Tour de Fat Returns on May 31

Image via Tour de Fat

The bikes & beer traveling festival known as Tour de Fat is coming back to DC on May 31. The location is the same as last year's party: Yards Park in SE DC, right on the Anacostia River. Awesome aspect of this party is that it benefits local bike-related orgs Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Black Women Bike DC, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, Phoenix Bikes and Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts. New Belgium says it raised $35,000 for last year's DC beneficiaries. 

Yes, there will be beer via the sponsor (New Belgium Brewery). There are also entertainers, including cerebral entertainer / comedian Reggie Watts and lots of other bands. There will be food trucks, bike parades, games, and dancing. And best of all, it's free! From the organizers:

"Tour de Fat Date:     

Saturday, May 31

Location:                              

Yards Park

Registration:   

10:00 a.m.

Pre-Registration

You can pre-register and donate to receive a limited edition Tour de Fat license plate, bike light or sunglasses at http://bit.ly/1sdeg5C.

Ride Times: 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Entertainment/Revivalation:                     

Revival Stage

12:00 p.m. — Fashion! (Best Costumes of the Tour de Fat)

12:20 p.m. — The Reals 

1:30 p.m. — Slow Ride Race

2:30 p.m. — 1,000 Person Dance Contest

3:15 p.m. — Car for Bike Trade

3:30 p.m. — Lee Zimmerman – The Puppet Guy 

4:00 p.m. — Reggie Watts 

5:00 p.m. — Finale

Variety Stage

12:45 p.m. — The Handsome Little Devils 

2:00 p.m. — Yo-Yo People 

3:30 p.m. — Nigel Blackstorm 

Price:

Admission – FREE!

Donations for non-profits are accepted

Beer – $5 for a 16 oz. pour" 

DC VegFest is September 28

Yards Park, looking west.

I'm all hyped up over vegan food this week after recently eating Todd Gray's Muse vegan brunch at the Corcoran, enjoying a great dinner of vegan small plates at Zengo, and snagging a quick vegan lunch at the Woodlands Vegan Bistro (aka Everlasting Life) food truck. SO much easier to eat vegan in DC that it was 10 years ago. I mean, multiple vegan food trucks... come on now.

Now, DC VegFest has set a date for its awesome annual event: Saturday, September 28. 

VegFest transitioned from a niche, but quality, smaller event on the GWU campus to a full on summer festival at Yards Park in Southeast. The event is a mix of food vendors, vegan related non-profits & for-profits, government agencies, speakers, and other presenters. This year, the event returns to Yards Park on September 28 from 11:00am - 6:00pm. Organizers haven't released the full schedule yet, but the speakers include Paul Shapiro (Humane Society of the Untied States), Doron Petersan (Sticky Fingers), and Wendy Rieger (NBC 4). Very cool. See you there.

Wow. Yards Park: Photos

This won't be one of DC's best kept secrets forever. Yards Park is a gem in Southeast DC. It is a few blocks from Nationals Park and about a 5 minutes' walk from the Navy Yard Metro station. Yards Park gives any DC park a run for its money including two of my favorites Meridian Hill and Georgetown Waterfront. The rest of the neighborhood development, also named "The Yards," is slowly taking shape, but the park stands mostly alone for now for public attractions in near SE. 

Here are a few photos that don't really do the park --developed through a public/private partnership-- much justice at all. The landscaping, seating, views and amenities help create several distinct "neighborhoods" including a wading pool & waterfall, terraced lawn, forested lounge area, shaded Anacostia River overlook, and boardwalk. It is also part of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (PDF). This place is ready and waiting for the crowds, retail and special events. Really amazing. Get down there before summer is over and before the rest of the metro area catches on to this great addition to DC's public spaces.