🌸 Your NYE Plans Are Still TBD, Aren't They

Good morning, DC. This is our last edition of the year. We'll be back in January, presumably with resolutions we'll abandon by the 15th. Until then: nearly 100 restaurants closed in 2025 (a record), your NYE options are finally sorted, and the Holiday Market wraps up tomorrow. Three days to Christmas. Let's get you through it.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The numbers are in, and they're brutal: nearly 100 DC bars and restaurants will close in 2025, according to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington—surpassing last year's record and marking the third straight year of increases.

The middle is getting hollowed out. Mid-priced spots ($21-40 per person) account for two-thirds of closures—over 60 businesses including Haikan, Brookland's Finest, Beuchert's Saloon, Sticky Rice, Logan Tavern, Tail Up Goat, Reverie, and the Passenger. Fine dining weathered the storm better ("People don't care about the cost of branzino, they're spending," says RAMW's Shawn Townsend), but only 47% of new openings were mid-priced, down from 67% in 2022.

The causes are a perfect storm unique to DC: immigration enforcement (83% of RAMW members cited ICE fears), federal layoffs, the record government shutdown, Initiative 82's tipped wage hike, and empty offices downtown. "I worry it'll be nothing but chains and counter service," says Tony Tomelden, who closed Brookland's Finest in April. Some spots are adapting—Rose Previte transformed Compass Rose into Sook, a counter-service wine bar with simpler operations. Others, like restaurateur Alan Popovsky, are leaving DC entirely for Virginia.

If you don't have New Year's Eve plans yet, Washingtonian just gave you a comprehensive excuse to stop procrastinating. The highlights, organized by what you're looking for:

For the concert experience: The Flaming Lips headline The Anthem ($90+) with local opener Bartees Strange—psychedelic rock, confetti cannons, and enough sensory overload to forget 2025 entirely.

For dancing until your Apple Watch judges you: Flash is hosting Brand New Day VIII, a 30+ hour marathon dance party running December 31 through January 2 with 24 DJs ($45+ for various passes).

For jazz without pretension: The Cookers perform two shows at Kennedy Center—7 PM and 9 PM, $90+.

For the family: Noon Yards Eve at Navy Yard features a balloon drop, train rides, and a magic show—free with registration, and the kids are in bed by actual midnight.

For the splurge: Moonraker at the Pendry Hotel hosts Shinnenkai Soiree with hand-rolled sushi and a midnight champagne toast ($195).

Nine days to figure it out. Time to stop saying "we should figure out New Year's" and actually commit.

Resy's year-end lists carry weight—restaurants that make the cut see their reservation books fill for months. Their annual Best of the Hit List for DC just dropped, and it's a snapshot of where the city's dining scene shines heading into 2026.

Topping the list: Maison, the Adams Morgan wine bar in a restored Victorian brownstone from the team behind Lutèce and Lapis. Chef Matt Conroy (James Beard semifinalist) serves extravagant French dishes—brioche chicken stuffed with green garlic and Parmesan, crispy eel croquettes, escargots in puff pastry.

The full top ten celebrates DC's global range: Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi (West African diaspora), Kayu's Filipino comeback in Dupont, Nancy Silverton's Osteria Mozza in Georgetown, Tapori's Indian street food on H Street, and La Tejana's breakfast tacos in Mount Pleasant. Tail Up Goat earned a bittersweet spot—the Adams Morgan institution closes at month's end after a decade-long run. Sook (the transformed Compass Rose) and I Egg You (Capitol Hill's Korean-American diner from the Anju team) round out the list, along with Fish Shop at The Wharf for Chesapeake seafood. Something for the date night rotation, something for the Sunday brunch debate.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest ever—48 teams, 104 matches, co-hosted across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Eleven American cities will host games. Washington, DC, the nation's capital, is not one of them.

It's only the third World Cup in history where the capital of a host nation won't have any matches. Here's how it happened: DC initially bid with FedEx Field, but a FIFA site visit reportedly gave the aging stadium such low marks that organizers pivoted to a joint bid with Baltimore, proposing M&T Bank Stadium for matches while DC would host fan zones and events. FIFA rejected that too.

"D.C. is the number one ranked television market for English Premier League Soccer," EventsDC's Max Brown said at the time. "So I don't know what the hell FIFA was looking at."

The irony cuts deeper: RFK Stadium—now demolished—hosted matches during the 1994 World Cup. The Commanders' stadium drama and ownership questions didn't help matters. So when the world's biggest soccer event arrives next June, DC locals will be making the 2.5-hour Amtrak trip to Philadelphia.

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

DowntownDC | Holiday Market | Last two days for 115+ local vendors on F Street—Tuesday is the final day, so procrastinators beware | 12 – 8 PM (Mon & Tue)

U.S. Botanic Garden | Season's Greenings | Plant-based dinosaur sculptures and model trains (family-friendly, free) | 10 AM – 5 PM

Kennedy Center | Messiah Sing-Along | 50+ year DC tradition—bring your best "Hallelujah" and join thousands in Handel's masterpiece (free, reservations available) | 6 PM

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

Monday

44 🌡 27 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 6 mph

Tuesday

52 🌡 38 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 8 mph

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9:30 Club | Thievery Corporation with City of the Sun | 7 PM

The Birchmere | The Capitol Bones | 7:30 PM

The Commanders hung tough for a half before falling 29-18 to the Eagles on Saturday, handing Philadelphia the NFC East title—the first repeat division winner in 20 years. Marcus Mariota injured his hand in the third quarter, forcing Josh Johnson into action and effectively ending any offensive momentum. Saquon Barkley gashed the defense for 132 yards and a touchdown. At 4-11, the focus now is development—and the Christmas Day game against Dallas, which at least means you'll have something to do during the awkward family silence after dinner.

The Caps bounced back with a 5-2 win over Detroit on Saturday after consecutive losses, and host Toronto at Capital One Arena tonight at 7 PM. The Wizards pulled off a surprising 130-122 road win in Memphis on Saturday behind CJ McCollum and Kyshawn George—evidence that even tanking teams occasionally win.

Till next time,