Guide to Christmas in Georgetown: Events, Lights, and Music

Georgetown will be aglow this holiday season with an innovative exhibition of light-art installations and lighting of major structures. The neighborhood-wide public art exhibition will take place from December 1, 2018, to January 6, 2019, and feature the work of local, regional, and international light artists in public and privately-owned spaces.

The site-specific works will use light in unique ways, transforming spaces along M Street, the Book Hill section on the 1600 block of Wisconsin Avenue, Washington Harbour, and in office building plazas south of M Street. Georgetown GLOW exhibition programs, maps and information booths will be available at Grace Church (1041 Wisconsin Avenue), Jefferson Court (1025 Thomas Jefferson Street at K Street), and Pinstripes (1064 Wisconsin Avenue) Friday through Sunday, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Artists represented in Georgetown GLOW 2017 included Jen Lewin (New York City); Joachim Sługocki and Katarzyna Malejka (Poland); Géraud Périole in collaboration with Light Art Collection and Amsterdam Light Festival (Bordeaux, France); Vikas Patil & Santosh Gujar in collaboration with Light Art Collection and Amsterdam Light Festival (India); Ted Bazydlo & Brandon Newcomer (Washington, DC); alaa minawi in collaboration with Light Art Collection and Amsterdam Light Festival (Beirut, Lebanon); Robin Bell (Washington, DC); OmbréLumen - Arthur Gallice & Herve Orgeas (Shanghai & Houston); and LSM Architects (Washington, DC). Additionally, Philips Color Kinetics up-lit the smokestack at The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, as well as the C&O Canal bridge at Georgetown Park.

As part of the annual GLOW festivities, the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) hosts a night of shopping, dining, and entertainment called GLOW All Night.

On Thursday, December 13, 2018, you can head to this historic neighborhood from 5 to 9 p.m. to browse over 60 retailers and small businesses that will be open late and offering pop-up events, promotions, and free giveaways. During the event, indie holiday musicians will also be performing holiday favorites with a hipster twist at the Old Georgetown Theater and the Dean & DeLuca Plaza (3276 M Street).

Every Saturday in December until Christmas, the National Harbor in Washington, D.C. host a series of holiday movie screenings and music events for families.

Movie afternoons in 2018 include "'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy" (December 1),; "A Pink Panther Christmas" (December 8); "Jack Frost" (December 15); and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (December 22). Screenings start between 4:30 and 5 p.m. each Saturday and take place at the National Harbor Plaza. 

In addition, you can take the whole family to enjoy an afternoon of music and holiday cheer for “Live Music & Santa, Oh My!” Featuring a lunch buffet, visit with Santa Claus, and sing-alongs to popular holiday tracks (including from Disney's "Frozen"), this all-ages event is $22 to attend and takes place at noon and 4 p.m. on December 15 and 22, 2018.

DC Bike Party, an organizing promoting the bicycling community of the city, will host a "GLOW Ride Your Bike" party during the month-long event (date to be announced). The free ride begins at Dupont Circle at 6:30 p.m., ending in Georgetown, with the route covering many of the GLOW installations. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bicycles with glow-in-the-dark paint, LED lights, and other illuminated art for the event.

The Book Hill section of Georgetown is hosting a Winter Wonderland from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 15, 2018, in the TD Bank lot (1611 Wisconsin Avenue) with festive music, food, and drinks—including hot chocolate, cookies, and mocktails—plus kids’ activities, a Letters to Santa station, ugly sweater competition, and photos with Santa (beginning at noon).