This was the year Washington started with three pandas and ended with none. A year that spanned from hazy summer days (thanks, Canada) to late-fall winds buoying the inflatable version of an expelled congressman. And, as usual, the city was the backdrop to many a march, protest, and demonstration. Through it all, staff photographer Evy Mages was there capturing the year on her camera. Take a look at her visual diary of 2023.
January 4: A tour guide brings visitors through the Capitol.
January 25: Jill Biden’s inaugural attire joined The First Ladies Collection in the National Museum of American History.
January 29: Birders look to the sky at the National Mall.
February 24: A supporter at a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine.
March 5: CPAC attendees awaited former President Donald Trump’s arrival.
March 25: High-wire performer Philippe Petit performs at the National Building Museum.
May 16: A Maryland fan showed their love for Old Bay with a free tattoo ahead of Preakness.
July 4: The Fourth of July celebration at George Washington’s Mount Vernon featured a naturalization ceremony for 90 new citizens.
July 8: A smoky haze fell over DC after wildfires in Canada, and the air quality reached “Code Maroon,” the most hazardous.
August 3: Supporters and protestors gathered outside the DC Courthouse during Trump’s arraignment.
August 7: Beyoncé fans dressed up at FedEx Field for the Renaissance World Tour.
August 21: Panda Xiao Qi Ji celebrated his third birthday with a frozen fruit cake at the National Zoo.
August 26: Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, and others marched together at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington.
August 29: Square dancing returns to Rock Creek Park for the first time since 2018.
September 29: Virginia residents Eric and Linda Oakes with Victoria, one of 4,000 beagles rescued last year from a facility in Cumberland.
October 25: A group of M3gans were spotted at the 36th annual High Heel Race in Dupont Circle.
November 8: Pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji leave the National Zoo. For the first time in 23 years, there are no pandas in Washington.
November 17: Ben’s Chili Bowl co-founder Virginia Ali at the U Street restaurant a month before her 90th birthday.
November 28: A 15-foot-tall inflatable version of expelled Congressman George Santos bounced in front of the Capitol.
December 7: About 750 Washington Post staffers staged a day-long strike.
December 13: Oprah Winfrey unveiled her life-size portrait, painted by Shawn Michael Warren, at the National Portrait Gallery.
December 18: Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, laid in repose in the court’s Great Hall.
