🌸 Your Weekend: NWSL Championship + 3 Holiday Markets Open

Good morning, DC. Six days until Thanksgiving, somehow. One minute you're planning to get ahead of everything, the next you're googling 'how late can I order a pie' and hoping for the best.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The Washington Spirit meet Gotham FC tomorrow night at 8 PM ET in the NWSL Championship, marking the 44th meeting between these rivals—more than any other two teams in league history. The Spirit (12-8-6, No. 2 seed) demolished Portland 2-0 at a sold-out Audi Field in the semifinals with goals from Gift Monday and Croix Bethune, earning a shot at redemption after losing the 2024 championship to Orlando Pride. Gotham (9-9-8, No. 8 seed) shocked both defending champion Orlando and top-seeded Kansas City Current to reach Saturday's final at PayPal Park in San Jose. This is DC's fourth championship appearance and second consecutive finals trip. The match airs on CBS, and if you're not already planning your watch party, you're missing DC's best shot at a trophy this year.

The holiday season officially begins this weekend with three free events across the DMV. ZooLights opens today at the Smithsonian's National Zoo with LED displays and glowing animal lanterns running through January 3—timed passes required, $6 admission. The DowntownDC Holiday Market launches today on F Street NW (between 7th and 9th) through December 23, featuring local vendors and seasonal goods with no admission fee. The Umbrella Art Fair takes over The Square food hall today through Sunday, November 23, showcasing independent artists and entrepreneurs with work you can actually buy instead of scrolling past on Instagram. All three offer alternatives to sitting on your couch pretending it's not already dark at 5 PM.

DC's protest art tradition runs from 1894's Coxey's Army through today's go-go activists and street muralists, with local artists like Justin "Yaddiya" Johnson of Long Live GoGo, muralist Shani Shih ("We Are Chinatown"), and Keyonna Jones (who painted the 2020 Black Lives Matter street mural) keeping creative resistance alive in the nation's capital. The DC Activist Street Band fields 40 musicians including retired DOJ and military members who show up at demonstrations with brass instruments instead of signs. Being the nation's capital creates a unique environment where creative expression and activism collide on a regular basis—murals appear overnight, go-go music blares from trucks at protests, and art becomes infrastructure for movements. The story profiles how DC residents channel political energy into community art that outlasts any single protest march.

Refer the most new subscribers this month and score a $200 gift card to DC's most iconic French bistro—your referral link is below. We’ll count all verified, unique signups from now through November 30.

The Colada Shop's holiday bar returns today through January 1, turning the Clarendon Cuban cafe into a tropical winter escape with cocktails that make zero meteorological sense and total drinking sense. The menu features Candy Cane Coladas, churro Manhattans, MoHoHojitos, and warm rum cider—basically what would happen if Santa retired to Havana. This is the pop-up's returning year, which means they've figured out how to make palm trees and Christmas lights coexist without irony. While a dozen other holiday bars across DC went full tinsel-and-twinkle-lights, Colada Shop bet on the "escape winter entirely" approach. Opens today at the Clarendon location, and if you've spent the week dreading another traditional Christmas party, here's your exit strategy.

Ordering deadlines are closing for Thanksgiving pies from DC-area bakeries, with options that make grocery store pumpkin pie look like a punishment. Yellow in Mount Pleasant offers apple pie with tahini caramel, Bread Furst in Van Ness specializes in bourbon-pecan, Bayou Bakery in Arlington features bacon-cayenne pecan, and Centrolina in CityCenterDC has dirty chai tiramisu—which technically isn't pie but counts as Thanksgiving dessert by any reasonable standard. Other spots include Lupo Verde's Italian-American ricotta pie, Buttercream Bakeshop's salted caramel apple pie, and Dolcezza's gelato pies for anyone who wants to watch their relatives argue about whether frozen dessert belongs at Thanksgiving. Most bakeries require orders by this weekend, with some already cutting off new requests. Skip the store-bought sadness and support local bakers who actually know what flavor means.

Live-K opens tomorrow (November 22) at National Harbor with 24 private karaoke rooms across 12,000 square feet, featuring new food and beverage programming from Chris Zhu of Han Palace and Omakase. Taqueria Xochi opened its first full-service DC location in Navy Yard on November 14, bringing Oaxacan tlayudas, cemitas, and quesabirria tacos with a full bar—twice the size of its Crystal City spot. Sook replaced Compass Rose in Shaw on November 14 as an all-day Lebanese cafe with za'atar toast, pistachio buns, and fig leaf lattes. Gigi's opened November 3 in Foggy Bottom's Western Market with build-your-own fresh pasta bowls and free focaccia, because apparently someone finally realized people enjoy both customization and free bread.

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

The Square | Umbrella Art Fair | Three-day showcase of independent artists and entrepreneurs with work you can actually buy | Opening day

F Street NW | DowntownDC Holiday Market | 21st year of open-air market with local vendors, food trucks, and festive lights through December 23 | 12 PM

National Zoo | ZooLights | LED displays of giant pandas, sea creatures, and land animals with live music and hot cocoa | Evening hours

The National Theatre | Hadestown | Eight-time Tony winner blends Orpheus myth with New Orleans jazz | 7:30 PM

Ford's Theatre | A Christmas Carol | Craig Wallace returns as Scrooge for opening weekend of Victorian musical tradition | Multiple showtimes

Tysons | Winter Lantern Festival | Hundreds of Chinese lanterns with live acrobatics in opening weekend | Evening hours

Get your name in front of thousands of DMV area locals 3x/week.

Friday

58 🌡 44 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 2 mph

Saturday

54 🌡 39 | 🌧️ 25% | 💨 7 mph

Sunday

57 🌡 39 | 🌧️ 5% | 💨 6 mph

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9:30 Club | Silvana Estrada with Bedouine | 6 PM

The Fillmore Silver Spring | Atreyu with Unearth and Zero 9:36 | 7 PM

Black Cat | Band Of Skulls | 8 PM

The Hamilton Live | The New Mastersounds | 8 PM

Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts | Keb' Mo' | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Sir Chloe with Telescreens | 8 PM

EagleBank Arena | El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico with Grupo Niche | 8 PM

The Atlantis | Zulan | 8 PM

9:30 Club | Wednesday with Daffo | 10 PM

Echostage | ARMNHMR with Trivecta | 10 PM

9:30 Club | Lovejoy | 6 PM

The Anthem | Allen Stone with Ripe | 7 PM

The Atlantis | Virginia Coalition | 7:30 PM

Weinberg Center for the Arts | A Motown Christmas | 8 PM

Echostage | Big Gigantic with Gramatik | 10 PM

Soundcheck | DJ Heartstring | 10 PM

9:30 Club | Wedensday with Daffo | 10 PM

EagleBank Arena | Alabama with Lorrie Morgan | 6 PM

The Birchmere | Vienna Teng | 7:30 PM

The Fillmore Silver Spring | Avatar with Alien Weaponry and SpiritWorld | 7:30 PM

Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts | Natalie Merchant | 7:30 PM

Navy sits at 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the American Conference after beating South Florida 41-38 on November 15, putting the Midshipmen in first place in the conference standings. The offense is averaging 32.9 points per game behind quarterback Blake Horvath (1,290 passing yards, 8 TDs) and a ground game that's racked up 3,082 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns this season. Navy's already secured bowl eligibility and sits in position for a strong postseason with two regular season games remaining. Meanwhile, Maryland (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) hosts No. 18 Michigan tomorrow at 4 PM ET on Military Appreciation Day, trying to snap a six-game losing streak that's ended any bowl hopes.

Till next time,