Start your weekend by learning how to plan your next vacation by attending the Travel & Adventure Show in D.C. from Jan 17-18.
The year may have just started, but it’s already time to start planning your next vacation. With the help of the Travel & Adventure Show, guests can learn more about their ideal destinations with the help of travel experts and other representatives, including “travel celebrities” like Rick Steves, the host of TV show “Rick Steves’ Europe.”
The Travel & Adventure Show has taken place in the District for over 10 years and is the largest travel event in the region. This weekend, from Jan. 17-18, expect more than 300 destinations from around the world exhibiting and offering exclusive show-only deals and trip giveaways.
One of the exhibitors is Scott Mayerowitz, a travel industry expert, journalist and consultant.
“This is a great opportunity for people to come on out and learn about different destinations, different hotels, different cruise lines, and sort of everything you need to plan your next vacation,” he told WTOP.
Common “friction points” found in trip planning, like picking the right hotel, can be avoided, according to Mayerowitz. One of his top tips for people planning vacations is to use Google Street View when picking a hotel to get a better sense of the neighborhood and what’s nearby.
Tickets to the Travel & Adventure Show at the Washington Convention Center start at approximately $18 for one day and around $25 for both days.
Check back every Thursday for a roundup of Things to do in the DC area.
Here’s what else is happening in the D.C. area:
DC
Black Techno Matters
Kicking off its LIBER8 U.S. 2026 tour, Black Techno Matters is hosting a lineup of DJ sets and a live performance by Future Drum Circle. The event on Friday is for those ages 21 and over only, and is located at DC9. Tickets cost roughly $20.
‘Stomp’
The National Theatre is hosting the pulse-pounding live show, “Stomp.” The eight-member troupe in this show utilizes a variety of unconventional percussion instruments, including matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and hubcaps to make music. The show runs from Friday through Sunday.
PWHL Takeover Tour
For the first time, D.C. is hosting the Professional Women’s Hockey League at Capital One Arena this Sunday. The Montréal Victoire face the New York Sirens with tickets that start at approximately $30 per person.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday DC Parade
Since 1977, the District has honored the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a peace walk and parade. That tradition continues this Monday, along with a wellness fair and prayer breakfast, on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast D.C.
Metropolitan Washington Winter Restaurant Week
Savor the season with the Metropolitan Washington Winter Restaurant Week. Returning from Jan. 19-25, this culinary event features hundreds of restaurants across D.C., Maryland and Virginia that offer special, multicourse and fixed-price menus as low as $25 or as high as $65 per person.
Maryland
The JoGo Project’s Tribute
The JoGo Project, a WAMMIE award-winning jazz and go-go band, is paying tribute to the American music collective, Parliament-Funkadelic, at the BlackRock Center for the Arts on Saturday. The admission for the Germantown event is $25.
Sarau de Samba
This Sunday, EducArte is hosting a celebration of Afro-Brazilian culture with a dynamic ensemble of skilled musicians and dancers. The event is in Glen Echo, Maryland, and costs $16 per person.
‘A Day of Service’
Join the pre-professional dancers in the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre for a contemporary ballet performance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that young dancers from the audience have the option to participate in. The event at Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is on Monday with two 45-minute performances available. Tickets cost $12 per adult and $10 per youth (ages 14 and under).
Virginia
A Tribute to Cat Janice
A variety of musical acts, including The Cat Janice Band, Elizabeth II, Cathy DiToro and 7 Deadlies, plan on taking the stage this Sunday in honor of the late Cat Janice. Janice rose to viral fame after her song, “Dance You Outta My Head,” became a phenomenon, reaching No. 11 on Billboard’s Digital Sales and cracking the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic chart. She was 31 years old when she passed away in February 2024 after being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma. Jammin Java in Vienna, Virginia, is hosting a tribute event in order to raise funds for The Cat Janice Foundation to support projects and purposes that resonated with Cat and that she loved. General admission costs $21 per person.
‘This Ends in Blood’
In a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” this play follows high school students as they “set out on a deadly conquest to fulfill the high expectations others have set for them.” Catch this show at the Signature Theatre in the Shirlington neighborhood on Jan. 19 and 26.
Beginner Romance Writer Workshop
The Friends to Lovers bookstore, which is the D.C. metro region’s first bookstore dedicated to the romance genre, is hosting a workshop for aspiring authors. On Wednesday Jan. 21, the bookstore, in partnership with the Washington Romance Writers club, is showing event attendees how to use an interactive journal to take your story from in your head to the page. It’s also a great opportunity for networking with local writers, too. Tickets cost $5 per person.
Have an event you’d like featured in WTOP’s Things to do in the D.C. area weekly guide? Let us know!
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.