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Federal museums and attractions are reopening just as the holiday calendar shifts into high gear, giving Northern Virginia and Washington-area residents an unusually broad mix of things to do from Nov. 21 through Thanksgiving week.

The lineup includes ZooLights, concerts, theater, film screenings, art exhibitions, community gatherings, seasonal crafts, ice skating and a Washington Spirit championship watch party.

Falls Church gatherings and workshops

Welcoming Falls Church will hold a Community Thanksgiving dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in the Meridian High School cafeteria. Dinner will be provided, while guests may contribute dishes from around the world. Families are welcome, and children’s activities are planned. Attendance requires an RSVP.

Cherry Hill Farmhouse, 312 Park Ave., will host a Moravian Stars Workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Gretchen Wilmouth, assisted by Maureen Budetti, will teach participants how to fold the multipointed holiday decorations. Materials are included, and guests will leave with several finished stars. Registration costs $10, with free admission for Friends of Cherry Hill members.

The National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase runs Nov. 21-28 in recognition of Native American Heritage Month. This year’s selection of Indigenous short films can be streamed free.

Live music

Little City Concerts will present a Trans Day of Remembrance program at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at The Falls Church Episcopal, 166 E. Broad St. Pianist Mary Voutsas will perform music by trans/Andina composer inti figgis-vizueta, Franz Liszt and Gabriel Fauré.

The concert, dedicated to Sam Nordquist and others killed by anti-transgender violence, also features percussionist Nik Francis, clarinetist and drag performer Kirby the Drag Queen, and painter Zhenya Parish, who will create an oil painting during the performance. Half of ticket sales will benefit Safe Space NoVA. General admission is $25, while students and young people may attend free. A reception sponsored by Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant will follow.

The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., brings back Salsa Night on Friday, Nov. 21. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., a beginner-friendly lesson starts at 8:15, and live music begins at 9. Two dance floors and a food-and-drink menu will be available. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 on the day of the show.

Celtic Underground returns to Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, 130 N. Washington St., on Saturday, Nov. 22, for Irish folk and Americana music. The performance is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Halley Shoenberg’s New Orleans Jazz group performs from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd. in Fairfax. The program includes New Orleans jazz and swing associated with Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Benny Goodman, along with Shoenberg’s “Melting Pot Gumbo.”

At the Library of Congress, violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte leads Les Arts Florissants in a Friday-night program marking the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” The free, ticketed concert begins at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Coolidge Auditorium, preceded by an artist conversation at 6:30 p.m. The program pairs Vivaldi with music by Monteverdi, Uccellini and Geminiani.

Pianist Beatrice Berrut performs at the same venue from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, following a 12:30 p.m. conversation. Her free, ticketed program includes works by Liszt and piano transcriptions of music by Saint-Saëns, Mahler and Dukas.

Wolf Trap celebrates the 100th birthday of Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier with C.J. Chenier, John “Papa” Gros and the Red Hot Louisiana Band. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, at The Barns, 1635 Trap Road in Vienna. Tickets start at $70.50 including fees.

Virginia Opera presents Rossini’s “Cinderella,” or “La Cenerentola,” at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. The family-friendly opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles and runs about two hours and 40 minutes. Sunday’s performance will be audio-described and followed by a meet-and-greet with Cinderella and the Prince. Tickets are $45 to $116, with half-price admission for students through Grade 12.

Pianist Alessio Bax, clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and cellist Kian Soltani perform from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at The Phillips Collection. Their program includes Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major, selections from Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words,” Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A minor and a cello-and-piano work to be announced.

Dance and theater

The 21st Fuego Flamenco Festival concludes at GALA Hispanic Theatre with the world premiere of Irene Lozano’s “Las Mujeres que Habitan en Mí.” Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22. Lozano is joined by singers José Cortés and José Díaz “Cachito,” guitarist José Manuel Alconchel and percussionist Diego “El Negro” Álvarez. Individual tickets range from $25 to $50, with discounts available for some guests and groups.

Meridian High School students stage “Rock of Ages” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, at 121 Mustang Alley. The production runs about two hours with an intermission. General admission is $15, and student tickets are $5 cash at the door.

Creative Cauldron’s “Peter Pan and Wendy” enters its final weekend at 127 E. Broad St., with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Adult tickets cost $20, student tickets are $18, and a four-ticket family package is $65 with the promotional code 4PK.

Nova Nightsky Theatre is presenting “Sylvia,” a comedy about a stray dog who disrupts a marriage, at Falls Church Presbyterian Church’s Memorial Hall, 225 E. Broad St. The run continues through Feb. 6.

George Mason University’s School of Theater stages Moss Hart’s “Light Up the Sky” through Sunday, Nov. 23, at TheaterSpace on the Fairfax campus. The comedy follows the turmoil surrounding the apparent opening-night failure of a new play. Tickets are $24 for the public and $14 for seniors and students. A talkback follows the Nov. 21 performance.

Ford’s Theatre has opened its annual music-filled production of “A Christmas Carol,” with Craig Wallace returning as Ebenezer Scrooge. The show runs through Dec. 31, lasts about two hours and is recommended for ages 5 and older. A sensory-friendly performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 23, with audio-described and ASL-interpreted performances on Dec. 4 and Dec. 13.

Signature Theatre’s in-the-round production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” directed by Joe Calarco, continues in Arlington through Jan. 26. The musical runs approximately two hours and 50 minutes and is recommended for ages 13 and older. It includes flashing lights, loud sounds, theatrical haze and a depiction of antisemitic violence.

“Hadestown” closes its National Theatre engagement Sunday, Nov. 23. Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin’s Tony-winning musical intertwines the stories of Orpheus and Eurydice with Hades and Persephone.

Estonian clown Julia Masli returns to Woolly Mammoth with “ho ho ho ha ha ha ha,” an unscripted holiday variation on her earlier show. The production runs through Dec. 21. An open-captioned performance is set for Nov. 23, with additional mask-required, audio-described, ASL-interpreted and childcare performances scheduled later in the run.

Mosaic Theater’s “A Case for the Existence of God,” written by Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Danilo Gambini, continues through Dec. 7. Set in a small Idaho office, the play follows two men navigating a mortgage and the emotional challenges of fatherhood.

NextStop Theatre’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years” closes Nov. 23 in Herndon. The musical traces the rise and fall of Jamie and Cathy’s relationship through opposing timelines.

Synetic Theater’s reimagining of “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” also closes Nov. 23 in Arlington. Paata Tsikurishvili’s production places the story in a storm-ravaged world at the end of humanity. The estimated runtime is 95 minutes, and tickets range from $35 to $65.

Theater J concludes Amy Herzog’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” on Nov. 23. The drama centers on a doctor who discovers a threat to his town and encounters attempts by powerful figures, including his brother, to silence him. The production runs two hours and 45 minutes and contains strobe lighting, haze, loud noises, simulated violence and herbal cigarettes or water-based e-cigarettes.

“Lizzie the Musical” continues at The Keegan Theatre through Nov. 30. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer J. Hopkins, the punk-rock show reimagines the Lizzie Borden murder story with an all-female score.

Nova Y. Payton stars in Olney Theatre Center’s “Hello, Dolly!” through Jan. 4. The PG-rated musical offers tickets from $42 to $133, including service fees.

Arena Stage has extended Reggie D. White’s “Fremont Ave.” through Dec. 7. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown, the dramatic comedy follows three generations of Black men confronting love, identity, resentment and family silence over games of Spades. The show runs about two hours and 25 minutes and contains mature language and sexually suggestive material.

Film screenings

The National Gallery of Art screens Doug Harris’ rarely seen 1982 film “Speaking in Tongues” from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. Featuring David Murray, Milford Graves and Amiri Baraka, the film pays tribute to free-jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler. It accompanies the exhibition “Photography and the Black Arts Movement: 1955-1985.”

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, the gallery presents Tracey Moffatt’s 1993 feature “BeDevil.” The 90-minute trilogy draws on ghost stories from Moffatt’s Aboriginal and Irish Australian family and accompanies “The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art.”

New and continuing art exhibitions

Falls Church Arts opens “Kinship,” an all-media exhibition exploring bonds among families, cultures and communities. A meet-the-artists reception runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at 700-B W. Broad St. The juried exhibition continues through Jan. 4.

“Becoming the Unaine,” by photographer Liz Louise Johnson and linguist Tereua Miracle Oliphant Kaintoka, closes Nov. 22 at Mason Exhibitions Arlington. The project uses 16 women to trace the arc of womanhood in Kiribati, where “unaine” describes a respected older woman of wisdom. It also documents a culture facing profound risks from climate change.

Brooklyn artist Zaq Landsberg concludes his residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington on Nov. 23. A free, family-friendly wearable-sculpture workshop is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 22.

“Colorburst,” curated by The Rogue Art Project, remains at Fairfax’s Sherwood Center through Dec. 19. The exhibition brings together work in multiple styles and media unified by bold color. EnChroma eyewear is available.

At George Mason University’s Founders Gallery in Arlington, “Material Acts of Resistance: Michèle Colburn” continues through Feb. 6. Colburn uses gunpowder, wire, thread and burned paper to turn materials associated with conflict into reflections on endurance and dissent.

The Phillips Collection’s “Out of Many: Reframing an American Art Collection” runs through Feb. 15. Timed to the United States’ 250th anniversary, the exhibition combines works from the Phillips’ holdings with loans from Howard University Gallery of Art, the David C. Driskell Center and other institutions.

“Hiromi Isobe: Can I See?” remains at MoCA Arlington through Nov. 30. Isobe uses painting, fiber, mixed media and sculpture to explore unseen systems, emotional states and connections between individuals and the cosmos.

McLean Project for the Arts presents a retrospective of photojournalist Bernard “Bernie” Boston through Feb. 24, 2026. Boston, a longtime McLean resident and the first Black member of the White House press corps, photographed presidents from Harry Truman through Bill Clinton. The exhibition is divided between the McLean Community Center and Historic Pleasant Grove Church.

“Imagining Together: Share Your Memories and Dreams” at The PARC Gallery in Tysons brings together work by artists ages 7 to 17 and adult artists from across the region. The intergenerational exhibition uses painting, drawing and mixed media to explore personal memories and aspirations.

Herndon artist Lisa Green’s “Wild Spaces” continues at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in Falls Church through Jan. 11. The free exhibition includes colorful oil paintings and black-and-white ink washes depicting meadows, mountains and coastlines.

At Phillips@THEARC, “Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters” runs through Feb. 19 with free admission. Freeman’s paintings connect waterways from Bahia to the Anacostia River with the history, survival, faith and joy of the African diaspora.

The Rubell Museum DC is presenting “Material Witness” through fall 2026. Spread across 23 galleries, the exhibition features 30 artists working with unconventional substances including squid ink, Coca-Cola, ostrich eggs, lipstick, animal hides and discarded metal.

Also at the Rubell, “Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift” continues through fall 2026. Four monumental quilted works created during Kincaid’s 2023 Miami residency examine identity, ancestry, community and place.

Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston presents “A Land and 河/River” through Dec. 20. Kimberly M. Becoat’s work examines urban displacement and the destruction of New York’s Seneca Village, while Hong Hong’s paper installation considers water through weather, family immigration, literature and personal history.

The Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center hosts “Founding Frenemies” through Dec. 8. The traveling exhibition explores Alexander Hamilton’s alliances and feuds with Virginians and their influence on American institutions and political discourse. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Tuesdays.

Holiday lights, animals and outdoor activities

ZooLights returns to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo from Nov. 21 through Jan. 3, filling the grounds with glowing animal lanterns, performances, seasonal food and one million energy-efficient LED lights. Hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sundays. General admission is $9 for visitors ages 2 and older, while parking costs $30. Member nights are Dec. 9-11, and an adults-only event is planned for Dec. 17.

Potomac Overlook Regional Park offers an animal-feeding program from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26. Participants can meet and help feed turtles, snakes and birds under a naturalist’s supervision. Registration is required and costs $10 for each participant age 5 or older. Children must attend with an adult.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens holds a Kids Night at its Winter Walk of Lights from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24. Children ages 2 to 12 enter free with a paying guest. The offer cannot be combined with other discounts. The light display continues through Jan. 4.

The Wharf Ice Rink offers a preview from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Southwest Washington residents with proof of a 20024 ZIP code can skate and rent skates for free. Space is first-come, first-served, with approximately 50-minute sessions starting each hour. Skaters younger than 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The rink officially opens Nov. 26 and will operate Wednesdays through Sundays into February.

Championship soccer and holiday shopping

Solace Outpost, 444 W. Broad St., will host a watch party as the Washington Spirit face Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship in San Jose. The match begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, and will play throughout the brewery, with sound available in the game room.

Glen Echo Park’s Holiday Art Show & Sale continues through Jan. 4 with glass, ceramics, photography, paintings, jewelry, ornaments and other work by resident artists, instructors and guests. Admission is free. The Popcorn and Stone Tower galleries are open noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and noon to 6 p.m. weekends. The Park View Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, although holiday schedules may vary.