The H Street Festival took over the Northeast D.C. corridor this weekend as thousands of people gathered to celebrate hundreds of small businesses and stage performances during the 18th annual food and culture event.
A one-and-a-half-mile – or 11-block – stretch of the H Street Corridor was closed off on Saturday to make room for the more than 200 vendors and the eight staging areas for the festival. Known as “The Best Kept Secret in Washington, D.C.,” the yearly event has gained traction over the last decade, shaping it into the huge culture festival it is today by embracing D.C.’s homegrown creators through food, art and entertainment.
As my friends and I pedaled from campus to the Capitol, five blocks away from the festival, we could hear the roaring crowds and bumping party music, indicating that we were in for an exciting-yet-hectic afternoon.
We arrived at 3 p.m. amid masses of people flooding the streets. A DJ blaring club-like house music was a high-energy greeting as we began to traverse H Street.
White tents lined the road for as far as the eye could see. The first tent that caught my eye was a moped vendor with almost ten different scooters for sale in a variety of models and colors. Other vendors sold everything from scented candles to back massages, making the event reminiscent of a giant flea market.
Although checking out each of the vendors would’ve taken all semester, that didn’t keep me from finding a ton of interesting products like bohemian accessories and bottled cocktails. In an effort to save money, I had to talk myself out of purchasing vintage sweatshirts and unnecessary room decorations like Vogue posters and wooden sculptures.
Beyond the vendors, the vibrant performances taking place throughout the street brought upbeat music and flashy costumes. With stages filled with DJs, drag queens and dancers to name a few, there was somewhere new to direct my attention every few blocks. Food-eating contests, fabulous fashion shows and boogying flash mobs entertained people as they traveled down the street.
Massive bubble machines and bouncy tents entertained seemingly unsupervised children while their supposed supervisors perused alcohol and clothing vendors. Those looking to grab lunch or dinner they could choose between options like Caribbean jerk or plant-based food spots at the food stands and trucks scattered across the event.
Instead of grabbing a full meal, my friends and I looked for something small to snack on. After passing up lemonade and pastry stands, we landed on a popsicle vendor offering fruity flavors in an effort to cool off from the late summer heat. I opted for the strawberry yogurt bar, a sweet and refreshing snack made with chunks of real strawberries and a creamy yogurt base.
With businesses located along H Street open for the event, festival attendees could take a break from the madness by dining in at one of the local restaurants on the corridor, like Bar Elena and Purl, or browsing storefronts like Solid State Books.
The H Street Festival began as a small block party and has since grown to become the large celebration it is today, drawing over 150,000 people. The festival’s website described the event as “one of the most anticipated and highly attended single-day festivals in Washington D.C.”
With all that the H Street Festival offered this year, the District’s best-kept secret has become a well-known part of life.
