What to Expect at this Year's H Street Festival

The H Street Festival is fast approaching. This year's festival will run from 12–7pm on Saturday, September 15th and it will stretch over an 11 block long area. You'll find all the annual favorites such as the kids zone, live music and other performances, arts and crafts, and beer gardens, as well as plenty of food.

One of the new highlights this years is a battle of marching bands. The bands will march down the parade route playing as they compete for a cash prize. The over-all theme for this year's festival is "love," and main stage (8th & H Street NE) will pay homage to old school DC sounds with bands that specialize in Go-Go, Jazz, R & B, and other genres that have found a held a special place in the hearts of District residents.

Arts & crafts exhibitors and vendors will get their own space in the Artists Alley. Live painting has been a fun aspect of past festivals, and it's back this year with a live paint battle. You can read the full press release below.


Press release:

Announcing the 2018 H Street Festival—Better than Ever!

 Washington, D.C.—The 2018 H Street Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 from noon – 7 p.m. The event will span 11 blocks of H Street NE with 15 staging areas, interactive attractions and displays and over 250 businesses, restaurants, community organizations and vendors. Join us for great entertainment, food, drinks, contests, family-friendly activities and more!

Organized by H Street Main Street, the annual event highlights the unique spirit of Washington, D.C.’s H Street NE Corridor and is one of the most popular in the region. The Festival regularly attracts a crowd of over 125,000 fun-seekers. This year, the H Street Festival will have a “Love” theme, and there will be attractions for attendees throughout.

Those coming to the Festival to enjoy music, contests and other entertainment, won’t be disappointed. The Festival will feature a variety of shows and some of the best local and regional performers of Go-Go music, R &B, jazz, rock-n-roll, soul music, gospel and more. There will also be dance performances from a variety of cultures and disciplines, martial arts demonstrations and many more non-musical acts.

For those coming to eat and drink, this year’s Festival will offer a bounty of choices. The culinary offerings will span everything from American staples such as burgers and ice cream to exotic and uncommon dishes from all corners of the world. And for those festivalgoers who come hoping to enjoy some spirits, there will be multiple beer and liquor gardens and bars and restaurants up and down the street will open their establishments to participate.

Other attractions, include:

•  Old School Main Stage – The H Street Festival’s Main Stage located at 8 & H will have a “DC Old School” theme this year, showcasing bands that specialize in Go-Go, Jazz, R & B and some of the District’s other favorite genres from back in the day. 

• Artists Alley – This year, we’ll be showcasing individual artists, craftsmen and other makers in an Artist’s Alley where festivalgoers will be able to purchase their art and handcrafted goods.

• Marching Bands Competition – Local marching bands will parade down the festival route playing their best music. The winning band will receive a cash prize.

• Karaoke Stage – Those who are brave enough to become one of the Festival’s performers themselves are encouraged to come ready to sing. 

• Maury Povich’s Truth Truck – Do you have the courage to be hooked up to a lie detector and asked questions about your life?

• Live Paint Battle – Watch local artists battle it out in a competition for who can create the best piece!

• DC Comic’s Superheroes – CW50 will be promoting their Flash, Super Girl, Arrow and DC Legends of Tomorrow shows by bringing a huge mural featuring the shows’ stars, a Flash-themed SUV and costumed performers. 

• Fashion Stage – This year’s Fashion Stage will be our biggest yet in size and shows. We’ll have more designers than ever, as well as hair shows. 

• The Kids Zone – A festival favorite, the Kids Zone will feature a fire slide and climbing wall, as well as a kids stage with kid-oriented entertainment.

Festival hours are from noon – 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The Festival will take place between the 400 and 1400 blocks of H Street NE. For additional information, please visit http://www.hstreetfestival.org.