In Fort Washington, Saturday, November 7, has more going on than any other day this month. After that, the events spread out into one or two per weekend, a few weekday afternoons and a Thanksgiving closure.
On November 7, a free exhibition ends its run at Harmony Hall Arts Center. Harmony Hall also has a jazz concert that night at 8 p.m. A few miles down the Potomac, Piscataway Park holds a free stargazing program from 7 to 9 p.m. The daytime part works out easily, but you'll have to pick one of the evening events.
The Daylight Half of November 7
Start at Harmony Hall Arts Center at 10701 Livingston Road. Jeff and Kristin Bohlander: To Have & To Hold is a free mixed-media exhibition that opened September 28, and November 7 is its last day. Jeff and Kristin Bohlander are a married couple who made the work together. The center describes the show as exploring "intimacy, material memory, and the slow accumulation of lived experience."
The gallery's Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its weekday hours run Monday through Friday until 8 p.m., and the gallery is also open during most performances. That gives you two ways to see the show before it closes. You can stop by any weekday evening this week, or come during Saturday's daytime hours. If you have tickets to the concert, the gallery may also be open around showtime that night. Because the facility only says "most performances," plan on daylight hours to be safe.
The morning before, on Friday, November 6, the Accokeek Foundation holds Story Time: Giving Thanks from 10:30 to 11 a.m. at its Education Building. It's free, designed for ages 2 to 5 and open to everyone. Families with small children can easily fit it in before the weekend.
The Evening Is Where the Two Plans Split
| Stargazing at Piscataway Park | Jason Marsalis Quartet with Vanisha Gould | |
|---|---|---|
| Host | Accokeek Foundation | Harmony Hall Arts Center, Prince George's Parks |
| Location | 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek | 10701 Livingston Road, Fort Washington |
| Time | 7 to 9 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Cost | Free | $40 general, $35 senior and student |
| What to bring | A telescope, if you have one, and a blanket | A ticket bought in advance |
The concert starts an hour into the two-hour stargazing program, and the two sites are in different communities. Trying to attend both would mean leaving the park early and showing up to the concert rushed.
The Stargazing page bills the night as "an evening under the stars in Piscataway Park" and invites guests to bring a telescope and a blanket. The page has a Register button and a general-admission checkout. It doesn't say whether you must register ahead of time or what happens if the weather is bad, so check the page before you leave.
The concert page bills the night as "world-class jazz" and has a link to buy tickets online. The facility's main number, 301-203-6070, is listed on the Harmony Hall page.
The choice gets easier when you look at the rest of the month. After November 7, both venues have more events, and none of them overlap.
If You Choose the Stars, Harmony Hall Has More Shows
Harmony Hall keeps a steady schedule through November, and most of it costs less than the jazz concert.
- Medea by Euripides, November 12 to 15. Evening performances run Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $22. With a Saturday that offers both a matinee and an evening show, it's the easiest event of the month to plan around.
- Shurhonda Love Trio, Wednesday, November 18, 2 to 3 p.m. Tickets are $22. It's the only weekday-afternoon concert on the November calendar, which suits anyone whose weekends are already booked.
- Elements of Surprise, Saturday, November 21, 3 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Seeing all three costs $69 per person, compared with $40 for the jazz concert alone. If you skip Marsalis for the telescope, you still have plenty of live performance this month.
If You Choose the Jazz, the Parks Have More Daytime Visits
The parks keep going after November 7 too, mostly in daylight. Piscataway Park has two educator-led public tours, on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. and Saturday, November 21, at 11 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for ages 5 to 17, seniors and military. Children under 5 are free.
November 21 is the one Saturday after the 7th with something at both venues, and they don't conflict. The tour at 11 a.m. leaves time to get to Harmony Hall for Elements of Surprise at 3 p.m.
Closer to home, Fort Washington Park has Fort Tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., which the National Park Service's DC-area calendar lists as weekly. The grounds are open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The historic fort and Visitor Center are open only Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A Monday or Tuesday visit still gets you the riverfront grounds, but not the fort itself.
Hours Get Shorter as the Month Goes On
Piscataway Park's schedule shrinks in November in ways that matter for evening plans. The National Colonial Farm entrance gate is on its October-through-March schedule of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through December 15. Other parts of the park allow foot traffic from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and vehicles through gated areas from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. On an ordinary November evening, the farm gate is closed by 5 p.m., which makes a hosted night like the November 7 stargazing program rare.
Holiday closures in the parks:
- Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving Day. Fort Washington Park and its Visitor Center are closed. Piscataway Park is closed too. If you were hoping for a walk by the river on Thanksgiving morning, plan it for the Wednesday before or the Friday after.
- December 15. The National Colonial Farm Visitor Center's listed season ends.
The hours pages for both parks list 2026 holiday dates but haven't been fully updated recently, so check before you go.
December 5 Is the Next Full Saturday
The next date as full as November 7 is Saturday, December 5. Harmony Hall's free Holiday Marketplace runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Brencore Allstars perform Motown Holiday that day at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. General admission is $30, and senior and student tickets are $25.
Unlike November 7, nothing on December 5 conflicts. The marketplace and the shows are in the same building, and with two showtimes you can shop in the morning and see the 3 p.m. show, or browse during the day and come back at 8.
| Date | Event | Venue | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 6 | Story Time: Giving Thanks, 10:30 a.m. | Accokeek Foundation Education Building | Free |
| Sat, Nov 7 | To Have & To Hold, final day | Harmony Hall | Free |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Stargazing, 7 to 9 p.m. | Piscataway Park | Free |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Jason Marsalis Quartet with Vanisha Gould, 8 p.m. | Harmony Hall | $40 / $35 |
| Nov 12 to 15 | Medea by Euripides | Harmony Hall | $22 |
| Sun, Nov 15 | Public park tour, 2 p.m. | Piscataway Park | $15 / $12 |
| Wed, Nov 18 | Shurhonda Love Trio, 2 p.m. | Harmony Hall | $22 |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Public park tour, 11 a.m. | Piscataway Park | $15 / $12 |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Elements of Surprise, 3 p.m. | Harmony Hall | $25 |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving closure | Fort Washington Park and Piscataway Park | n/a |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Holiday Marketplace, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Harmony Hall | Free |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Motown Holiday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. | Harmony Hall | $30 / $25 |
If the exhibition and the overlapping evening are going to fit, plan for them this week. Nothing else on the list overlaps.
Places like Harmony Hall, the Fort Washington Park grounds and the riverfront at Piscataway Park are part of what makes Fort Washington home. Our team at Platinum Partners Realty follows calendars like this one, along with the market, across Prince George's County. If you're weighing a move within Fort Washington or nearby, or just want a local read on your options, schedule a free consultation with us.
