D.C.'s holiday season is starting earlier than ever

Driving the news: The DowntownDC Holiday Market — the city's largest — opens a week earlier, running Nov. 13 through Dec. 23.

• The free, 22-year-old market has supersized its boot-print in recent years, now packing 120 vendors, plus food, drinks and entertainment, across multiple downtown blocks.

Also early: Dupont Circle's newer holiday market gets a head start Nov. 12, with roughly 35 new and returning vendors through Dec. 23.

• Frosted at Franklin Park kicks off a week ahead of schedule (Nov. 13–Jan. 9), while National Theatre's "The Hip Hop Nutcracker" runs in November (17-22) versus December.

Plus: For the first time in more than a decade, CityCenterDC will light its massive 78-foot holiday tree before Thanksgiving.

• The Nov. 14 lighting and concert, which draws thousands, was moved up to coincide with the downtown market and other early festivities.

Zoom out: The "Christmas creep" is real. What was once a post-Thanksgiving sprint is now a weeks-long season, as retailers and attractions stretch the lucrative holiday window — and consumers seem eager to get the holiday party started.

Case in point: Holiday attractions around the DMV are getting bigger, too.

• Enchant returns to Nationals Park Nov. 20-Dec. 27 for the first time since 2023, adding a new "Night of the Nutcrackers" experience to its skating trail, light maze and other festivities.
• And, jingle blingle: NOVA Parks is putting $880,000 toward upgrades to Bull Run's drive-through Festival of Lights. This season brings new camping-themed displays and an expanded "Wizard of Oz" section.

The bottom line: It's hardly Halloween, and D.C. is ready to ring bells — and registers.