What to See at this Year's H Street Festival

This year's H Street Festival is fast approaching. I'll assume you already have September 16th marked on your calendar, but here's more information about some of this year's attractions. Of course, you can expect the perennial favorites such as the eating and tattoo contests. The festival will take place on H Street NE between 4th and 14th Streets. The festival starts at noon and runs until 7 pm.

Marching Band Parade: At 2 pm a group of marching bands from the District will parade down the ten block festival route.

Getaway House Experience: Getaway builds tiny houses near cities that allow you to escape the urban environment for a while and enjoy nature while visiting. They'll have one of their houses at the festival for visitors to explore.

Karaoke Stage: The karaoke stage will be at 9th and H Street this year. Here's your chance to shine if you have the voice for it.

Kids Zone: You'll find the Kids Zone at 7th and H Street. Author Tom Noll will read from his popular children’s books about recycling creatively. There will also be face painting, arts and crafts, and lots of family friendly activities.

District Fashion Week: Kick off District Fashion Week with local designers at the Fashion Stage (12th and H Street).

Cosplay Costume Contest: From 2–3 pm the Fashion Stage will give contestants a chance to show off their costumes.

Dance Around the World Stage: This stage (location not yet provided) will showcase dances from around the globe. Flamenco, Hawaiian, and African dances are part of the mix.

You can read the full press release below:

Announcing the 2017 H Street Festival

Washington, DC—The 2017 H Street Festival will take place on Saturday, September 16 from noon – 7 p.m. This will be the best festival ever, spanning 10 blocks of H Street NE and featuring 14 staging areas and more than 250 businesses, restaurants, community organizations and vendors. Come down to enjoy great food, drinks, music, contests, kids’ activities and more!

Organized by H Street Main Street, the annual celebration highlights the growth of the H Street NE Corridor and its burgeoning commercial sector. In recent years, the neighborhood has attracted over 300 new businesses and nearly 2 billion dollars in development from the private sector, which has created more than 3,000 jobs. In a city that boasts numerous events and attractions, the area has become one of the most diverse and exciting neighborhoods to live in, shop, eat and hang out. Around 150,000 festivalgoers are expected to attend this year’s festival, which has been named Washington, DC’s best neighborhood festival by Washington City Paper for the past six years.

The 2017 festival will offer visitors a wide array of entertainment options with more than 500 performers and artists spread throughout the event. Performances will range from go-go, blues, jazz, pop and gospel music to fitness demonstrations, dance routines, eating contests and interactive art displays. The Anthology Apartments (625 H Street NE) will also open up their first floor as a live indoor music venue for those who want to relax and escape the heat.

For those who come hungry or thirsty, the festival will feature over 70 food vendors, food trucks and restaurants serving up meals from all corners of the world. Festivalgoers can also visit one of the several beverage gardens to sample the many available libations.

Other attractions at this year’s festival, include:
-       A Getaway House Experience - Getaway builds tiny houses in the woods just outside the city where visitors can recharge in nature. They will be bringing one of their houses for attendees to explore and having some free giveaways.

-       Marching Band Parade – Some of the District’s best marching bands will treat visitors to a parade down the festival route at 2 p.m.

-        Karaoke Stage – Those who are brave enough to become one of the Festival’s performers themselves are encouraged to come ready to sing! (9th Street Intersection)

-       Kids Zone – The festival will have a special “kids’ zone”, featuring author Tom Noll who will read from his popular children’s books about recycling creatively. There will also be arts and crafts, face painting and other family-friendly activities (7th Street).

-       Contests and Competitions – Attendees are invited to compete in or watch the annual pie, po boy and burrito eating contests

-       District Fashion Week – The Fashion Stage will kick off the annual District Fashion Week celebration with area designers (12th Street).

-       Cosplay Costume Context – Join us on the Fashion Stage from 2 – 3 p.m. for a cosplay contest, where people will be decked out in their best costumes!

-       Dance Around the World Stage – Throughout the day, performers specializing in Flamenco, Hawaiian, African and many other cultural dance styles will be featured.

-       And much more!

Sponsors of the event include, H Street Community Development Corporation, DSLBD, DCCAH, Getaway House, Anthology DC, CW 50, Washington City Paper, Hill Rag, Rappaport, Apollo DC, Ford Go Further, Maven, DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment, DC Lottery, Avec on H Street, Giant, Pepco, T-Mobile, Comcast, DC Brau, Metro XDC, 360 Apartment, Auto Zone, Washington Gas and Yogibo.

Festival hours are from noon – 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. The festival will take place between the 400 and 1400 blocks of H Street NE. For additional information, please visit http://www.hstreetfestival.org/.