Four things to know about Art All Night 2023

Dancing to Crush Funk at Calvert Woodley during Art All Night 2022 in Van Ness. (photo by E. David Luria)

Van Ness – a neighborhood not known for its night life – comes alive one night each year. And last year, Art All Night venues along Connecticut Avenue between Veazey Street and Nebraska Avenue attracted 4,600 visitors.

If you’re planning to join the Art All Night festivities this year, here are a few things it’s helpful to know:

1) It’s a two-night affair, in all eight wards. Some of DC’s participating Main Streets are hosting artists, performers and makers markets on Friday, September 29th (Van Ness Main Street is one of them). Others (including Tenleytown and Cleveland Park Main Streets) are part of the festivities on Saturday, September 30th.

2) It’s a group effort. The Main Streets are enlisting volunteers for setup and to staff events and ensure things run smoothly. Helping out for an hour or two gives you lots of time to enjoy what the night has to offer. To volunteer for Van Ness Main Street’s Art All Night event, fill out this form.

The Main Streets also have partners and sponsors providing funding, venues and programming support. This year, Van Ness Main Street is partnering for the first time with WAMU/DCist. The 2023 host sponsors so far are UDC, Erich Cabe Team Real Estate, Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits, Comet Ping Pong, Muchas Gracias, Buck’s Fishing & Camping, Honey’s, Days Inn, Saul Centers, Freedom Church DC, Argus Events + Marketing and Superlative Events. And there’s room for more.

3) Art All Night is more than a month out, but you can already see what’s in store. Van Ness Main Street is keeping a running list of performers and vendors here, and you can RSVP on Eventbrite to be notified of updates and receive an events map. Tenleytown Main Street has posted a schedule on its own Art All Night page. And here’s some of what’s happening at Cleveland Park’s first-ever Art All Night.

4) Not really a night owl? All Night events start as early as 5 p.m. in Cleveland Park, 6 p.m. in Van Ness/Forest Hills/Wakefield, and 7 p.m. in Tenleytown. You can dine, shop and enjoy the performances, exhibits and interactive art installations until bedtime – whenever that might be.

Forest Hills Connection is a program of Van Ness Main Street. We maintain our editorial independence.