The last 20 months have been a mess – for many people a catastrophe of grief, anxiety and upheaval.
When we first started talking about how we would like to end the year, editorially speaking, we decided we wanted to look forward – to happier, easier days (and later, livelier nights). Most of all to spend our days out in the city we love and see what the world has to offer without worrying.
We will [try to] maintain that optimism no matter what is trending on Twitter. There is no way back to February 2020 – but one day soon things will break down, for the better. Here’s what we need to do.
President’s Day
There really is no better place to celebrate President’s Day than here, where 46 presidents ruled the nation. Each year, the National Portrait Gallery hosts a special celebration during President’s Day Weekend – the country’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. See the portraits of all the American presidents in “America’s Presidents”, a permanent exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Also consider a visit to President Lincoln’s Cottage in Petworth, George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, or take a tour of the city by drinking what the presidents drank and where they drank it. 21. February
Basketball in Baltimore – CIAA
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) men’s and women’s basketball tournament returns to Baltimore next year. The nation’s oldest historically black athletics meet moves to Charm City for the 77th the anniversary of the championship of the basketball tournament. Held largely in 2021 due to the pandemic. Ticket required. 21.-26. February
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial
2022 is 200 years since the birth of Harriet Tubman, and the celebrations will take place all over the DC area – including at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Portrait Gallery, International Spy Museum (do not forget: she was a spy during the Civil War!), the Harriet Tubman Museum and the Underground Railroad Trail.
DC Embassy Chef’s Challenge
An “culinary diplomacy event” that can only take place in the country’s capital (home to 190 national embassies!), The Embassy Chef Challenge is a month-long celebration of the district’s diplomatic community. Chefs from around the world prepare authentic sips and bites from their home countries so participants can taste them; date and ticket information TBD.
DC at the Half Shell Gala
Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the semi-annual DC on the Half Shell Gala showcases the Chesapeake Bay Aquarius and oyster producers, highlighting the importance of the Chesapeake Bay to our ecosystem. Look for tickets going on sale online in mid-January. March 14
The district, to be held in person in 2022, celebrates the flowering of our cherry trees with a month-long festival commemorating the gift from the Mayor of Tokyo to Washington, DC. in 1912. The festival includes formal events around DC, including the Blossom Kite Festival, Petalpalooza, National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, Pink Tie Party and more. And of course, lots of cherry trees look not only around the tidal pool, but throughout the district. Top flowering will not be predicted until mid-February. The festival runs from March 20 to April 17
We can not promise this picture. But you get something similar.
Dennis Govoni
Concerts in the Sculpture Garden
Concerts in the Sculpture Garden (formerly: Jazz in the Garden) in the National Gallery of Arts Sculpture Garden is a summer tradition with almost 2000 participants each week.
Reopening of the oldest public market in America
2022 will bring the long-awaited reopening of Baltimore’s iconic Lexington Market, the oldest public market in America. Founded in 1782, the market, which is in the midst of an extensive rehabilitation project, will reopen as a new, fully modernized common gathering place in May. Opening events TBD.
The Seersucker tour
Together with his faithful autumn cousin, Tweed Ride, Seersucker Ride is hosted by Dandies and Quaintrelles, a social group in DC. The ride, which was launched in 2010, – free and open to the public – takes participants on a flat, five-kilometer walk around the city with several, heavy photo-up stops around the district. Details and dates TBA.
America’s Leading Open Water Swimming Challenges and is Known for its “Cuisinart Start.” While the lottery for this annual swim under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens in January, the swim is in June; those who want to participate in the 4.4 mile swim must qualify.
The 97th Chincoteague Pony Swim, made famous by Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague, draws tens of thousands of spectators from all over the world. Gather on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, to watch the wild ponies swim back to Assateague, an island shared by both Virginia and Maryland. The wild ponies are believed to be descendants of the survivors of a Spanish galleon that sank off the coast of Assateague. The event starts during a “slack tide” when the Chincoteague’s “Saltwater Cowboys” flock the wild ponies across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague Island. After the swim, the ponies “parade” to the carnival square, where the foals are auctioned. Two days later, the adult ponies swim back to their home in the wild on Assateague Island. July 27th
Launched more than a decade ago (and canceled for the past two years), the two-night festival will hopefully return this year with art installations and performances throughout the city, including quiet disco parties and drive-through art galleries. The recent IRL event drew more than 30,000 people to Shaw alone. September 24 & 25
The “largest festival in the country for colored youth”, the Broccoli City Festival is usually scheduled for the first Saturday in October. The home-grown one-day festival is expected to return to RFK Stadium in 2022. Past artists drawing around 35,000 people have included Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu and Anderson Paak. Dates and lineup TBD.
Chesapeake Bay’s annual US Oyster Festival includes the 56th annual US National Oyster Shucking Contest, the 434th Annual National Oyster Cooking Contest, as well as live music and other events. Held the third weekend in October in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Oct 22 & 23
The race, which is always held the Tuesday before Halloween, draws hundreds of costumed drag queens in extravagant attire running down 17th Street, NW. Oct 25
This iconic DC race draws Inside the Beltway red carpet as well as the Hollywood set. Oct 30
Snallygaster is “the district’s most expensive beer festival”, no one wore. A “shaking greeting to craft beer,” this year’s event will be the 10th annual. Ticket customers can get unlimited beer, wine and cocktail tastings along Pennsylvania Ave NW from more than 200 breweries worldwide. Date TBD.
The popular festival closes four blocks off Pennsylvania Ave. down every year
Kimberly Kong
Each year, the Kennedy Center selects five honorary recipients to receive the Center’s lifelong artistic achievement award for their “deep artistic influence”; the annual “Honors Gala” is a highlight of Washington’s cultural calendar. Date TBD.
Christmas tree lighting galore
Every December, the spruce tree from the White House, which stands all year round at Ellipsen, is decorated for Christmas and lit during an event rich in pomp and circumstance. Also called “the national Christmas tree”, the tradition began more than 90 years ago. When lit, the walkway around the tree, called the “Pathway of Peace,” has 58 trees decorated by students from all 50 states, DC and territories. The trees are open to the public from the beginning of December until New Year’s Day. In the meantime, consider the People’s Tree: Each year, with the help of the National Forest Service, the Capitol architect selects a tree to serve as the “People’s Tree” in front of the US Capitol Building. The tree travels from its home state on a whistle-stopping trip to DC before being planted, decorated and lit during a ceremony hosted by the president of the house. The ceremony as well as the tree is free and open to the public.
This article was featured in InsideHook DC newsletter. Sign up now for more from Beltway.
Post a Comment