Festival

Dear PoP – DC Caribbean Carnival Parade This Saturday!

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

The DC Caribbean Carnival takes place this coming wk/end – Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27. The Parade is on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. from Missouri and Georgia Aves. and ends at 5:00 p.m. at Banneker Field. As in years past there will be significant traffic delays due to closed roads and crowds. MPD will probably start closing the roads from 10:00 am. Folks may want to plan accordingly. Hopefully there will not be too much complaining about the tremendous inconvenience to their Saturday routine, just come out and enjoy the Parade and the sweet Caribbean vibe. The vibe continues on Sunday with a Caribbean bazaar/concert in Banneker Park. Admission to the park on both days is $10.00.”

This is one of my all time favorite parades. It gets hot, it gets dirty, it gets loud and it is just a ton of fun. We talked about last year’s parade here. You can see reader photos from last year’s parade here and photos from two years ago here.

The official Carnival Web site (careful very loud music plays) says:

“The annual Extravaganza Parade will be staged along the Georgia Avenue corridor on Saturday, June 26, 2010 , and will commence at Missouri Avenue at 11:00 a.m. and terminate at the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH” – Banneker Recreation Park. DC Caribbean Carnival will host the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH ” from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m featuring food, craft and entertainment.”

Any advice for folks who’ve never seen this parade before?

Win 2 VIP Tickets to 2nd Annual Ebbit Grill Block Party June 19

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of 1st annual ebbit grill block party by flickr user A river runs through

The 2nd annual Ebbit Grill Block Party is June 19th this year. The organizers have been kind enough to give away 2 VIP Tickets to a PoP reader. So to win this contest I ask that you share the best festival you’ve ever attended and if you haven’t attended any good ones then share the best meal you’ve ever had. I’ll select the winner Monday night.

For those who don’t win you can get $10 off regular tickets if you use the following code:

“The promo code will be POPBLOCK2010 and will be good for $10 off each ticket purchase through the website through 6/16/10.”

Here’s a bit more info about the event from an email:

“It’s summer in the city and the sun’s out so it’s time to shut down G street and turn up the music. Join us as we push DC summertime into full swing! The 2nd Annual Ebbitt Block Party has quickly established itself as DC’s premiere street festival and tastiest cookout. We will be parking ourselves on the 1400 block of G street, paving the way for hours of non stop musical performances and sparking up the grills for signature Old Ebbitt Grill food and drink! Write the date down and sunscreen up, we can’t wait to see you there!

We are joined again this summer by our charitable partner, the DC Central Kitchen who will again be collecting canned or commercially packaged nuts and raisins, as well as can openers. Bring something to contribute and receive a free raffle ticket for each item!

The winner will receive 2 VIP tickets which include:

GA Block Party Ticket Includes …

* Entrance to the Premiere Cookout and Street Festival brought to you by the Old Ebbitt Grill
* 7 hours of live music
* 10 Performances by 6 bands on 3 stages
* Food and Drink tickets available for purchase at the Block Party please see Food + Drink sections on the website for more information

VIP Block Party Experience Includes All of the Above Plus…

* Unlimited food and drinks within the VIP Experience Lounge
* Designated VIP Will-Call line entrance
* Exclusive main stage viewing and reserved standing room
* Access to limited seating provided in the VIP Experience Lounge

With 3 stages, 6 bands, and 7 hours of music, the block is gonna rock! We’ll have 2 Street Stages as well as a Main stage. You’ll get a taste of Rock, Blues, Funk, Folk and more.”

Columbia Heights Farmers Market

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user kc.corcoran

While I only caught the last half hour of the new Columbia Heights’ Farmers Market and Community Market Place it looked great.

For those that stopped by – how was the vibe? The fruit/vegetables? Was it a nice mix of vendors?


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

A few of my photos plus one more super delicious looking one from Mr T in DC after the jump. (more…)

DC’s Festivals are Phenomenal

By Prince Of Petworth

This one of my favorite parts of living in DC. It’s not the festivals in and of themselves, rather, for me, it is simply stumbling upon them that is so much fun. This happened to me both Sat. (more on Sat. tomorrow) and Sun. On Sunday I stumbled upon the Festival of the Americas on the property of the Organization of the American States (17th and Constitution, NW). There was great music, food, drinks, and performances. Anyone else check it out – planned or unplanned? Plus I got to see this phenomenal pool and sculpture:

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)

Getting an Early Start on Cinco de Mayo

By Prince Of Petworth


Getting an early start Wed. afternoon outside Alero at 13th and U Streets, NW

Lots of folks have been asking me for suggestions. My very simple advice is to hit 14th Street, NW. Masa 14 if you are south of U Street. But for those who wish to do it the Columbia Heights way – I’d suggest starting off at the new Alero on 14th between Monroe and Park for some drinks. Then hit Taqueria Del Distrito Federal a bit further north at 3463 14th St, NW for some authentic grub. Then head over to Social (14th and Meridian) for some more drink specials and if you still have any fuel in the tank, finish up at Red Derby (14th and Quincy) with cans of Tecate.

Whatever you decide to do – have fun and be safe!

6th annual Sundress fest at Wonderland Sunday

By Prince Of Petworth

I’m happy/terrified to announce that I’ll be one of the judges for this year’s sundress fest at Wonderland (11th and Kenyon Streets, NW) on Sunday (party starts at 2pm, judging will take place in the early evening). Other judges include Dan Searing from Room 11, James O’Brien from Red Rocks and lead singer of O’Tasty, Nikki Caporale from City Paper, and John Andrade from Meridian Pint. Contestants are both male and female.

Passport DC Embassy Tour This Sat.

By Prince Of Petworth

The tour takes place Saturday, May 1, 10 am – 4 pm and you can find more info here. From an email:

“Behind the doors of DC’s embassies await a wealth of cultural treasures most residents and visitors will never experience in one day–that is until Passport DC rolls around. For the third year Passport DC provides an authentic insider experience of the diplomatic community that allows DC to rightly claim a place as one of the world’s most international cities.

Visitors can enjoy the cultural diversity of the embassies of Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin and Brazil. From “A” (Australia) to Z (Zambia), each embassy will feature its own potpourri of culture from cuisine to artisan markets, traditional music to dance, and other activities for the whole family.

A SAMPLING after the jump. (more…)

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