Georgetown's December events and its newest restaurants have both moved behind the main streets. For 2026, the Georgetown Business Improvement District replaced its familiar holiday formats with Deck the Alleys, set for two Saturdays, December 5 and December 12, in three of the neighborhood's alleys and courtyards. Several of the most talked-about restaurant openings this fall also chose addresses with a half or an alleyway in them. Georgetown's independent food and its community calendar are moving into the spaces behind the storefronts, and the front of M Street is filling with national brands.
Nine Years of GLOW, Then Two Different Experiments
For nearly a decade, Georgetown's winter centered on Georgetown GLOW, the outdoor light-art exhibition. In 2025 the BID announced that "after nine successful years, we are taking a hiatus from GLOW in 2025" and said it would focus on "new partnerships for it and other events in Georgetown." Last December's replacement was the second annual Georgetown Jingle on December 6, 2025, with 10 musical performances in 10 outdoor locations around the neighborhood.
This year Jingle has also been replaced. The BID's Georgetown Jingle page now says that "new this year, Georgetown is hosting Deck the Alleys for our 2026 holiday programming." The format is smaller and tighter. Jingle spread 10 performances across 10 locations. Deck the Alleys puts festive lights, live music, food and drinks, and crafts for all ages into three alleys and courtyards. The BID also says dozens of Georgetown restaurants and retailers will offer discounts, refreshments and pop-up events around the neighborhood. The BID's events calendar lists both dates from 3 to 6 p.m.
The choice of setting fits what has been happening on the restaurant side all fall.
Hamilton Collective Got Its Dinner Tenants This Fall
The clearest example is just up from M Street, along 31st Street and Congress Court. The compound once called Hamilton Court is now Hamilton Collective, at 1232 31st St. NW. The Georgetowner reported in June that it is being shaped by Jessica and Ezra Glass together with David and Marc Duber and other investors. In that same article David Duber called it "55,000 square feet of very cool places for people to come and get their needs met." Jessica Glass explained the leasing approach this way:
"The best part of our retail here is it's necessary retail. No one here is selling tchotchkes, right? You come here to do things you have to do. Your kids have to go to school. You have to work out. You have to get a cup of coffee in the morning. We have all that here."
The tenant list The Georgetowner published bears that out. It includes Ultraviolet florist, Two Nine sushi, Flor coffee and books, Georgetown Pilates, Hamilton Health Club, RM Wellness, Beso Besu and Georgetown Preschool. Georgetown Auto Spa had already opened nearby in July 2025 at 1218 31st St. NW, with access through Congress Alley.
Dinner arrived in September. Chefs Alex McCoy and Justin Ahn opened Alfie's, a northern Thai restaurant and natural wine bar, on September 2 in the alley section of the compound at 1228½ 31st St. NW. McCoy told Washingtonian, as The Georgetowner relayed, that the space "has the feel of a shophouse in Thailand," and that "this wasn't a restaurant before, but we worked really hard to make this place feel like it had been here for 40 or 50 years." Flora Pizzeria followed next door. The Georgetowner's October 29 dining column confirmed its second D.C. location is open at 1228½ 31st St. NW. The pizzeria makes its dough with natural leaven, organic flour and Sicilian sea salt.
That half-number address is the point. Alfie's and Flora are not on 31st Street's sidewalk frontage. They sit in a lane inside a block of 1980s infill buildings, and the whole compound is set up to be walked through.
Grace Street Collective Came First
The Glasses have done this before, a few blocks west and closer to the canal. Through Thyme Holdings they are behind Grace Street Collective. A 2021 Georgetowner profile credited them with recruiting and developing businesses there, including Reverie, Grace Street Coffee Roasters, South Block, Georgetown Butcher and Rapha. It also noted the BID had recognized their work in 2017. The June 2026 article named Ox & Olive steakhouse as the collective's newest addition at the time.
The model has kept spreading. In January, The Georgetowner's year-in-review roundup reported My Little Chamomile opening in a tucked-away alley at 3210 Cherry Hill Lane NW, as part of Grace Street Collective. This fall, Café Tulúm opened on September 4 at 3210 Grace St. NW, bringing southern Mexican cooking to the collective. Both Glass projects work the same way. The front door is on a side street or lane, and the businesses inside draw on one another. Jessica Glass told The Georgetowner the Hamilton businesses "as a group, work better because they support each other."
The Back-of-Block Address Book
The table below collects the addresses that make up this pattern, including Cady's Alley, where design showrooms have been doing the same thing for years.
| Business | Address or entrance | What it is | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfie's | 1228½ 31st St. NW, Hamilton Collective alley | Northern Thai, natural wine | Opened Sept. 2, 2026 |
| Flora Pizzeria | 1228½ 31st St. NW, Hamilton Collective alley | Naturally leavened pizza | Opened fall 2026 |
| Café Tulúm | 3210 Grace St. NW, Grace Street Collective | Southern Mexican | Opened Sept. 4, 2026 |
| My Little Chamomile | 3210 Cherry Hill Lane NW | Grace Street Collective alley tenant | Reported January 2026 |
| Georgetown Auto Spa | 1218 31st St. NW, via Congress Alley | Car care | Opened July 2025 |
| Ateliers Jacob | Cady's Alley | Showroom | Opened July 2025 |
| Ornare | Cady's Alley | Showroom | Opened Sept. 25, 2025 |
| Bizzeria | Rear of 3246 Prospect St. NW, alley entrance from Potomac Street | Pizza from Michael Rafidi | Announced for fall 2026 |
| Skillette | 3246 Prospect St. NW | Cooking school from Kelly Singer | Early 2027 |
Bizzeria comes with a strong pedigree. Rafidi also owns Albi and La' Shukran, plus Yellow cafe and its "(not) pizza" on Wisconsin Avenue. The Georgetowner reported that the new pizza spot will be entered from the alley off Potomac Street, not from Prospect.
The Front Streets Are Filling With National Retail
At the same time, the big storefronts on M Street have been going to national apparel brands. Uniqlo debuted at 3262 M St. NW on August 28. Garage Clothing opened at 3295 M St. NW on October 3, and Rag & Bone merged its separate men's and women's shops into one store at 3034 M St. NW, which reopened October 2. Pop Mart is at 3221 M St. NW. The Georgetowner reported that streetwear label Kith plans a store at 3040 M St. NW, next to Barnes & Noble. Edikted plans a 3,890-square-foot store at 3135 M St. NW, the former Allbirds space. The former IKEA plan-and-order shop at 3307 M St. NW closed October 18, and 260 Sample Sale announced a limited-run pop-up there, with its first sale targeted for mid-November.
M Street has big windows, foot traffic and room for a 3,890-square-foot floor plate, which suits national retail. A northern Thai wine bar that wants to feel 40 years old needs something else, and a lane off 31st Street provides it.
Wisconsin Avenue sits somewhere in between, and its food openings are mostly local. Spicewalla announced a November 6 opening at 1317 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Delhi Belly opened in August at 1560 Wisconsin Ave. NW, at Wisconsin and Q, the corner where Dolcezza Gelato started in 2004. Dolcezza is coming back to the neighborhood in the former Pressed Juicery space at 1300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, with an opening expected in late fall or early winter. When it announced the return, the company wrote on social media, as The Georgetowner reported, that it is coming back "down the street from where it started."
Planning Around December 5 and December 12
The two Deck the Alleys Saturdays overlap with other events on the neighborhood calendar, which makes it easy to fill an afternoon and evening.
- 1 to 5 p.m., December 5: Georgetown Main Street's Cookie Tour, where participants build a holiday cookie box while visiting local businesses. A second tour runs Saturday, December 12.
- December 5: The BID's 2026 calendar lists a House of Sweden Holiday Market the same day.
- 3 to 6 p.m., both Saturdays: Deck the Alleys in three alleys and courtyards, plus discounts and pop-ups from participating restaurants and retailers. Check the BID event page for locations before heading out.
- After 6 p.m.: Dinner in the alleys at Alfie's or Flora Pizzeria on 31st Street, or Café Tulúm on Grace Street.
The BID's calendar also includes a Georgetown Main Street tree lighting in December.
Small places like Alfie's, with a shophouse-style room in an alley, are likely to fill up quickly on a Saturday when the BID is directing holiday crowds to that kind of space. A reservation for December 5 or 12 should be made ahead of time.
At The Alliance Group, we follow Georgetown block by block, including the lanes and courtyards behind M Street that now carry so much of the neighborhood's daily life. If you would like to talk about how these changes affect a Georgetown home you own or are considering, Book a Private Consultation with our team.
