The DowntownDC Holiday Market, Washington's signature outdoor holiday market, returns for its 22nd season on Friday, November 13, 2026, running through Wednesday, December 23 on F Street NW between 7th and 9th Streets in Penn Quarter. This year's edition is the longest yet: 40 days of artisan stalls, live music, and warm drinks, free and open to everyone living in our Nations Capital. Here is your trusted friend's guide to the season.
Hero Image Suggestion
A wide 16:9 photograph of the market at dusk: wooden stalls draped in warm string lights along F Street NW, evergreen wreaths and small decorated trees beside artisan awnings, steam rising from a mulled-cider stand, and the colonnaded Old Patent Office Building (home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum) glowing across the street beneath a deep blue early-winter sky.
Holiday Market Snapshot
- Dates
- Friday, November 13 through Wednesday, December 23, 2026 (40 days)
- Location
- F Street NW between 7th and 9th Streets NW, Penn Quarter / Chinatown
- Hours
- Planned hours: Mon-Thu 12-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Admission
- Free and open to the public
- Closed
- Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26
- Vendors
- 100+ local artisans plus food and beverage stands
100+ Artisans, One Festive Street
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District teams up with The Makers Show, a woman-founded market operator, to curate the vendor lineup, and it shows. You'll find handcrafted jewelry, one-of-a-kind ornaments, ceramics, wool scarves, and prints by local artists, all from small and local businesses. Food and beverage stands serve hot chocolate, mulled cider, and fresh-baked treats, while live music fills the main stage most days, with holiday extras like photos with Santa. It is the kind of place where you arrive for one gift and leave with three, a warm cup, and a new December ritual.
How to Get There, and What's Nearby
The market sits directly in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, the landmark Old Patent Office Building at 8th and G Streets NW. Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro on the Red, Yellow, and Green lines is a block away; Capital One Arena is across the street; Ford's Theatre and the National Archives Museum are short walks down 7th and 9th. The market draws the whole DMV: George Washington University students and GW Hospital staff walk over from Foggy Bottom, Howard University students ride the Green Line from Shaw, Red Line riders arrive from Bethesda near Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and George Mason University students make the trip in from Northern Virginia. American University and Catholic University students, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital staff, and Children's National families all find their way downtown for a stall-side hot chocolate. New to the map? Ride any line to Metro Center and walk two blocks east.
Pair the Market with the Season's Other Traditions
The market is the anchor of a full downtown evening, not just a stop. ZooLights turns the National Zoo in Woodley Park into a winter wonderland, Georgetown GLOW lights the cobblestones of Georgetown University's neighborhood with free outdoor art, and the CityCenterDC holiday tree is an annual ritual. The Kennedy Center and the National Gallery of Art are short rides away. Bundle the market with any of these and you've built a genuinely festive night in Washington, DC.
Why the Market Is the Best Downtown Open House
As a Washington, DC real estate agent, I love the market for a practical reason: it turns downtown into a month-long open house. The condos above Gallery Place, the rowhouse blocks of Mount Vernon Triangle and the East End, and everything within a walk of the market feels different in December, with neighbors on the street, lights in the windows, and restaurants full. Spend one evening here and you will see exactly what living in our Nations Capital can feel like. The Washington, DC real estate market stays active right through the holidays, so December is a fine time to start looking.
Your Trusted Guide to the Season
Whether you are relocating from across the country or across the river, I would love to help you find a home that puts the holiday market, and everything else you love about this city, within walking distance. Email me at robert.clarke@cbrealty.com, or schedule a consultation through my calendar, and let's make living in our Nations Capital your story this season.
Robert Clarke
Realtor · Coldwell Banker Realty · SP99196
Engineer turned real estate agent with a Master's from George Washington University. I help families find their place in the DMV with a blend of technical rigor and genuine local knowledge, from neighborhood deep-dives to hands-on relocation support.
Ready to Find Your Place in the Capital?
However you spend the season, coming home to a neighborhood you love makes it brighter. Reach out anytime and let's find yours.