Key Takeaways
- Sunday, November 8: the National Veterans Parade marches along Constitution Avenue NW from the National Archives toward the White House, noon to 3 pm, with the NVP 5K starting at 8 am at Constitution and 6th Street NW. Free to watch.
- Saturday, November 7: the Capitals host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena at 12:30 pm, DC Beer Fest pours 80+ craft breweries at Nationals Park in the Navy Yard neighborhood, and Adams Morgan's free Fall PorchFest fills 18th Street NW with about 100 musicians.
- Friday, November 6: Punch Brothers play the Warner Theatre, Geese play The Anthem, and Hamilton Leithauser with Rostam play the 9:30 Club in the Shaw neighborhood of DC.
- Sunday, November 8: the Commanders host the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland at 1 pm, with watch parties gathering at venues like Hard Rock Cafe DC in Penn Quarter.
- Holiday lights arrive early: National Harbor lights its 60-foot tree Saturday night and nightly through December 31, and the Czech Christmas Market at the Embassy of the Czech Republic runs Saturday 9 am to 6 pm, free with registration.
Looking for things to do this weekend in the DMV? The National Veterans Parade returns to Constitution Avenue on Sunday, DC Beer Fest fills Nationals Park on Saturday, and the Capitals host the Florida Panthers the same afternoon. Here is the day-by-day guide to November 6 through 8.
Friday, November 6
Friday night belongs to live music. Punch Brothers play the Warner Theatre at 513 13th Street NW in downtown DC, Geese headline The Anthem at 901 Wharf Street SW on the Southwest Waterfront, and Hamilton Leithauser brings his collaboration with Rostam to the 9:30 Club at 815 V Street NW in the Shaw neighborhood. Ethan Regan plays The Atlantis on 9th Street NW, and Nico Moreno closes the night at Echostage in Northeast DC. Show times are on the 9:30 Club's event calendar and The Anthem's event list.
For comedy, Leah Rudick performs at The Comedy Loft in Arlington, and Jon Lovett's Lovett or Leave It live show lands in DC on Friday night. The full roundup of the night's listings is on Washington.org's weekend guide.
Saturday, November 7
The sports day starts early: the Washington Capitals host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena at 601 F Street NW at 12:30 pm. Tickets and seat maps are on the Capitals home schedule on Ticketmaster. A short ride down the Green Line, DC Beer Fest pours more than 80 craft breweries at Nationals Park in the Navy Yard neighborhood at 1500 South Capitol Street SE, with food trucks and live music in two sessions, noon to 3 pm and 5 to 8 pm. Ticket details are on Washington.org's events calendar.
For a free Saturday, Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest spreads about 100 musicians across porches, patios, parks, and a closed 18th Street NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood from mid-afternoon into the evening. The Czech Christmas Market opens at the Embassy of the Czech Republic at 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW from 9 am to 6 pm, free with registration, with handcrafted ornaments, glassware, garnets, and holiday gifts.
Holiday lights arrive early this year. National Harbor on the Potomac waterfront in Oxon Hill, Maryland lights its 60-foot tree on Saturday night; the free light show runs nightly through December 31. Farmers market regulars can stock up at FRESHFARM's Columbia Heights market at 14th and Park Road NW or the Mount Vernon Triangle market, both open Saturdays 9 am to 1 pm. The full market list is on the FRESHFARM site.
Sunday, November 8
The headliner is the National Veterans Parade, which marches along Constitution Avenue NW from the National Archives toward the White House from noon to 3 pm, with the NVP 5K starting at 8 am at Constitution and 6th Street NW. The parade is free to watch, and the official National Veterans Parade site has the route, the lineup, and road closure notices. After the crowds, Congressional Cemetery at 1801 E Street SE hosts a free tree walk on Sunday afternoon; Claude's Capitol Hill neighborhood guide maps the blocks from Eastern Market to the cemetery if the day turns into a house-hunting stroll.
In Virginia, the city of Alexandria hosts a free e-bike basics session at Jones Point Park on Sunday, a relaxed way to learn the trails at the foot of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge; the Alexandria neighborhood guide covers the areas around it. And get this on the calendar early: the DowntownDC Holiday Market opens Friday, November 13, so this weekend is the calm before the season kicks into high gear.
Football closes the weekend: the Commanders host the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland at 1 pm. Tickets and gameday info are on the Commanders schedule page, or join a watch party at venues like Hard Rock Cafe DC at 999 E Street NW in Penn Quarter from 1 to 4 pm. Early risers can shop FRESHFARM's Dupont Circle Farmers Market, open 8:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
Between the parade, the beer, and the football, it is a full weekend across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. If you are coming to town to look at homes, check the market before you book anything: Claude's Monday Market Minute for November 2 breaks down sales, inventory, and rates this week, and the county-by-county breakdown of the DMV market shows how DC, Montgomery, and Fairfax compare. Last week's weekend guide covered Halloween across the region, so you can see how the calendar turns from October to November.
