Where does Fort Washington's busiest holiday Saturday actually happen? At 10701 Livingston Road, in a former elementary school that Prince George's Parks has run as Harmony Hall Arts Center since September 1989.
On Saturday, December 5, the building hosts a free Holiday Marketplace, a free reception for a new gallery show, and two performances of a Motown holiday concert. Weekend calendars in Fort Washington get shorter after that, and the parks start closing for the season. That leaves Harmony Hall carrying most of the neighborhood's December, with National Harbor as the trip you add on.
A School Building With a New Stage Program This Season
Harmony Hall has hosted concerts for decades. The John Addison Concert Hall opened in September 1989, when the old classrooms became exhibit space and studios, as The Washington Post reported that month. Today the building has a Main Gallery with more than 205 feet of linear wall space, two Community Galleries, a second-floor dance studio and classrooms.
The 2026–27 season adds live theatre. Prince George's Parks introduced a new live theatre program in its season brochure. It opened in September with "Save My Black Soul" by Evan Carrington, a period drama about a Black actor in Hollywood's Golden Age who leaves for New York to start a theatre of his own.
The second production opens Friday, November 13. Jaqueline Youm adapted and directs Euripides' "Medea," which the brochure lists for ages 7 and up. The current event listing schedules it for Friday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 14 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 15 at 3 p.m. Check the Medea event page for the current ticket price before you go.
Concerts Through Late November
Between the play and December, Harmony Hall's programming moves to smaller music shows at different times of day.
- Shurhonda Love Trio, Wednesday, November 18, 2 to 3 p.m., $22 per person.
- Elements of Surprise, Saturday, November 21, 3 p.m., $25.
- "Art & Noise" exhibition opens, Monday, November 30, free, on view through January 9, 2027.
- Message Session VIII, Friday, December 4, 7 p.m., $15 per person.
The Women's Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, DC is putting on "Art & Noise," a group show about how music, movement and dance feed visual art. It's also why the following Saturday fills up the way it does.
December 5, Hour by Hour
Three separate listings land on the same Saturday. Two are free.
| Time | Event | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Holiday Marketplace | Free |
| 2 to 4 p.m. | "Art & Noise" public reception | Free |
| 3 p.m. | Motown Holiday with the Brencore Allstars | $30 general, $25 seniors and students |
| 8 p.m. | Motown Holiday, second show | $30 general, $25 seniors and students |
Prince George's Parks calls the marketplace "annual." The listing promises live music, warm refreshments and vendor tables with handcrafted goods and stocking-stuffer gifts, and it's open to all ages. The gallery reception falls in the middle of market hours, so one visit can cover both, with the 3 p.m. Motown show right after for anyone who bought tickets.
If you miss that weekend, Motown Holiday plays once more on Saturday, December 12 at 8 p.m.
The Parks Thin Out as December Goes On
Fort Washington's other weekend anchors are run by the National Park Service, and their calendars get quieter as the month goes on.
At Fort Washington Park, the grounds are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The historic fort and visitor center are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Both are closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, and Christmas Day. The park's calendar has fort tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., plus a few dated events:
- Shoreline cleanup, Saturday, November 14, 9:30 a.m.
- Fort Washington Victorian Dance Society, Saturday, November 21, noon.
- Shoreline cleanup, Saturday, December 12, 9:30 a.m.
There's no holiday program on that list. December 12 lines up neatly with Harmony Hall, though: shoreline cleanup in the morning and the last Motown Holiday show that night.
Farther north, Oxon Hill Farm holds chicken feeding every day at 10 a.m. and farm tours on weekends at 10:30 a.m. On Sunday, November 22 at 9:30 a.m., it hosts a "Nuts About Black Walnuts!" drop-in where visitors make ink and art from black walnuts. The farm is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
To the south, Piscataway Park is free to enter. The National Colonial Farm gate keeps fall and winter hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm's visitor center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until mid-December, then closes until March 14. If the visitor center is on your list, go in the first two weeks of December.
So by the third week of December, the visitor center at Piscataway is closed, the fort's calendar is down to its regular tours, and the Livingston Road building is still running a free gallery show through January 9.
National Harbor as the Add-On
National Harbor is about a ten-minute drive up Indian Head Highway, and its season is already underway. The 60-foot tree runs a light show every half hour from sunset to 9 p.m., set to a holiday medley recorded by the United States Air Force Band. Fireworks follow on Saturday nights at 5:30 p.m., from November 7 through December 26. The Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show sets up at 100 American Way on Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. through December 19.
Gaylord National's "Christmas at Gaylord" opens Saturday, November 14, and runs through January 3, 2027, at 201 Waterfront Street. This year's ICE! is based on Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" General admission starts at $39.49, and children 3 and under get in free with a paid adult ticket.
Both calendars run on Saturdays, so they fit together. On December 5, you can shop the Harmony Hall marketplace in the late morning, catch the 2 p.m. reception and the 3 p.m. Motown show, then drive up for the 5:30 p.m. fireworks. Two of those four stops cost nothing. For a family of four, ICE! starts at about $158 before fees, at four general admission tickets of $39.49 each. That's the cost a Harmony Hall afternoon sits next to.
If you're eating close to home, Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings opened this summer at 970 E. Swan Creek Road in Olde Forte Village, QSR Web reported in July. For more on how this part of the county has changed recently, read our look at Cady Drive's new kitchens, or see the Fort Washington neighborhood page.
Hosting family this season, or thinking about whether next December happens in the same house or a new one? I've worked with Prince George's County homeowners for more than two decades, and I'm glad to talk through what your Fort Washington home would bring in today's market, with no pressure and a clear plan. Reach out through Anthony Beharry. Let's Connect.
