First-Ever Anacostia River Festival coming in April

Photo by The Anacostia Watershed Society courtesy of 11th Street Bridge Park

From a press release:

“The first-ever Anacostia River Festival will celebrate the history, ecology and communities along the banks of the Anacostia River. The 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service present the event, which will offer free kayaking and canoeing, musical performances, fishing and water filtration workshops, live birds of prey demonstration, a photography exhibition and a bike parade. The Anacostia River Festival is a premier event and official closing of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2015, noon – 4 p.m.
WHERE: National Park Service’s Anacostia Park. Good Hope Road and Anacostia Drive SE
COST: Free – Family Friendly Event
FOR MORE INFORMATION: here

“We are so excited to be a part of this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival and look forward to the positive exposure it will bring to East of the River neighborhoods as well as the 11th Street Bridge Park,” said Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a collaborative project of the D.C. City Government and non-profit Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC transforming an old freeway into a new civic space scheduled to open in 2018. “The Anacostia River is a stunning, but often forgotten, natural resource hiding in plain sight and, by collaborating with a number of existing groups, we aim to re-engage residents with this amazing urban watershed.”

The event will bring people from across the city and throughout the region to participate in hands-on art workshops, dragon boat rides, a community sing along, urban archaeology, community bicycle rides, boating and other fun activities to connect families with the natural world.

“The Anacostia is poised for a renaissance,” National Park Service Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail said. “The National Park Service is committed to helping people discover the beauty, fun and possibilities in Anacostia Park, and I hope that events like the River Festival inspire people – especially young people – to visit and get involved.”

Held in Anacostia Park, one of America’s national parks, and steps away from the future 11th Street Bridge Park, the event is free of charge and is a new premier offering that culminates the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

“We look forward to spreading the springtime celebration and gift of trees beyond the Tidal Basin with the new Anacostia River Festival,” said Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. “At its heart, the Festival is about community, and we are thrilled to expand its roots with this annual event East of the River.”