Celebrate Kwanzaa at the Anacostia Community Museum

The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is celebrating the seven days of Kwanzaa with performances, storytelling, and craft and dance workshops. The museum has welcomed the local community to celebrate Kwanzaa for over 50 years, and it will debut archival images of past celebrations with a nightly display on the museum’s façade Dec. 19–Jan. 2.

“The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum has been celebrating Kwanzaa since the early 1970s,” said Melanie Adams, director of the museum. “Museums are spaces for personal reflection and shared connections, and we encourage the community to join us throughout each of the seven days, as we gather family, friends and neighbors to learn, reflect and share.”

Activities connect to the theme of each day: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith). Visitors of all ages can take part in the free festivities. Each event takes place from noon to 2 p.m. A full schedule is below:

Thursday, Dec. 26—Kwanzaa Opening Ceremony, Umoja (Unity)
The weeklong celebration kicks off with this afternoon gathering, uniting families and communities. Storyteller and griot Mama Ayo leads the traditional candle-lighting ceremony, pours the libation honoring ancestors and shares the history of Kwanzaa. Taratibu Youth Association, a performing arts group for the youth of the African diaspora, will follow. Registration is requested.

Friday, Dec. 27—Family Workshop, Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
A family workshop led by Jessica “Culture Queen” Hebron, a Grammy-nominated teaching artist and children’s musician, will encourage self-determination through affirmations, song, dance and hands-on activities. Registration is requested.

Saturday, Dec. 28—Verbal Gymnastics Workshop, Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
This live interactive storytelling workshop will honor those have inspired visitors’ lives, prompting visitors to share stories of their personal heroes. The theater company Verbal Gymnastics will then play back these stories with actors and musicians. Registration is requested.
 
Sunday, Dec. 29—Memory Box Craft Workshop, Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
Families will decorate and fill their own memory box in this arts and crafts workshop led by artist Tamara Thomas. Participants are encouraged to bring their own photos and trinkets. Thomas will also lead an Ujamaa vision project, discussing what is needed in local communities and the benefits of having a family or community business. Registration is recommended, but not required.

Monday, Dec. 30—African Dance Workshop, Nia (Purpose)
African cultures imbue every dance with purpose, from rites of passage to communing with the spiritual world. Khepera Wellness, a community-oriented yoga studio, will celebrate Nia through this African Dance Workshop, guiding participants through intentional movements. Registration is recommended but not required.

Tuesday, Dec. 31—Family Kwanzaa Bag Workshop, Kuumba (Creativity)
Local artist Rain will lead families in this arts and crafts workshop creating and decorating family Kwanzaa bags. The bags can be used in many ways, including carrying handmade Kwanzaa gifts or the fruits of the harvest. Registration recommended but not required.

Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2026—Spiritual Dance Workshop, Imani (Faith)
A performance and workshop on miming and liturgical dance guided by Crazee Praize starts the new year. Landle and Antoinette Jones will then lead a discussion on what gifts and talents keep participants hopeful despite life’s challenges. Registration recommended but not required.

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