Axios D.C. Weekender

December 18, 2025
It's the last weekend events newsletter of the year!
๐ Mimi here, to send y'all off with a bang โ aka one heck of a festive-filled line-up.
Today's newsletter is 639 words โ a 2.5-minute read.
1 big thing: ๐ Feelin' festive โ with a John Mulaney cameo
It's peak festive season here in D.C.
Why it matters: It's your last weekend to take advantage of holiday events before the grinches start pulling down wreaths and packing away ornaments.
State of play: Washingtonians can jam-pack the next few days with a stacked line-up of seasonal shindigs.
๐ Head to Old Town's Shop Made in VA store tonight to craft your own sparkly ornaments and check out the shop's locally made goods. Drinks available for purchase! (Tickets $17)
๐ Feelin' brunch-y? Le Diplomate is hosting its annual family-friendly Mrs. Claus brunch Saturday, where you can write letters to the North Pole, get your face painted and meet the woman of the hour herself. (10am-4pm, reservations encouraged)
๐ It's called the Procrastinator's Holiday Market for a reason: The Saturday festival at Kraken will be stocked with local vendors selling gifts for the, erm, more last-minute shoppers among us. (10am-3pm)
๐ Catch holiday fireworks at Mount Vernon on Saturday and Sunday, plus an artisanal winter market and one-on-one time with Aladdin the Camel. (5:30-8:30pm, prices vary)
๐ On Sunday, bop over to Union Market's La Cosecha for a holiday soap-making class using festive scents โ aka the perfect gift for that impossible-to-shop-for friend. (5pm, $65)
๐ Plus: Check out our only-in-Washington guides for watching holiday movies, Christmas tree peeping, holiday pop-up bars and winter festivals.
More fun stuff to do:
๐ถ Tonight is Caps Canine Night โ watch the Capitals face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs while hanging with adoptable pups and doggie influencers. (Ticket prices vary.)
๐คฃ Emmy-winning comedy celeb John Mulaney will be in town performing stand-up at The Anthem tonight through Sunday. (Ticket prices vary.)
๐ถ It's the last weekend to shimmy in your seat during Step Afrika!'s holiday step show at Arena Stage, running through Dec. 23. (Ticket prices vary.)
๐ Patti Smith will be at the Lincoln Theatre tomorrow evening talking about her new memoir, "Bread of Angels." (Ticket prices vary.)
2. ๐ฟ What to watch this weekend
Here's what's new on Prime Video, Netflix, Tubi, Apple TV, BET+, HBO Max and Hulu.
๐ฎ "Fallout" โ Season 2 available now on Prime Video
State of play: This season follows the journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas.
Stunning stat: Based on the popular video game, the first season has amassed more than 100 million viewers worldwide.
๐ฅ "Emily in Paris" โ Season 5 available now on Netflix
Zoom in: Emily (played by Lily Collins) faces challenges as she adjusts to a new job and relationship in Italy.
What they're saying: "This is one of my favorite seasons of the show," creator Darren Star said in a statement.
- "It's not about Emily's relationship with Gabriel anymore โ that's not the engine of the show. ... I really wanted to give the show a lot of scope this season and expand the footprint of where it can go and what it could be."
๐งโ๐ณ "Mo' Waffles" โ Available Friday on Tubi
The intrigue: Grant Gibbs and Ashley Gill of TikTok comedy duo "A Twink and a Redhead" star in this comedy series about a crew of workers at an Atlanta diner trying to find the diner's missing owner, who's also a hip-hop legend.
Behind the scenes: The show is a Stubios project โ a Tubi initiative that supports fan-fueled projects.
๐คฐ I'm officially 36 weeks pregnant, so I plan to spend my Christmas reclining corpulently on the sofa as people nervously approach me and drop gifts at my feet, like I'm Jabba the Hutt. Happy holidays to me!!!!!
Want more Axios D.C. content? Check out our Instagram for extra stuff to do, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more!
Today's newsletter was edited by Holly Moore and Ashley May.
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