The 17th Street Festival is Saturday!

Photo by PoPville flickr user Joe Flood

From an email:

“Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets presents the 10th Annual 17th Street Festival, featuring a wide variety of vendors, including artists, makers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, politicians, and kids activities. The community event is free and will take place on Saturday, August 24, 2019 from 12:00-6:00 p.m. in the 1500-1600 blocks of 17th Street, NW.

“Our festival is unique because we focus on 17th Street businesses,” said Promotion Committee Chair Sue Taylor. “We have artists and makers, and we don’t have outside food vendors. That way, we promote all our great restaurants along 17th Street! The festival is truly an event for the whole family and the entire community.”

Festival founder Lee Granados will be the grand marshal this year. Started after the 17th Street streetscape was finished, the 17th Street Festival was the vision of Ms. Granados, a long-time resident with a three-generation family business on 17th Street.

“I was raised on 17th Street in a community of business owners and residents that knew the importance of working together and supporting each other day in and day out,” said Granados. “When asked by ANC2B to lead a celebration of businesses and residents working together on the renovation of the street, I saw it as an opportunity to honor my family and the many other small business owners and long-time residents of Dupont that knew what it meant to support a common mission. To see the festival continue under Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets a decade later is an honor and testament to the importance of what it means to be part of an inclusive community for all.”

The festival will include more than 120 artists and makers selling everything from homemade candles, clothing, jewelry, and paintings. Other vendors include area nonprofit organizations, politicians, and local entrepreneurs. And to top it off, the festival is “kid friendly” with a special Kids Zone which will include an inflatable slide, snow cones, and activities.

“Unique to our 17th Street Festival,” said Bill McLeod, Executive Director of HDCMS, “is our six hour long ‘moving’ live music. The Festival does not have a stage, but we have a variety of acoustic entertainers all day roving up and down the street, including an African band, flamenco dancer, mariachi band, a Chinese lion dancer, and a New Orleans jazz band. Our guests love the more intimate interaction with our musicians.”

The 17th Street Festival is organized by Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, with major support from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), PNC Bank, Colonial Parking, Edlavich JCC, Dupont Circle Citizens Association, Zico Coconut Water, Honest tea, Kindercare Learning Centers, ANC2B, Friends of Stead Park, and Attache Corporate Housing.

The mission of Historic Dupont Main Streets is to promote, coordinate, and maintain improvements of the cultural, economic, and environmental qualities of Dupont Circle to make it an exemplary place to live, work, shop, and play.”