Washington D.C. — Art All Night is D.C.’s free overnight arts festival which took place all over the city on Sept. 23-24 with different activations on each night, bringing visual and performing arts, such as painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, literary arts, dance, theater, film, and poetry, to indoor and outdoor public and private spaces, including local businesses and restaurants. Mayor Muriel Bowser is proud to have presented a two-night affair celebrating the arts.
“We know that Washington, DC is the capital of creativity. Artists and makers across D.C. help us celebrate the history and culture of our community, and this weekend, we celebrate them,” said Mayor Bowser.
Art All Night is a collaboration between the Department of Small and Local Business Development, the Commission on the Arts and Humanities Department, the Public Libraries, and the Main Streets programs, as well as the Business Improvement Districts.
Each participating neighborhood was a catalyst for corridor revitalization by highlighting music, visual, literary, and performing arts, activating public spaces, bringing new foot traffic to small and local businesses within the corridor, and bringing an increase in business sales.
Each participating neighborhood was a catalyst for corridor revitalization by highlighting music, visual, literary, and performing arts, activating public spaces, bringing new foot traffic to small and local businesses within the corridor, and bringing an increase in business sales.
The Congress Heights Art All Night festival took place in Martin Luther King and Alabama Avenue after the Congress Heights Day Parade. A four-block street fest was held centered around the Congress Heights Art and Culture Center. Keyonna Jones, a D.C. native is the executive director of the Arts and Culture Center home of #soufsidecreative. In 2020, she had the honor of being one of seven artists to paint the Black Lives Matter Plaza.
“Congress Heights Art All Night was everything it was supposed to be! It was a way to uplift local artists and encourage residents to get excited about our community. People from all over the DMV poured into Soufside and Destination Congress Heights,” said Keyonna. “It was huge and so inclusive and diverse, we have so many things that went on in the middle of the street all night; It’s just really important for our community and just the rapport of our neighborhood that we can really just enjoy who we are, be ourselves, our music, our culture, our art. It’s the biggest party, that D.C. can throw. There’s nothing like it.”
After the amazing music, performing arts, paintings, photography, caricatures, sculptures, arts and crafts, DJ, literary arts, dance, food, and drinks, we were treated to an Ebony Emergence of Fashion show, the most anticipated Show to hit Congress Heights main streets.
