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Adams Morgan Day Festival-goers check out some
of the dozens of vendors along 18th Street NW.
Photo: Courtesy of Adams Morgan Main Street.
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As the lazy days of summer come to an end, the folks at Adams Morgan Main Street are busy working towards the annual Adams Morgan Day Festival, which takes place Sept. 13, from noon to 7 p.m., in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The festival, “A Global Community of Diverse Cultures,” is the only DC festival operating continuously for over 30 years in the same area, and the daylong event attracts both local residents and patrons from the Washington metro region.
As in years past, the day will feature a variety of live music and dance acts across several stages, interesting and diverse vendors, the Cultural Plaza at Unity Park and the unique Dance Plaza and Kids Fair on the Marie Reed school grounds, but there are a few new surprises in store this year! For starters, Arts on Belmont, coordinated by Avner Ofer, begins at 10 a.m. to give arts lovers extra time to walk the specially curated section.
Other additions to this year’s festival include two new pavilions – one featuring DJ music and the other showcasing green initiatives. The DJ Pavilion will be on the mezzanine area of the Marie Reed School on 18th Street at Wyoming Avenue. Coordinated by volunteers Quran Turner and Priscilla Good, this pavilion will feature well-known DJ artists such as The Soul Controllers, Harry Hotter, Chris Burns and Uncle Q. The pavilion is a reflection of the ever-expanding DJ culture that is growing in popularity in Washington, DC, and particularly in the Adams Morgan area.
The new Green Pavilion will be on the Marie Reed field on California Street. This pavilion, coordinated by volunteers Bobby Cato, Cyndi Epley, Corey Eck and Corey Welcher, will host eco-friendly vendors like renewable energy agents Clean Currents, Tranquil Space Yoga and the ever-popular environmentalist group, The Sierra Club. Conservation and environmental education booths will be set up next to the Green Pavilion. The goal of the pavilion and vendors is to bring eco-awareness to festival-goers and begin efforts to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint.
At the Marie Reed School basketball courts, the super-charged and popular Dance Plaza returns with some old and new faces. Festival volunteer Reshima Patterson coordinates this plaza, a festival favorite due in part to the interactive dance workshops offered, which will host the following popular performers: the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers, the Latin dance group DC Casineros and DC Dance Collective. New to the lineup, the festival welcomes D.A.M.P., a club line-dance group from Baltimore. Novice onlookers or pros can watch and later try out the moves during the dance clinics provided by the groups throughout the day.
The Columbia and Florida live-music stages will bookend 18th Street as always. The Columbia Stage, coordinated by Kat Hansen and Aaron Pratts, will include performances by Ne’a Posey (soul), Chester River Runoff (bluegrass), Danni Rosner (pop) and special guests Chopteeh (Afrobeat). The volunteer coordinator for the Florida Stage, Pablo Grabiel, is planning an international roster that brings music from Latin jazz, reggaeton, and fusion tropical rhythms of afro-funk and reggae.
The Cultural Stage, coordinated by longtime festival volunteer Celestino Zapata, is staged at Unity Park on Euclid Street and Columbia Road. For diverse and varied performance genres, visitors can enjoy theater, dance and cultural performances from local Sitar Center students as well as mini-musical vignettes. For those who prefer a quieter time, the Jazz Oasis in the Park located at Kalorama Park on Columbia Road will feature straight-ahead jazz from trios and bands hosted by WPFW.
Finally what would a community festival be without a place for the kids? Volunteers Lynsey Knowles and Tammy Barnes co-coordinate the Kids Fair this year. With plans for performances and games, younger attendees will be able to have fun and learn at the same time. Family favorites such as face painting, moon bounces and rock climbing will be at the top of kids’ to-do lists. Parents can take advantage of the Kids ID van for free DNA and fingerprinting kits.
And at the end of the day, everyone goes home tired.
As in previous years, the success of the festival can be attributed to the efforts of 100 or more volunteers, who gather petition signatures, work on vendor layout, assist at music and dance stages, and work the day of. Volunteer opportunities are still available for pre-festival, “day of” and breakdown activities. |
