Washington, D.C. has no shortage of grand hotels, fit for visiting royalty and diplomats. Sitting between Georgetown and Dupont Circle, Fairmont Washington D.C., Georgetown is especially fitting.
The 10-story hotel was designed to echo the stately elegance of the capital’s embassies and, over the years, it has welcomed politicians, celebrities and world leaders through its doors.
Now, the hotel is adding something rather less predictable to its calendar. From September, Theatre of Magic will take over the intimate Kennedy Ballroom for a 90-minute live experience combining close-up illusions, storytelling, audience interaction and magic-infused cocktails.
A hotel with a distinctly D.C. backstory
Its history is also closely tied to the city’s political calendar. During Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, when more than one million people descended on the National Mall, the Fairmont hosted celebrities, world leaders and several inaugural balls.
But its grandeur doesn’t stop at politics. Stars spotted at the hotel over the years include Muhammad Ali, John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro, and more recently, Kylian Mbappé whilst shooting this cover for Vanity Fair.
That makes the setting for Theatre of Magic particularly appropriate. This is a hotel accustomed to playing host to some of D.C.’s biggest occasions and guests, only this time the spectacle involves sleight of hand rather than stars.
You may recognise the Fairmont from the big screen
The Fairmont Washington D.C., Georgetown has had its own brush with Hollywood, most notably appearing throughout the 1998 political thriller Enemy of the State.
Starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman, the film follows a Philadelphia lawyer who becomes entangled in a vast surveillance conspiracy, and several scenes were filmed inside the Fairmont itself. The hotel’s lobby, meeting spaces and courtyard can all be spotted in the movie.
The Fairmont has also been something of a home base for Hollywood productions filming in the capital. Crews associated with The Pelican Brief, Hollow Man, Contact, Broadcast News and Nixon have stayed at the hotel while working in Washington.
So the Fairmont’s Hollywood history goes far beyond a few minutes of screen time. Its 415 rooms and 38 suites have provided a temporary base for stars and crews working on some of the biggest productions to shoot in Washington, D.C.
There’s a secret garden hiding inside the hotel
One of the Fairmont’s more unexpected features is its Courtyard Bar, an open-air space tucked inside the hotel and designed as something of a garden retreat from the surrounding city.
The seasonal space is filled with greenery along with fire pits and one of D.C.’s most celebrated gin programs. It also houses the hotel’s rooftop honey operation, with honey from the Fairmont’s own beehives making an appearance onto the hotel’s menus.
Theatre of Magic is bringing illusions to the Kennedy Ballroom
Theatre of Magic will transform the Fairmont’s intimate Kennedy Ballroom into a theatrical setting for a show designed to put audiences remarkably close to the action. Ranked among the top 10% of experiences worldwide earning the 2025 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award and founded by Australia’s celebrity magician Christopher Wayne, it is a night you won’t want to miss.
The experience combines sleight of hand and theatrical storytelling with magic-inspired cocktails and the polished hospitality you would expect from a five-star hotel.
The D.C. run begins September 26, with performances continuing through December. With two evening show times to choose from, you can settle into the hotel’s hospitality for the night, and relax like a diplomat … illusions and all.
24 October 2026 16:30 + more dates
Fairmont Washington D.C. Georgetown
The Fairmont is in one of the best spots for exploring D.C.
The hotel sits at 2401 M Street NW, right where the West End meets Georgetown. Historic Georgetown, M Street’s shops and the waterfront are all nearby, while the National Mall and Kennedy Center are easily accessible from the hotel.
For visitors arriving by Metro, Foggy Bottom-GWU station is around an eight-minute walk away, with access to the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. Dupont Circle station is also nearby.
That makes the Fairmont a particularly convenient base for turning Theatre of Magic into a full D.C. evening: spend the afternoon wandering Georgetown, stop for a drink in the courtyard, then head into the Kennedy Ballroom for a little theatrical misdirection.
Washington DC’s Theatre of Magic
24 October 2026 16:30 + more dates
Fairmont Washington D.C. Georgetown
