"If you haven't already checked out this wonderful new addition to Kensington's retail community, you are in for a treat!"
The Town of Kensington's event calendar uses that line to invite people to tonight's Sip & Shop at Metro Vintage Market & Gallery. The Town's own events don't start until December 4. Before that, the season runs on small-shop events on Metropolitan Avenue and Fawcett Street. Then the Town's tree, menorah and park lightings fill one weekend at the start of December. The first of those events opens with a vote on the best-decorated storefront in town.
The order matters if you are planning the next four weeks. Most of November's events are at small shops a short walk from the train station. December's lightings fit into three evenings.
Tonight, Up the Hill From District Café
KTown Ladies is hosting the pre-holiday Sip & Shop at Metro Vintage Market & Gallery, 10417 Metropolitan Avenue, from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight, Thursday, November 12. The Town's listing describes the shop as "the perfect place to start your holiday shopping or find just the right accent for your Thanksgiving table." Refreshments are provided, and RSVP is optional.
Parking is the one thing worth sorting out before you go. The listing notes a few spaces directly in front of the store. It also points to a public lot up the hill next to District Café. If you're coming from Plyers Mill, the lot entrance is on your right just after the café. The organizers suggest parking there, crossing Metropolitan Avenue and walking down the hill to the gallery.
If you can't make tonight, the shop's local business profile lists regular hours of Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. District Café, the landmark in those parking directions, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., which makes it an easy morning stop before a weekend of browsing.
Fawcett Street Holds the Next Two Shop Events
Nearby on Fawcett Street, two more shop events follow, one this weekend and one over Thanksgiving weekend.
MakerHive, a creative studio at 10419 Fawcett Street, holds its grand opening Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drop by any time for free hands-on activities for all ages. The studio works from upcycled materials collected from thrift stores, estate sales, salvage partners and the public. Everything is sorted and cleaned before it reaches the worktables. MakerHive is also collecting donated materials now. If you've been holding onto craft odds and ends since spring cleaning, the website lists what it accepts.
Two doors down at 10429 Fawcett Street, Love People Records marks Record Store Day Black Friday on November 27, from noon to 6 p.m. The store says the date also marks its fifth anniversary and promises "a weekend of vinyl fun."
The record shop is also listed as a member of Kensington Antique Row, alongside dealers such as Antique Market II and III, Antique Village, Antiques & Uniques, Goldsborough Glynn, Sally Shaffer Antiques and Bergstrom Press & Books. Antique Row describes Howard, Armory and Fawcett streets as home to owner-operated shops. That is why Fawcett Street matters in December too. When Antique Row holds its holiday evening, the Fawcett Street shops are part of the same group.
Here is the rest of November in one place:
- Thursday, November 12, 7–9 p.m.: Sip & Shop at Metro Vintage Market & Gallery, 10417 Metropolitan Avenue.
- Friday, November 13, 6–8 p.m.: A Diwali celebration at Montessori Living with a home-cooked Indian buffet, dancing and crafts. Tickets are $25 per adult, and children are free.
- Saturday and Sunday, November 14–15, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: MakerHive grand opening, 10419 Fawcett Street.
- Thursday, November 19, 4–6 p.m.: Kensington Park Senior Living's 11th Annual Friendsgiving Celebration, 3620 Littledale Road.
- Friday, November 27, noon–6 p.m.: Record Store Day Black Friday and fifth anniversary at Love People Records, 10429 Fawcett Street.
- Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.: The Kensington Farmers' Market keeps its regular hours at the Historic Train Station.
Connecticut Avenue Filled Back In This Fall
Connecticut Avenue has also had two openings since late summer. Mezeh Mediterranean Grill held its Kensington grand opening at 10619 Connecticut Avenue on August 27, as The MoCo Show reported. On October 1, Gene's Costumes reopened at 10636 Connecticut Avenue after nearly three years closed following an electrical fire, according to Patch.
Gene's is on the same stretch of the avenue as Kensington Volunteer Fire Department Station 5 at 10620 Connecticut Avenue. The fire department comes up twice in the December schedule below. By December, both the side streets and the main road will have more open storefronts than they did this summer.
December 4, When the Two Calendars Meet
Friday, December 4, is when the shop events and the Town's events overlap, and both take place on Howard Avenue.
The Town's 6th annual Light Up KTown runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Howard Avenue Park, 3716 Howard Avenue. The flyer promises hot adult beverages, hot cider and hot chocolate, s'mores by the fire pits, and music. The lighting ceremony begins at 6:45 p.m.
Two parts of the program carry past that hour. First, there will be a brief announcement for Town residents about the home-decorating contest. Entries are due by December 16 for three awards: the Griswold, the It's a Wonderful Life and the Traffic Stopper. Second, the Town will hold a vote on the best storefront decoration among Kensington's businesses.
At 7 p.m., while Light Up KTown is still going, the Kensington Antique Row Holiday Open House begins and runs until 9 p.m., with refreshments. The two events overlap by half an hour. That means you can watch the lights come on at 6:45, cast a storefront vote, and walk along Howard Avenue into the open house without moving the car.
Friday, December 4th, 2026 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Join Us For refreshments & Merriment!
Kensington Antique Row, Holiday Open House listing
By then the shops will have spent three weeks on grand openings, an anniversary and an evening sale. Then the Town's first holiday event asks residents to judge how those same storefronts are decorated.
The Rest of the Weekend Belongs to Town Hall
After Friday, the weekend moves from Howard Avenue to Town Hall at 3710 Mitchell Street. Saturday and Sunday each have one main evening event, with daytime events on Saturday.
Saturday, December 5
- 9 a.m.–1 p.m.: The Kensington Farmers' Market meets as usual at the Historic Train Station, 3701 Howard Avenue. It runs every Saturday year-round.
- Starting 8:30 a.m.: KVFD Breakfast with Santa at Station 5, 10620 Connecticut Avenue, as listed on the Town's event page.
- 6 p.m.: Kensington's annual Menorah Lighting at Town Hall, with music and treats.
Sunday, December 6
- 6 p.m.: The Town of Kensington's Christmas Tree Lighting at Town Hall, with Santa, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department, music and treats.
That makes three evening lightings in three nights, plus a market and a breakfast in between. Every location is within a short drive of the train station, and most are within walking distance. The next date on the calendar is December 16, when home-decorating entries are due.
Where the Weekends Line Up
For anyone planning around the season, the pieces fit together like this:
- This week: Metro Vintage's Sip & Shop tonight and the MakerHive open studio November 14–15 are the two new places to see. Fawcett Street and Metropolitan Avenue are a few minutes' walk apart.
- Thanksgiving weekend: Love People Records' anniversary on Friday, then the Farmers' Market Saturday morning at the train station.
- December 4: Arrive at Howard Avenue Park by 6:45 for the lighting and the storefront vote, then walk to Antique Row before 9.
- December 5–6: Town Hall at 6 p.m. both nights.
- By December 16: Home-decorating contest entries are due.
If you're preparing a Kensington home for the market in the new year, the holidays are a good time to start planning, and Brenda Gail Brown is glad to talk through timing, pre-listing improvements and pricing over the season. Let's Connect.
