Tents, vendors, three stages and a dance plaza, food trucks and even a history truck line a stretch of 18th street in Northwest in Adams Morgan. It’s the 41st celebration of one of the District’s historic neighborhoods.
At 41 years old, Adams Morgan Day is jumping, in a chill Sunday kind of way, from 18th and Columbia Road down past Wyoming Avenue, Northwest.
An afternoon rundown of music representing various genres has been gracing three stages along the stretch of street that‘s been closed off for the festival.
Among the showcased acts, “drumming and dancing and live music, the kids area — the Family Fun Zone put on by Volo City is down on the Marie Reed soccer field. That’s near 18th and Wyoming — you’ll see a big balloon arch,” said Kara Davis, chair of the nonprofit Adams Morgan Community Alliance.
There’s also a dance plaza, an artists alley and a truck featuring Adams Morgan history, as well as an exhibit of Latino History at the Line Hotel.
Davis told WTOP this festival is how some people learn that the neighborhood exists.
“Adams Morgan Day was one of the first events I came to in Adams Morgan when I moved to D.C. back in 1998. I think if you walk up and down the street today, you’ll find a lot of people who found out about this neighborhood from Adams Morgan Day over the years,” Davis said.
A short stroll past the stage at 18th and Wyoming is the special zone for the kids and their families to play corn hole, connect four, hula hoops and more.
“We have face painting, we have balloons, we have anything you could really ask for. We’re making sure everyone knows this festival is a family friendly festival,” said Floyd Jones, who works with Volo City Kids Foundation — the group that organized the Family Fun Zone.
And a family fun zone with activities from soccer, hula hoops, to Connect Four. @WTOP Adams Morgan Day is 41 years strong, and it’s a chill bustle of activity out here. 😀 pic.twitter.com/iMvZKIZh5X
— Liz Anderson (@PlanetNoun) September 8, 2019
Adams Morgan Day is the result of volunteer effort.
“We have about 35 volunteers helping out at all the stages and with the vendors to help set up and break down and make sure the festival is fun and safe,” said A. Tianna Scozzaro, who has been part of the volunteer festival planning team for six years.
“It’s really a showcase of the neighborhood, and we celebrate the diversity and history of the neighborhood, and the diversity of cuisines and backgrounds that people come to the neighborhood with, and invite everybody across the city to join us,” Scozzaro said.
