The Willard InterContinental Celebrates the Holidays

The Willard InterContinental Celebrates the Holidays
Guests can enjoy daily programs and seasonal offerings from Executive Chef Peter Laufer and the team at the historic Round Robin Bar, and visitors can take advantage of attractive room rates and overnight amenities.

A full calendar of events and specials is outlined below. Reservations for special events at The Willard can be made by calling 202-628-9100, while reservations for Café du Parc can be made at 202-942-7000. Guests are strongly encouraged to make reservations in advance. Complimentary valet parking is provided to all guests dining at Café du Parc for lunch and dinner as well as guests of Holiday Afternoon Tea, Thanksgiving Day Brunch and Christmas Day Brunch at The Willard. Overnight accommodations at The Willard can be made by calling 202-628-9100 or visiting www.washington.intercontinental.com.

Holiday Afternoon Tea in Peacock Alley

Join The Willard for Holiday Afternoon Tea, one of the hotel’s most cherished holiday traditions. Seated in the grandeur of Peacock Alley, among the elegant sounds of the live harp, guests can enjoy a tantalizing array of organic teas, festive tea sandwiches and decadent pastries. Holiday Afternoon Tea is offered daily from 1pm to 4pm throughout December, excluding December 24, 25 and 31. Price is $52 per adult, $22 for children (ages 3-12).

Thanksgiving Day Brunch in The Willard Room and Crystal Room

Set against the grand backdrop of the storied Willard and Crystal Ballrooms, amongst the soothing sounds of the piano and harp, Thanksgiving Day brunch guests on November 24 will indulge in a delicious array of traditional Thanksgiving favorites including cider-roasted butternut squash bisque, roasted free range turkey with turkey gravy, and Chef Peter’s cornbread chestnut stuffing as well as a Bloody Mary action station and full dessert display. Four seatings are offered at 10:30am, 11am, 1:30pm, and 2pm. Cost is $110 per adult, $55 for children (under 12), under five is complimentary.

Christmas Day Brunch in The Willard Room and Crystal Room

Celebrate Christmas with an elegant brunch in the Willard and Crystal Ballrooms. Enjoy a festive menu that includes a delectable assortment of dishes from a variety of action stations such as omelets, fresh seafood, and hand carved meats. Four seatings are offered at 10:30am, 11am, 1:30pm, and 2pm. Cost is $110 per adult, $55 for children (under 12), under five is complimentary.

Holiday Dining at Café du Parc

Café du Parc will be open 7am to 10pm on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The restaurant will offer a seasonal prix fixe three-course lunch and four-course dinner, as well as an a la carte menu for all day dining.

Pies to Go

There's no need to worry about dessert this holiday season as the Willard will offer delicious seasonal pies to go. From November 18 to December 25, Café du Parc will offer fresh baked options such as candied pecan pumpkin pie ($38), gingerbread chocolate cream ($42), limoncello meringue ($42), citrus-cranberry crumble apple ($45), and cinnamon-oatmeal crumble blueberry ($55). Forty-eight-hour notice is required for all pie orders. The Willard Sweet Shop is now taking orders for pick-up beginning November 18. To order your holiday pie, please call 202-942-7000.

Sip Seasonal Libations at the Round Robin Bar

Warm up this holiday with a festive cocktail at the Round Robin Bar. Cocktails include holiday favorites including Jingle Bell Julep featuring fresh mint, triple sec and a mixed fruit liquor. Guests can also enjoy Round Robin Hot Noggin Eggnog with bourbon and orange liquor, and Webster’s Hot Buttered Rum with Cointreau, bourbon and black tea. Other featured cocktails include Winter Therapy, a chocolate and mint-infused elixir, and Harrison’s Spiced Cider, a warming tonic of spiced cider, calvados and Grand Marnier. The Round Robin Bar is open Monday through Saturday from 12pm to 1am and Sundays 12pm through midnight.

Over Three Decades of White House Ornaments Adorn the Willard’s Lobby Tree

This December view The Willard’s iconic Christmas tree adorned exclusively with the White House Ornament Collection. A beloved holiday tradition, started by the White House Historical Association in 1981, the ornaments chronologically honor a different president or special White House event each year. This year, the 2016 White House Christmas ornament honors the administration of Herbert Hoover, who served as the thirty-first president of the United States from 1929 to 1933. It is inspired by the fire engines that responded to the 1929 Christmas Eve fire at the White House and the toy trucks presented to children by the Hoovers the following Christmas. The Willard’s tree is one of the most viewed Christmas trees in Washington each year.

Holiday Lobbying – Choral Concerts

Celebrate the sounds of the holiday season at the Willard InterContinental with complimentary nightly chorale performances in the hotel lobby. Now in its 15th year, the Willard’s holiday caroling lineup has evolved into one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Washington, with a wide array of highly accomplished choral and vocal ensembles from around the DC metropolitan area. Performances take place from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, December 1 through December 23.

December 1 – Potomac Harmony Chorus

Potomac Harmony Chorus is a prize-winning group of women singing a cappella music barbershop-style who have entertained their audiences with joy and ringing chords since their founding in 1976.

December 2 – Georgetown Visitation

Georgetown Visitation Madrigals is an auditioned group of 34 adolescent girls that are "the singing" ambassadors for the Visitation Preparatory School.

December 3 – Encore

The Encore Singers perform chamber choral music from madrigals to modern jazz in venues throughout the D. C. and Maryland suburbs.

December 4 – Voce Chamber Singers

Voce is under the direction of Dr. Richard Giarusso and is recognized as one of the Washington area's premier chamber choral groups. Voce performs Chamber Choral music of all periods and musical styles.

December 5 – Arlington Children’s Chorus

The Arlington Children’s Chorus is a duly registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing enriching choral music instruction to children in grades 2 through 12 living in Arlington, Alexandria, and other communities throughout the DC Metro area.

December 6 - Capital Accord Chorus:

From Mistletoe and Dreidels to Kwanzaa, Silver Spring, Maryland’s Capital Accord Chorus – an all-women’s A Capella Group that sing in the Barbershop Style, rings in the Holidays at the Willard with traditional and not-so-traditional Holiday favorites.

December 7 – Pro Coro Alexandria

Pro Coro Alexandria performs a repertoire that spans the Renaissance to the 21st Century.

December 8 – Vienna Falls Chorus

An eighty-women auditioned a cappella chorus in the Northern Virginia/DC area, dedicated to musical education and excellence.

December 9 - The City Singers

The City Singers, an outreach arm of The City Choir of Washington, renders a variety of vocal music offerings from choral classics to popular.

December 10 – The Annandale Singers

The Annandale Singers is the premier ensemble at Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia. Their eclectic repertoire includes music from all genres and reflects the musical styles and backgrounds of their diverse membership.

December 11 – The Washington Saengerbund

Founded in 1851, The Washington Sängerbund is the oldest German singing society in the Washington, DC area.

December 12 - The Thomas Circle Singers

The Thomas Circle Singers is a chamber choral ensemble with a dual mission: to perform diverse choral works for the enjoyment of audiences in the Washington, D.C. area and to raise awareness and funds for organizations that address the pressing needs of the city’s underserved citizens.

December 13- The Washington Chorus

A three-time nominated and two-time Grammy Award winner, The Washington Chorus is a cultural leader in the greater Washington, DC community, as well as widely recognized for its critically-acclaimed performances, recordings and community programs throughout the United States.

December 14 – Carmina & Illuminare

Carmina (mixed choir) and Illuminare (women's ensemble) specialize in music composed before 1700. In June 2016 both groups were honored to win the Choralis Foundation's Ovation Award for Best Chamber Chorus in the Washington DC area.

December 15 – The Congressional Chorus

The Congressional Chorus and its educational outreach program, the American Youth Chorus, present engaging and innovative choral performances throughout the year, focusing on American music with inspiring and uplifting messages.

December 16 – The West Potomac AcaBella

Ensemble comprised of students from West Potomac High School.

December 17 - Capital Harmonia

Capital Harmonia is a community-based women’s chorus with the mission of bringing the vast range of music written for women’s voices and by women composers to the public generally and specifically to organizations that further causes important to women.

December 18 – The Heritage Signature Choral

Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Stanley J. Thurston, The Heritage Signature Chorale is committed to preserving the performance tradition of African-American choral music, especially the Negro Spiritual; to elevating the African-American singer and composer in all musical genres; and to bringing a unique interpretation to the classical music of America, Europe, and other regions of the world.

December 19 – Philomela

Philomela was founded in 1976 as a women's chamber consort of ten singers, performing primarily Renaissance music.

December 20 - Vox Pulchra

VOX PULCHRA, formed in 2008, sings an eclectic mix of traditional music from around the world and from across centuries.

December 21 – Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC

Rock Creek Singers is a select ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC that keeps a busy schedule with over 40 outreach performances a year, as well as performances in the GMCW season concerts.

December 22 – Children’s Chorus of Washington

The Children's Chorus of Washington, DC's premier youth chorus now in its 21st season, provides exceptional choral music education and unique performance opportunities to 150 choristers, ages 8-18, from 100 different schools in the DMV region.

December 23 – Sound Advice

A Barbershop Quartet from the Vienna-Falls Chorus of Sweet Adelines International.

Willard Winter Holiday Package

Beginning November 20, the Willard InterContinental offers a luxurious package that includes overnight accommodations in a Deluxe Room with an upgrade to the next room category based on availability, a welcome amenity of gingerbread cookies and chocolate milk, breakfast for two adults and two children in Café du Parc, the treasured White House Historical Association’s 2016 White House Christmas Ornament, starting at $299 (not including tax). For reservations, visit https://washington.intercontinental.com or call 202-628-9100.

Unwrap the Special Offerings of the Red Door by Elizabeth Arden

The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, located on the second floor of The Willard, invites you to decompress and de-stress from the holiday season with three different holiday packages – Signature Escape ($220), Iconic Red Door ($408), and Ultimate Indulgence ($534). Escape to the Red Door for the ultimate experience of beauty, harmony and well-being this holiday. To book an appointment, visit www.thereddoor.com/locations/willard-intercontinental or call 202-942-2700.