🌸 First look at the Commanders stadium. 8-14 inches hits Saturday

Good morning, DC. The NWS just upgraded the winter storm risk to "extreme" for Maryland and Virginia, and if that sounds dramatic, so is the forecast: 8-14 inches starting Saturday night. Your weekend planning window is Friday and early Saturday. After that, you're snowed in. We've got everything you need to make the most of the time you have, including some indoor options for when the city shuts down.

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In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

If you haven't checked the forecast yet, brace yourself: a major winter storm is bearing down on the region, and it's shaping up to be the biggest snowfall DC has seen in years.

The timing: first flakes likely between 8 PM and midnight Saturday. Heavy snow continues through Sunday, tapering late Sunday night into early Monday. DC proper is looking at 8-14 inches, with areas west of I-95 potentially seeing 12-18 inches. Temperatures will hover in the teens and 20s with single-digit wind chills. Cold enough that the snow will be light, fluffy, and sticking immediately.

Expect treacherous conditions Sunday and Monday, school closures Monday (possibly extending into Tuesday or Wednesday), and the usual rush on bread, milk, and toilet paper at every Safeway in the city. Governor Moore declared a state of preparedness Wednesday, urging residents to avoid travel if possible.

The one uncertainty: the European model suggests sleet could mix in Sunday afternoon, which would reduce totals in DC and areas south and east. But even the conservative estimates put this at 8+ inches. Plan accordingly.

Why it matters: If you have weekend plans, Friday and early Saturday are your window. Anything scheduled for Sunday should be considered tentative at best.

The Washington Commanders and architecture firm HKS unveiled the first conceptual renderings of their new stadium this week, and the design is ambitious: a 70,000-seat domed facility on the historic RFK Stadium site, built in neoclassical style with a colonnade perimeter and a translucent roof that allows natural sunlight.

The stadium sits on DC's monumental axis, in a straight line with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and U.S. Capitol. The sculpted dome rises to welcome visitors from the north and south while maintaining a lower profile along the east-west axis, a deliberate nod to the Capitol and monuments. HKS, the firm behind SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, is leading the design. The stadium will be built to LEED Platinum certification and is large enough to host a Super Bowl.

The surrounding development is equally significant: at least 30% of the site dedicated to parks and waterfront recreation, plus 5,000-6,000 new homes (including 1,500-1,900 affordable units), preservation of the Fields at RFK, new youth sports facilities, and hotel and retail space. Groundbreaking is set for fall 2026, with completion scheduled for 2030.

Why it matters: For DC football fans who've spent decades trekking to FedEx Field in Landover, the future is finally visible. A domed stadium on the RFK site, designed by the same firm that built SoFi, is the kind of home-field upgrade that seemed impossible five years ago.

After a half-century partnership, the Washington National Opera is breaking up with the Kennedy Center. The company's new home: Lisner Auditorium at GW, the same venue that hosted the opera for its first performances 70 years ago. A full-circle move, but not the kind anyone was hoping for.

Tickets for the relocated spring season go on sale today (Friday, January 23). The WNO helped open the Kennedy Center in 1971; now they're part of a broader exodus that's seen regional theaters report donation surges as patrons redirect their arts dollars elsewhere. The Kennedy Center shake-up continues.

Why it matters: If you've been defaulting to Kennedy Center for opera because it's "the" venue in DC, that's no longer the default. The arts scene is reshuffling, and Lisner just became a lot more interesting.

Metropolitan Washington Winter Restaurant Week officially runs through Saturday, January 25. But let's be real: with a major snowstorm arriving Saturday night, Friday dinner and Saturday brunch are your actual last chances to participate. Sunday's prix fixe isn't happening if you can't leave your house.

Hundreds of restaurants across DC, Maryland, and Virginia are offering fixed-price menus: brunch/lunch at $25 or $35, dinner at $40, $55, or $65. As we covered Wednesday, 92 DC restaurants closed in 2025, and the trend isn't slowing. Your reservation supports more than just your appetite.

A few notable first-timers worth considering:

Dogon: Chef Kwame Onwuachi's West African restaurant on 14th Street. This is the hardest reservation in DC most nights; Restaurant Week pricing makes it more accessible.

The Dabney: The Michelin-starred Shaw restaurant known for its mid-Atlantic ingredients and open-hearth cooking. Participating for the first time.

Sapodilla: If you liked Isla from Wednesday's edition, here's another Caribbean spot worth knowing. Jerk chicken and oxtail in historic Anacostia, a neighborhood that doesn't get enough credit for its food scene.

Fish Shop: The eye-catching Wharf restaurant, originally from Scotland, offers one of Restaurant Week's better values: two-course brunch and three-course lunch, each $25.

Make your reservation now. Mid-priced spots are exactly what's disappearing from the DC dining landscape.

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Here’s what’s going on around DC this weekend:

Walter E. Washington Convention Center | DC Auto Show Opens | DC's biggest indoor event returns for 10 days with Harley-Davidson and VinFast debuts | 10 AM-10 PM

National Theatre | Banff Mountain Film Festival: MORAINE | Award-winning adventure films, National Geographic tradition for 30 years | 7 PM

Capital One Arena | Monster Jam | Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, and six other trucks compete in racing and freestyle (family-friendly) | 7 PM

National Theatre | Banff Mountain Film Festival | SERAC program at 1 PM, ICEFALL program at 7 PM (get the matinee if you're worried about the storm) | 1 PM & 7 PM

Kennedy Center Family Theater | NSO Music for Young Audiences: Musical Tails | Piano quintet performs Ravel's Mother Goose Suite and Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals (family-friendly) | 1:30 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library | Reading Room Festival: LEAR | The festival we previewed Thursday continues with King Lear reimagined in 1960s San Francisco, directed by Arena Stage's Hana S. Sharif | 8 PM

9:30 Club | Sudan Archives | L.A. violinist-producer blends African rhythms with electronic R&B on her BPM Tour (if the show goes on) | 7 PM

The Wharf Ice Rink | Try Hockey for Free | Caps Youth Hockey hosts free intro for kids ages 5-14 (DC residents/students only, registration required, storm permitting) | Morning

Friday

43 🌡 12 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 17 mph

Saturday

21 🌡 12 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 8 mph

Sunday

26 🌡 19 | 🌧️ 75% | 💨 11 mph

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Howard Theatre | Jessie J (No Secrets Tour) | 8 PM

9:30 Club | The Taylor Party: Taylor Swift Night | 8 PM

The Anthem | Gregory Alan Isakov (Intimate Acoustic Evening) | 8 PM

9:30 Club | No Scrubs: 90s Dance Party (Early Edition) | 6 PM

The Atlantis | OFENBACH: CLONED US | 7:30 PM

Howard Theatre | Boots 'N Beats (Country & EDM Night) | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Benny Benassi | 10 PM

9:30 Club | Sudan Archives (BPM Tour) | 7 PM

Howard Theatre | MAJAH HYPE | 7 PM

The Commanders unveiled stadium renderings that made every DC football fan's heart skip: a 70,000-seat domed palace on the RFK site, Super Bowl-capable, opening in 2030. Meanwhile, in the present: the Caps dropped their fourth straight Wednesday night, falling 4-3 to Vancouver despite two goals from Strome. The bright spot: the Spirit announced their 2026 NWSL schedule, with a championship rematch against Gotham FC on October 17.

Till next time,