This Winter, The Wharf's Holidays Happen on the Piers

The headline dates on The Wharf's holiday calendar this year are outdoors. The skating, the tree sales and the Holiday Boat Parade are all set on piers and streets. Meanwhile, three established dining rooms are dark, closed for repairs or no longer taking bookings. Two of them have been on the waterfront since 2018, and the third since 2023.

So a resident's holiday season at The Wharf this year runs through the public spaces. Transit Pier, District Pier, 7th Street and The Grove carry the calendar. Which address you meet friends at afterward takes more planning than it did last December.

The calendar runs in the open air

The Wharf's 2026 events calendar sets the season's fixed points. A footer notes that dates, times and details can change. Here is what's still ahead as of this week, in order:

The rink is the piece of this that lasts. The Wharf's rink page describes skating on Transit Pier from December through February. Admission prices and 2026–27 rental details are still marked "coming soon," so check before you take a group out. For about three months, a pier that most of the year serves as a gathering spot becomes the neighborhood's main winter amenity.

The Christmas Tree Market opens the day after Thanksgiving on 7th Street. It sells fresh-cut trees from Capitol Snow, 3 to 8 feet tall, and staff will help load your tree into the car. That's a real convenience for anyone who otherwise drives out of the city for a tree. Longer market hours are listed as coming soon.

Dec. 5 puts the season on the water

The Holiday Boat Parade & Party is the one night with a full published schedule, and almost none of it happens indoors. More than 60 decorated boats parade along the Washington Channel. The event is free. Santa takes photos in The Grove. A 45-foot nautical-inspired tree stands on District Pier. Landside activities include ornament decorating, holiday karaoke and skating.

Here's the evening in order, from the event page:

1. Landside activities run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
2. The boats arrive at 7 p.m.
3. Fireworks close the parade at 8 p.m.
4. At 8:15 p.m., the after-party starts on District Pier, with live music from 3AM Tokyo on the District Pier Stage.

So the night's main event and its after-party both take place outdoors on the same pier. Dinner before or after takes more planning this year, because several familiar rooms are out of the picture.

Three rooms off the winter rotation

All three changes came in a six-week stretch this fall. Each happened for a different reason.

Easy Company, 98 Blair Alley SW. Eater DC described it as The Wharf's first wine bar. It opened in early 2023 and closed over the Columbus Day weekend, and Eater reported that staff were offered roles at other Better Hospitality Group venues. The bar's statement, published by PoPville, said its last day of service was Sunday, Oct. 11, and that "despite everything that was working well, the economics of running this location were no longer sustainable."

Mi Vida, 98 District Square SW. This room closed Sept. 17 because of water damage. According to its statement, carried by PoPville, a leak "from the restaurant tenant located above us" damaged all three floors. The restaurant is using the closure for its first renovation since opening in February 2018 and plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2027.

Officina, 1120 Maine Ave. SW. Chef Nicholas Stefanelli opened this three-story Italian complex in October 2018. It has a ground-floor cafe and Italian market, a 75-seat trattoria on the second floor and a rooftop bar overlooking the Potomac. Capital City Post reported that Officina stopped taking reservations after Friday, Oct. 30.

Together, these were a wine bar, a three-floor restaurant and an Italian market with a rooftop. Between them, they covered the casual drink, the group dinner and the place to bring out-of-town guests for a view. None of them is on the table this December.

The next arrival sells groceries

The newest address coming to the Maine Avenue side is a market. Streets Market has signage up at 798 Maine Ave. SW, near CVS. In its announcement, quoted by PoPville, the store promised "fresh produce, groceries, flowers, prepared dishes, and more." The District's alcohol licensing agency lists the store in its weekly issuance report for the week of Oct. 23, 2026, with the status "Awaiting License."

For people who live along the waterfront, that's a different kind of tenant from the three that went quiet. A store with flowers and prepared food fits the everyday errand, like picking up something for a holiday table on the walk home from the tree market.

Planning a December evening around the piers

Since the outdoor calendar is the reliable part of the season, plan around it and treat dinner as the part to confirm:

• Skate first. Opening day on Transit Pier is set for Nov. 25 on the events calendar. Check the rink page for admission before you go.
• Buy the tree on a weekday if you can. The 7th Street market opens Nov. 27, and its full schedule is still to be posted.
• Build Dec. 5 backward from 8 p.m. With boats at 7 and fireworks at 8, a dinner reservation before 5 or after the 8:15 after-party keeps the parade free.
• Mark Dec. 4. The menorah lighting falls the night before the boat parade, so the two biggest gatherings of the season land back to back.

By the first quarter of 2027, Mi Vida plans to be back on District Square, and the rink on Transit Pier will still be running through February.

Following which storefronts turn over at The Wharf, and why, is part of what we do for clients who own, lease or invest along the Southwest Waterfront. If you'd like to know how this season's changes along Maine Avenue and District Square bear on a property you own nearby, Chuck Burger can walk you through it. Request a Free Market Valuation.