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From protests to parades, there’s always something going on in Washington. For a comprehensive look at what’s happening throughout the year, check out www.washington.org, the website of the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation.

Winter

National Christmas Tree Lighting/Pageant of Peace (202/208–1631 | www.thenationaltree.org | December). Each year in early December, the president lights the tree at dusk on the Ellipse, with concerts, a Yule log, and Nativity scene held later in the month.

Restaurant Week (www.washington.org/restaurantwk | January and August). During this promotion, more than 200 top restaurants offer lunch and dinner menus for around $20 and $35 respectively—often a steal.

Spring

National Cherry Blossom Festival (877/44–BLOOM | www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org | Late March–early April). Washington’s most eye-catching annual festival opens with a Japanese lantern-lighting ceremony at the Tidal Basin. Some years, the cherry trees actually cooperate with the festival’s planners and bloom on schedule.

Filmfest DC (202/234–3456 | www.filmfestdc.org | Early–mid-April). 2013 will mark the 27th anniversary of this international festival, which seems to grow more popular each year.

Summer

Capital Pride Festival (202/719–5304 | www.capitalpride.org | Early June). This weeklong festival, the nation’s fourth-largest celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered citizens, features a parade with eye-catching floats.

Washington Shakespeare Theatre Free for All (202/547–1122 | www.shakespearetheatre.org | June). For two weeks, the theater company mounts free nightly performances at the Sidney Harman Hall, near Chinatown. Tickets are required.

Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival (202/633–6440 | www.folklife.si.edu | Late June–early July). This engrossing two-week festival includes traditional dance and music performances, storytelling, and ethnic food of all sorts.

Independence Day Celebration (202/619–7222 | July). July 4 at the nation’s capital begins with a grand parade along Constitution Avenue and culminates in awe-inspiring fireworks over the Washington Monument. At dusk, the National Symphony Orchestra plays from the Capitol’s west lawn.

Fall

National Book Festival (202/707–1940 | Late September). Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this two-day event attracts some of the world’s top authors, poets, and illustrators to the National Mall, where visitors can get books signed, snap photos with their favorite scribes, or just swim the seas of literature. It’s a great place for kids.

Veterans Day (703/607–8000 Cemetery Visitor Center, 202/619–7222 National Park Service | November 11). Services take place at Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the U.S. Navy Memorial. A wreath-laying ceremony is held at 11 am at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

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