist) Your D.C.-Area Playlist: 17 Local Musicians To Check Out In 2023 (DCist) Best of D.C. 2022: Arts & Entertainment (CityPaper) Smithsonian African American Museum to launch exhibit featuring Boseman’s ‘Black Panther’ costume (AOL) Folger announces new projects and programs for the new year (DCTheaterArts) Anacostia Playhouse seeks new plays for New Voices, New Works Festival (DCTheaterArts)
Food + Bev D.C.'s ultimate food hall ranking (Axios) Best of D.C. 2022: Food & Drink (CityPaper) Florida Man Opens DC Bar That Looks Like a Swimming Pool (Washingtonian) Bubbles Abound at Pop, Shaw’s Whimsical New ‘Fizz Bar’ (EaterDC)
Around Town These celebrities bought DMV homes in 2022 (Axios) 65 Things to Do This Winter in DC (Washingtonian) The Wharf’s Futuristic Karaoke Bar Looks Straight Out of ‘Tron’ (Eater DC)
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Whether you’re local or just visiting, your DC adventure awaits. Allons-y! |
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