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Find the Perfect Gift and Enjoy Holiday Ambiance at the Open-Air Downtown Holiday Market

12.18.2020

Are you looking for an outdoor holiday shopping location this year? The open-air Downtown Holiday Market has returned to the streets of Penn Quarter and Chinatown! The market is about a 12 minute metro ride from 555, close to the Gallery Place-Chinatown stop.

White vendor tents and glowing lights will line either side of F Street NW, from 7th to 9th Streets NW daily until December 23. Stroll the 2 blocks between 12 p.m-8 p.m. to help support local businesses and find unique items. You’ll enter the market at F Street NW in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, then emerge into a vibrant holiday marketplace. Discover treasures like textiles, handmade goods, artwork, ornaments, jewelry, candles, and more as you take in the sounds of the season. Hungry? Keep an eye out for vendors that will be serving up hot beverages, pastries, and more.

Join in a mixed-reality (XR) scavenger hunt around the market using your smartphone at a few “instagrammable” checkpoints along the way. Listen to holiday film clips and songs of the season from the Jumbotron screen as you shop. And enjoy the new wider layout on the street with more distancing possible between shoppers!

Before you head home, stop into the free Smithsonian Art Museum or the National Portrait Gallery. Both are free to enter and you’ll find a stunning covered multilevel courtyard inside!