Fiesta DC is Sunday, in Mount Pleasant!

Fiesta DC is Mount Pleasant's party of the year! Over 40,000 people will fill the streets (or really just Mt P Street) of our neighborhood. Think food, parades, dancing, performances and more food. This is the 40th year of the celebratory street fest.

Fiesta DC's main purpose is to promote and celebrate Latino culture in the District. The street festival is held this weekend for a reason: It's part of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15).

This year there will be 5 --count 'em, 5!-- music stages. The Parade of Nations is the most unique traditional and it's back with over 30 groups from Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean. The Parade features mostly dancing groups, but also some theatrical performances and lots of colorful cultural regalia. The Science Fair will return as will the Children's Area and Arts & Crafts area.

The festival generally runs up and down Mount P Street from Harvard St to Park Rd. If you don't live in Mount Pleasant, you can take the S buses, 42 bus or Metro's Green Line to Columbia Heights; a two-three block walk. The 42 will terminate at Harvard St on Sunday, as Mount Pleasant St NW will be closed.

Fiesta DC begins at 11:00AM and ends at 7:00PM. Of course, it is FREE. If you want to see the Parade of Nations (usually happens about 3:00PM), get there early and grab a spot on the front lines of Mount Pleasant Street.

SEE. YOU. THERE. Have a great weekend. Lot's of fun stuff happening!

Fiesta DC Visits Mount Pleasant on Sunday

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Fiesta DC is this Sunday! And it's now the de facto Mount Pleasant Day. After the neighborhood's namesake fest died years ago --2005 saw the last large scale Mt P Fest-- Fiesta DC became our only major yearly street festival. Even after it was thiiiiiiiis close to relocating to Columbia Heights, Fiesta DC is still strongly associated with Mount Pleasant and I think we're the rightful home at this point.

Because it's held up and down Mount Pleasant Street NW, Fiesta DC might be considered a quint, small time party with booths to stroll by and enjoy casually without being at all crowded. It's not. This Fiesta attracts tens of thousands of visitors. The street is packed and I often wonder how the Parade of Nations even happens or is seen. But it happens. And I always go because it's fun, the parade rules and the music rules (5 stages!). And it's ours! I hope it never moves to 14th Street, which I guess is still entirely possible.  

Fiesta DC was first held in 1971 and honors Hispanic History Month. It will take place this Sunday, September 26 from 11:00am until 7:00pm. Generally, all events are held on Mount Pleasant street NW between Park Rd and Argonne Pl.  Recently, the some of the music stages have spilled over onto Argonne Pl, Kilbourne or Kenyon.  The highlight is always the Parade of Nations, which features dancers, musicians and performers from over 30 groups representing various nations.  The Parade is scheduled from 1-3pm and begins at the top of Mount Pleasant and heads south the length of the festival route.

Last year:

Fiesta DC 2009

Add me to the voices that wouldn't mind seeing Fiesta DC actually move to Columbia Heights next year. I love the fest. I love the music. I love the food (although, there was little vegan food). I guess I love that everyone else loves the food. I love the dancing. I love the parade. I love the attention that Mount Pleasant gets. Our businesses get a little boost. And I love that everyone who comes to Fiesta DC really enjoys seeing traditional singing, dancing, eats and gets the chance to buy all manner of products emblazoned with the country flag of their choice.

But the size of this Fiesta may have outgrown the venue. When 14th Street reconstruction is complete and the paperwork is in order, there should be a real effort to move this event to a proper place. Mount Pleasant may be symbolically the best place to run the festival, but 14th Street is a great alternative that should get heavy reconsideration. Give the dancers and performers the space they deserve. Give the thousands attempting to see the parade an actual chance to see it. Yesterday's crowd was massive and I gave up on the chance to see the entire parade. This party screamed for more space. Even the rain didn't thin the crowds. I want to go again next year. Hopefully it will be a bigger and better party on 14th Street; ten blocks long and a whole 14th Street wide. Accessible by Metro and on the way to becoming the best produced and possibly largest festival in DC.

In Reversal, Fiesta DC Back in Mount Pleasant

Fiesta DC is returning to Mount Pleasant this weekend. The 38th iteration of Fiesta DC had temporarily moved to Columbia Heights, along 14th Street. But alas, it will be held exactly where it was last year, along Mount Pleasant Street NW from Park Rd to Harvard Rd/Argonne Pl. Last year's fest was just packed, with hardly any room to move among the crowds on Mount Pleasant Street during the parade. Otherwise, it was a great day with lots of food, sales and performances, much like the other lively DC street festivals. However, this one does really seem to belong to Mount Pleasant. I am one who is happy to have it back in Mount P. I would have supported it over on 14th Street as well, but all the same, I think it'll be more pleasant here, pun intended. Photos from last year's fest here.

The event will be held IN MOUNT PLEASANT, on September 27th 11:00am-7:00pm. That's this Sunday.

A map of the festival is below. Here is a link to the traffic plan (PDF); very important if you park in or drive through Mount Pleasant.

Here's a rough time line (courtesy the Fiesta DC website):
11:00 AM – 1:00PM: Welcoming and Performers on Stages
1:30 PM – 3:30PM: Parade of Nations along Mount Pleasant Street, traveling from Park Road to Argonne Pl. Folkloric and traditional dancers from Latin America, Spain and the Caribbean.
3:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Musical / Folkloric performances throughout the day.

Fiesta DC Moving to Columbia Heights

The best photos taken for this blog belong to the festivals. Adams Morgan Day, Crafty Bastards and Fiesta DC are always a photographers friend. Last year's Fiesta DC was golden. Hot as hell and sweaty, but golden all the same. Food, fun for kids, music, dancing and fooooood. The main event consisted of a parade of nations traveling south from Lamont Street to Irving Street along Mount Pleasant Street NW. See photos of the 2008 Fiesta DC here. And while you're at it, 2007 photos here. The festival also doubles as an acknowledgment of Hispanic Heritage Month; September 15-October 15.

Well, this year all the food, all the fun, the set up, clean up, food, music, dancing and foooood will happen in Columbia Heights. The weekend is the same; September 27th. Hours pretty much the same; 11am-7pm. But the location is now 14th Street NW from Spring Road to Columbia Road.

Fiesta DC had probably outgrown Mount Pleasant. 14th Street is much wider and the route will be longer (nearly 10 blocks, instead of about 5 in Mt P). The streets of Mt Pleasant were pleasantly crowded during the festival last year, but Columbia Heights should allow for more vendors and more space for spectators to view the parade and peruse the goods. I'll make the trip over of course. Here's to a festival that's better this year than last! And last year's was pretty great!

Fiesta DC 2008: MORE Photos

A couple of folks have asked, so here are a few more photos. Original set here.

Fiesta DC 2008: Photos

Fiesta DC 2008 took place last Sunday, September 28. These are mostly photos of the parade. It was pretty hot! And pretty fun! Ward One city council member Jim Graham was there, with council at-large candidate Carol Schwartz of all people. There were a couple of drummer troupes, performers on stilts, dancers, multiple music stages, lots of country pride and food of all stripes. Not sure of the attendance, but the festival seemed more expansive than the 2007 version, taking over Argonne Place as well as parts of Lamont and 17th Streets. I like this fest, especially if its going to be the "new" Mt Pleasant Day, which sadly hasn't happened, on full scale, since 2005.

Double Duty Festivals This Sunday

Fiesta DC and Crafty Bastards will grace the route of the 42 bus this Sunday. Fiesta DC has become the de facto Mt Pleasant day and has previously drawn over 40,000 visitors. It happens right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month. Of course, Mount Pleasant is the literal home to many Latin residents and a home to quite a few businesses as well. The main attraction of Fiesta DC is the parade of nations, during which dance and other cultural groups represent their distinct nations. Fiesta DC is all around fun and obviously one of the best parts is food, which could carry this event. But there is also music, lots of free stuff (i.e. Adams Morgan Day),and people watching.

Washington City Paper's Crafty Bastards has proven worthy of major festival status, even though its technically a marketplace. Last years CB was on a hot and humid day, but was one of the best fests of the year with lots of unique clothing, jewelery and art, plus performances (break dancing!) and again, good people watching.

Fiesta DC will be held all along Mt Pleasant Street from Argonne Pl to Park Road. Crafty Bastards will again be held at Marie Reed campus on 18th Street NW at Wyoming. The CB Crafts and Arts fair is from 11-5 and Fiesta DC operates from Noon-7. I'm making time for both!

Fiesta DC: Photos

Update: See photos from the 2008 Fiesta DC

More Weekend Fun!

Seems to be quite a busy weekend around town and in the neighborhood. In addition to the walking tour chronicled below there are a few other events accessible on the 42 bus route. In Mount Pleasant there's Fiesta DC, which should consume pretty much the entire neighborhood, for the entire day on Sunday. Also on Sunday, in Adams Morgan, is Crafty Bastards, the popular indie handmade crafts fair. The fair operates from 10 till 5 and will be held at that wonderful bastion of 1960s dead-tech modernist concrete architecture, ne'e school, Marie Reed Community Learning Center on 18th Street at Wyoming Ave.

Special ANC Meeting on "Street Festivals" (read: Fiesta DC)

I haven't been posting about the ANC or the ANC meetings for various reasons. The meetings are at La Casa (3166 Mt Pleasant St), usually the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM.

However, next Tuesday there is a special meeting. Same time and place, but the agenda is specifically about street festivals in general and the Fiesta DC Fest in particular. The questions explored will be:

• What kind of street festivals are right for Mt Pleasant?
• Is there a right size for Mt Pleasant?
• What restrictions are reasonable?

Reading trough the Mt Pleasant forum leads me to believe that most of the concerns are focused on noise levels, parking and trash issues. I'm sure these three issues will be at the center of discussion. Any resolutions or recommendations will be handed over to the city to implement before Fiesta DC 2007, in theory. There's a draft resolution here. If you have something to say, drop by.

Fiesta DC Visits Mt Pleasant on September 30, 2007

Now wait just a second Fiesta DC organizers, 40,000!? Are ya sure? I mean, Adams Morgan Day organizers are only estimating 24,000 for their gig.

Wow. Well, the organizers for Fiesta DC are predicting up to 40,000 visitors. OK, that's a bit misleading. They're predicting that many visitors and participants for the entire week of activities, the last of which will be a fun looking parade and fest up and down Mt Pleasant Street (see, they even provided a map!). The week of celebration falls in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15) and comes at a neat time of year for festivals, early fall. No sweating at this festival. The highlight this year looks to be the "Parade of Nations," which the web sites says will incorporate groups from Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain. There sure is a lot of love for Bolivia on the web site. What about El Salvador!? Show some local love too! Of course there'll be music, arts, theater and food. Should be a nice wind down for the summer and since it doesn't look like there will be another Mt Pleasant Day (so sad) in the near future maybe we can claim this one as our own little slice of the Festival Pie.