LIke this, but with masks and social distancing.

by Maya Gold

On Saturday, September 25th, the 7th annual Celebrate Petworth Festival will take place on the 800 block of Upshur Street NW from 11am - 5pm.

The first festival was started in 2014 when Tom Pipkin and a group of organizers decided to create a street festival that would bring together Petworth residents “through the creation of new opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and engagement between local businesses, residents and community-based organizations.”

While the festival did not happen in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is back with a jam-packed schedule of events this year, including continuous live music, a dog show, food, arts and crafts and free skate clinics for all ages.

Flex Mathews performing at the 2019 CP Festival

Live music performers include:

Hands on Drums
Reginald Cyntje
The Treads
DJ Unown
Flex Mathews

Events include:

Annual Dog Show (hosted by Drew!)
Taste of Petworth with Cinder BBQ, Nana Restaurant, Backyard Smokespot BBQ, Salt & Pepper Grill
Petworth Oral History Storytelling (in Art of Noize, behind 821 Upshur St) (see a list of speakers)
Kids Zone with a fire engine, soda explosion experiment, and balloon bounce community art project (see the day’s line-up)

“The festival is community-led, so it’s had many different versions of itself over the years,” says Megan Flynn, one of the organizers of the event. This year, the 800 block of Upshur and 4200 block of 9th St will be shut down for the festivities. 9th Street will feature the Kids Zone, offering a guided science experiment, a fire engine from the DC Fire Department, and a balloon bounce community art project.

Celebrate Petworth showcases our local businesses, with over 40 vendors and exhibitors selling arts, food, and more. Businesses on the 800 block of Upshur Street will also be open to offer their normal wares. “The festival itself is always really important to the local businesses on Upshur Street and artisans,” said Flynn. “This year in particular we’re really hoping people will come out to support the businesses and artisans that have been hard-hit by the pandemic.“

Contribute to Petworth History

The American University History Truck will be at the Festival recording personal histories. They’re asking for people to bring photos of celebrations in the neighborhood (on your phone, or they’ll scan printed photos).