LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Dear Washingtonians, For one unforgettable weekend, Washington, DC comes alive through art, culture and community. On September 11 and 12, neighborhoods across all eight wards will be lled with visual art, live music, dance, lm, fashion, food and interactive experiences. On behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Art All Night 2026. Now in its 15th year, Art All Night has grown into the District’s premier arts festival and one of our most beloved cultural traditions. The festival spotlights the local artists, makers, small businesses and neighborhoods that make DC a world-class destination, while creating unforgettable experiences for residents and visitors. Art All Night is also a major economic and cultural driver for the District. It creates meaningful opportunities for local artists and creatives, brings new energy and foot traac to our commercial corridors, and supports the neighborhood economies that keep DC thriving. As you experience this year’s festival, I encourage you to enjoy both the familiar and the unexpected. Return to a favorite Main Street, explore somewhere new, meet local artists and business owners, and discover some of the city’s best avors through Dine All Night. Every neighborhood has a story waiting to be discovered. This special edition of The Washington Informer is your guide to the weekend. Inside, you will nd performances, family-friendly activities, dining experiences and other creative programming taking place throughout the District. You can also use the Art All Night app to explore events citywide and plan your route. Art All Night celebrates our artists, our businesses, our neighborhoods and the creative spirit that makes Washington, DC unlike anywhere else. Invite your friends and family, support local and experience the city in a whole new way. We look forward to celebrating with you. Sincerely,
Rosemary Suggs-Evans Director DC Department of Small and Local Business Development
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WELCOME TO ART ALL NIGHT TWO NIGHTS. ONE CITY. ENDLESS WAYS TO EXPLORE DC Comes Alive After Dark For two nights, Washington, DC becomes a citywide celebration of art, music, culture and community. Art All Night returns September 11–12 with experiences across neighborhoods throughout the District—from live music and visual art to fashion, dance, food, workshops, markets, family activities and late-night performances. This guide is your starting point. Inside, you'll nd some of this year's can't-miss events, neighborhood highlights and ideas for building your own Art All Night experience. Whether you're looking for live Go-Go, gallery hopping, something to do with the kids, an interactive art experience or a night that doesn't end until 4 a.m., there's a way to make Art All Night your own. TWO NIGHTS. ONE CITY. ENDLESS WAYS TO EXPLORE. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Explore Mount Pleasant, Petworth, Uptown, Eastern Market, Deanwood, Pennsylvania Avenue East and more.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE We've selected highlights to help you decide where to start—but there's much more happening than we can t on these pages. See something you like? Build your night around it. Then visit the Art All Night website or open the Art All Night app to discover additional events nearby, check the latest times and locations, and continue exploring
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Head to Shaw, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, H Street, Tenleytown, Van Ness, Palisades, Chevy Chase and other participating neighborhoods. Programming ranges from neighborhood-scale workshops and exhibitions to major outdoor performances and district-wide celebrations. The editorial guide spans programming across Wards 1–8 and dozens of participating venues and corridors.
Events, locations and times are subject to change. Visit the Art All Night website and app for the most up-to-date festival information.
YOUR NIGHT STARTS HERE!
SCAN TO EXPLORE THE FULL ART ALL NIGHT SCHEDULE
THE CAN'T-MISS LIST Start Here. Then See Where the Night Takes You. Hundreds of experiences make up Art All Night. Don't know where to begin? These signature events ooer a taste of what's happening across DC. NORTHEAST GROOVERS
BATALA DC + FIRE & BUBBLES
Marvin Gaye Park • Deanwood • Friday
Carnegie Library Steps • Shaw • Saturday
Close out the night with one of DC's legendary Go-Go bands as Marvin Gaye Park becomes part concert, part community celebration, with an artist showcase, food vendors and more.
The rhythms of Batala Washington DC Drummers meet a re-and-bubble performance for one of the festival's most visually dynamic experiences.
AQUÍ ESTAMOS / WE ARE HERE
BLACK RENAISSANCE ON H
Lamont Plaza • Mount Pleasant • Friday
H Street • Saturday
Go-Go meets punk and cumbia at Mount Pleasant's main stage in a celebration of the sounds and cultures that make the neighborhood—and DC—unique.
Art, music and nightlife collide during a multi-venue takeover of H Street that keeps the celebration going into the early morning.
PENN BRANCH BLOCK PARTY
AN AFTERNOON WITH BILL KIRCHEN
Penn Branch Shopping Center • Pennsylvania Avenue East • Friday
Backstage at the Sanctuary • Palisades • Saturday
Black Alley Band, Out Da Box Band, line dancing, comedy, DJs, vendors and more turn Penn Branch into a full-scale neighborhood party.
Legendary guitarist Bill Kirchen joins NBC4's Mark Segraves for music and conversation, including songs from Kirchen's new album.
VISUEL SOCIETY BRUSH BATTLES Festival Grounds • Shaw • Saturday Artists go head-to-head in a live painting competition where the creative process becomes part of the show.
DOWNLOAD THE APP! These selections come directly from the guide's designated citywide signature events and major-event recommendations.
YOUR GUIDE TO SEPTEMBER 11TH Friday night stretches across DC. Pick a neighborhood, find an anchor event and explore from there. Start at Lamont Plaza, where Go-Go, punk and cumbia share the stage for Aquf Estamos / We Are Here. Then make something yourself along the Mount Pleasant Arts Corridor, with lantern-making, fiber arts, tie-dye and live painting. Screenprinting demonstrations at Don Juan and a flash tattoo and jewelry-making pop-up at Living Room give you even more reasons to wander.
See Ghanaian traditional music and dancers at Uptown Plaza, rotating performances at Dance Loft on 14th and flamenco at Axtondo Spanish Restaurant. In Petworth, look for fashion, family activities and late-night music.
Make your way east for some of Friday's biggest celebrations. Penn Branch Shopping Center brings together Black Alley Band, Out Da Box Band, comedy, line dancing, DJs and vendors. At Marvin Gaye Park and HD Woodson, explore art, food and entertainment before Northeast Groovers help close out the celebration.
Head to Eastern Market North Hall for country and western music and line-dancing lessons, then step outside for live jazz and community arts and crafts.
Friday's highlighted programming includes events running from 5 p.m. into the early morning across these corridors.
DON'T STOP HERE! Use the Art All Night app to see everything happening around you. GET IT ON
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YOUR GUIDE TO SEPTEMBER 11TH Saturday brings another night of art across DC-with galleries, museums, cultural performances, live painting, nightlife and plenty of surprises. Make Shaw one of your anchors. Watch artists compete at Visuel Society Brush Battles, see Batala Washington DC Drummers at the Carnegie Library Steps, explore the Shaw Artists Market and catch live painting, fashion and performance throughout the neighborhood. And yes-there's even professional wrestling. C3W brings live matches to 625 T Street NW from 8-10 p.m. Think internationally. Explore exhibitions and cultural programming from the Embassy of Peru, Embassy of Portugal, Embassy of Guatemala, Korean Cultural Center, Middle East Institute Art Gallery and other participating destinations. Explore art, food and culture, including African vendors and demonstrations at the African Union, live Congolese music at Gallery Article 15 and hands-on printmaking at Shop Made in DC. Go late. Black Renaissance on H transforms the corridor with a multi-venue takeover. Find live bands and interactive art at Starburst Plaza, comedy and live comic portraiture at Solid State Books, and a late-night multidisciplinary rhythm and dance showcase at Atlas Performing Arts Center.
UPPER NORTHWEST Start early and make an afternoon of it. Experience Bill Kirchen in Palisades, art and activities in Chevy Chase and Van Ness, then finish at the Katzen Arts Center in Tenleytown for an American University museum open house and student visual art showcase.
EXPLORE SATURDAY! Check the Art All Night app for complete schedules and updated event times. GET IT ON
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DC IS THE STAGE!
TURN UP THE CITY! You can't tell DC's story without music—and during Art All Night, you'll hear it everywhere. GO-GO ALL NIGHT Catch Northeast Groovers in Deanwood. See Black Alley Band and Out Da Box Band at Penn Branch. DC's homegrown sound isn't an addition to the festival. It's part of its heartbeat.
MORE SOUNDS. MORE STAGES. At Mount Pleasant's Lamont Plaza, Go-Go, punk and cumbia meet on one stage. In Palisades, legendary guitarist Bill Kirchen performs and sits down with NBC4's Mark Segraves. Uptown ooers everything from vinyl soul, R&B and funk to rock, jazz and Ghanaian traditional music. And international sounds stretch from Fado at the Embassy of Portugal to live Arabic music at the Middle East Institute Art Gallery.
DON'T JUST LISTEN Art All Night's stages aren't limited to bands. Look for amenco in Uptown, Dragon & Lion Dancers in Shaw, dance showcases on H Street and much more. FIND YOUR SOUND. FOLLOW IT THROUGH THE CITY.
EXPLORE MUSIC + PERFORMANCE Check the Art All Night app for complete schedules and updated event times.
DON'T JUST LOOK AT ART. MAKE SOMETHING. Art All Night puts creativity in galleries, on walls, in storefronts, on sidewalks-and in your hands. WATCH IT HAPPEN
GEORGETOWN
See artists create in real time at Visuel Society Brush Battles in Shaw or watch Kelly Towles transform space through live mural painting.
Try your hand at printmaking at Shop Made in DC.
MAKE SOMETHING MOUNT PLEASANT Make lanterns, explore fiber arts and try tie-dye along the Mount Pleasant Arts Corridor. Stop by Don Juan for screenprinting demonstrations.
SHAW Create a floral crown at Lee's Flower & Card Shop while artists and performers activate the neighborhood.
CHEVY CHASE See the pottery wheel in action and participate in a workshop at Artsy Beast. The festival's interactive offerings also include collaborative sketching, graffiti, henna and family-friendly art-making.
GO GALLERY HOPPING Explore exhibitions throughout Dupont, Georgetown, Mount Pleasant, U Street and Tenleytown-including the Katzen Arts Center, Washington Studio School, Lost Origins Gallery and more.
THE CITY IS YOUR GALLERY.
FIND ART NEAR YOU fcheck the Art All Night app for complete schedules and updated event times. GET IT ON
� Google Play
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Art All Night Doesn't Always Happen Where You Expect It. A parking lot becomes an art market. A gym becomes a silent disco. A salon becomes a runway. A wrestling ring becomes performance art. Sometimes the best way to experience Art All Night is to follow your curiosity.
AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT LEAVING DC Experience Peruvian dance and music. Hear Portuguese Fado and live Congolese music. Explore Arab Pop Art, an immersive Korean digital experience and Guatemalan painting and crafts. Watch Ghanaian traditional dancers or Dragon & Lion Dancers take over public space. The festival's international programming stretches across Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Shaw, Uptown and Palisades.
THEN GO OFF SCRIPT.
Dance at a silent disco inside a gym.
Watch C3W wrestling matches in Shaw.
Explore an artist market in a PNC Bank parking lot.
Catch a dinner drag show in Van Ness.
Discover visual artists upstairs and music downstairs at The Tile Shop.
Find interactive art at Hackett Funeral Home.
The source guide specifically identifies ten unconventional locations where audiences can encounter art throughout the festival. THE RULE: KEEP EXPLORING.
FIND SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
ART WITH THE KIDS! Start Early. Bring Everybody. You don't have to wait until dark to experience Art All Night. Families can nd art, music, books, crafts, movement and hands-on activities throughout the festival. SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL 5 PM • PETWORTH Make something at Crafts for Kids at 9th Street Park. 5 PM • UPTOWN Hear Mama Elena perform bilingual music for children and families at La Coop Cooee.
1 PM • PALISADES
Young movers can join a youth movement class with Moveius Ballet Co. at Dance Loft on 14th.
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at Palisades Montessori with mooncake making and Chinese calligraphy.
6 PM • PETWORTH
1–5 PM • UPPER GEORGIA AVENUE Join mural painting and interactive art activities for children at Missouri Avenue Market. 2–6 PM • VAN NESS Visit Politics and Prose for a Children's Book Fair and entertainment.
Experiment and play at the Bubble Lab at Sweet Lulabelles. The festival guide includes family programming from early afternoon through evening, making it possible to experience Art All Night long before bedtime. FAMILY TIP Choose one neighborhood and explore on foot rather than trying to cross the entire city. Check the app before leaving home to see what's happening nearby and connrm event times.
DOWNLOAD THE APP!
Eat. Shop. Wander. Discover. Art All Night isn't only about getting from one scheduled performance to another. Walk the corridor. Stop for something to eat. Browse a market. Meet an artist. Discover a business you've never visited. That's part of the experience. GRAB A BITE At Marvin Gaye Park, look for local food vendors including Addie Loves Soul Food, Deanwood Deli and Strand Restaurant. Explore Peruvian food and cultural presentations around the Embassy of Peru programming.
Explore vendors, DJs and public art around Reeves Center Plaza. Visit the Artist and Artisan Pop-Up Market in Van Ness. Or find music, art, food and vendors at The Parks.
DON'T RUSH BETWEEN EVENTS
Or make food part of the entertainment with events like the Comet Ping Pong Pizza Eating Contest.
Art All Night is also an invitation to experience DC's neighborhoods.
SHOP LOCAL
Give yourself time to walk. Step inside a business. Grab dinner. Talk to an artist. Follow the music you hear down the block.
Find artists and vendors at the Shaw Artists Market around Festival Grounds and Anthem Row. Browse Dupont Little Flea.
Sometimes the thing you didn't plan becomes the highlight of the night.
ART AFTER DARK ! When the Galleries Close, Keep Going. The name says it all. Across DC, DJs, performances, dance oors and neighborhood celebrations continue well after midnight.
HARRISON PARK • UNTIL 4 AM
H STREET • UNTIL 2 AM
Catch the Main Stage Concert at Harrison Park featuring Malik Dope, Sing Steph and Kharnaval, Poor Boys featuring Jo Palmer, and Sir E.U.
Black Renaissance on H keeps the corridor moving until 2 AM, while Atlas Performing Arts Center hosts a multidisciplinary rhythm and dance showcase beginning at 10 PM.
Thurst Lounge brings DJs, performers and dance.
EAST OF THE RIVER • UNTIL 1 AM
Crushed Bar hosts a DJ showcase.
The Penn Branch Block Party combines bands, DJs, comedy and line dancing, with programming scheduled until 1 AM.
Apple Lounge keeps the music going. Judy's runs into the early morning.
The guide identiies late-night events stretching from midnight all the way to 4 AM.
And Icon DC keeps the party moving until 4 AM.
ONE MORE STOP?
SHAW • UNTIL 3 AM
Check the app before you move. Find what's still happening near you and keep your Art All Night going.
After Brush Battles, Batala and the neighborhood's visual art programming, continue to Eighteenth Street Lounge for DJs until 3 AM.
DOWNLOAD THE APP!
PLAN YOUR NIGHT! One Festival. Choose Your Adventure.
THE NIGHT OWL
There's no single way to do Art All Night. Start with what you love, choose a neighborhood and build from there.
FRIDAY Harrison Park → Judy's → Thurst Lounge → Icon DC
THE DC MUSIC NIGHT FRIDAY
SATURDAY Shaw → Black Renaissance on H → late-night H Street
MOUNT PLEASANT Go-Go, punk + cumbia at Lamont Plaza
The source's late-night itinerary similarly uses Harrison Park as the Friday anchor and Shaw/H Street as the Saturday progression.
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE EAST Black Alley Band + Out Da Box Band at Penn Branch
NOW BUILD YOUR OWN.
DEANWOOD Finish with Northeast Groovers at Marvin Gaye Park The source's Go-Go/DC music itinerary connects these four Friday destinations.
THE ART LOVER FRIDAY + SATURDAY Explore Lost Origins Gallery in Mount Pleasant. Then on Saturday, wander Georgetown's galleries before heading to Kelly Towles' live mural in Shaw and continuing to galleries and exhibitions in Dupont Circle.
THE FAMILY DAY SATURDAY PALISADES Mid-Autumn Festival UPPER GEORGIA AVENUE Interactive mural painting VAN NESS Children's Book Fair at Politics and Prose
These pages are only the beginning. Art All Night stretches across Washington, DC with artists, performers, businesses, galleries, restaurants, cultural institutions and neighborhoods creating hundreds of reasons to explore. View the complete schedule • Find events near you • Explore by neighborhood • Check updated times and locations