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Hi Jenni,
This week, it's the start of special event season at Glen Echo Park! Friday evening Art Walk brings the Park's galleries and studios to life, abuzz with art demos, opening receptions, and creative energy. Carousel Day on Saturday activates the entire Park, with music and dance performances—including STEP AFRIKA!; open studios and galleries, hands-on arts & crafts, and the first carousel rides of the season!
TONIGHT! Come explore the beauty and mystery of the natural world as found in poetry and music. Join the Rose Theatre Co. for a FREE concert in the Bumper Car Pavilion featuring the poetry of Robert Frost and songs of Joni Mitchell, alongside poems submitted by artists from the DC metro area and around the globe, in celebration of National Poetry Month.
Get your dance weekend started early with Bumper Car Squares on Thursday evening! Dance along to live music by Rachel Eddy and Friends and calling by Becky Hill. NO partner, special attire, or prior experience necessary. This dance takes place in our open-air covered Bumper Car Pavilion. With industrial fans and overhead radiant heaters, we're ready for any weather!
This Friday, Art Walk in the Park is back! Resident visual arts studios will open their doors to visitors for demos and art sales. Each of the Partnership Galleries will host opening receptions with light refreshments to celebrate the month’s new exhibitions. Opening receptions during May Art Walk are: Glen Echo Pottery: Color Wheel 2025 in the Popcorn Gallery, Eric Celarier: Evolving Worlds in the Stone Tower Gallery, Lauren Scavo-Fulk: Contemporary Landscapes in the Park View Gallery, and Bennett Vadnais, A Quiet Realism in the Stone Tower Studio.
Also on Friday, the Washington Conservatory of Music presents a WCM Jazz Trio concert. After browsing artwork at Art Walk, make your way over to the Ballroom Back Room to enjoy the smooth sounds of live jazz! Whether you’re a jazz enthusiast, an art lover, or just looking for an unforgettable Friday night experience, we hope to see you here.
This Saturday is a big day at the Park! It's Carousel Day, a FREE festival with dance & music performances, arts & crafts, open studios & galleries, a spring parade, short film screenings, and more! Be the first to ride the Dentzel carousel as it opens for the 2025 season. Food options include Praline Cafe and Timber Pizza food truck, as well as smoothies & more from Pacha Mama Juice Co. Rain or shine, we're ready for a wonderful celebration at the Park!
The Partnership is thrilled to include Step Afrika! in this year’s Carousel Day program! Step Afrika! is the world’s leading authority on the art form of stepping, blending percussive dance styles, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms. Step Afrika! will be the headliner of a special Percussive Dance Showcase on the historic Spanish Ballroom stage. Other dancers featured in the showcase include: Furia Flamenca, bringing the ferocity and passion of flamenco; Rhythmaya Dance, presenting a cultural jorneyfrom Bollywood Dance to Kathak; and returning favorite, The Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance. In the Bumper Car Pavilion, enjoy incredible performances by Mark H Taiko Connection, a taiko drum ensemble, and The Rainbow Bird, an interactive dance performance and story. Several resident organizations will also present performances, including Washington Revels Gallery Voices, Washington Conservatory of Music, and Adventure Theatre MTC’s PreProfessional Ensemble.
In addition to carousel rides and arts & crafts, families visiting the Park on Carousel Day can enjoy a Children's Theater show or book an aquarium visit. Tickets are on sale now for Adventure Theatre's production of Charlotte's Web and the Puppet Co.'s new show Jeghetto’s Workshop, presented by guest artist Jeghetto’s Entertainment!
Curious about the carousel's history? Check out a NPS ranger-led Glen Echo Park Civil Rights & History Tour Saturday morning before Carousel Day to learn about the role the carousel played in the integration of Glen Echo Amusement Park.
Want to extend the Carousel Day fun? The carousel will be open for special evening hours on May 3, from 8:30pm to 10:30pm for Park visitors and attendees of evening social dances to enjoy! Along with riding the carousel, enjoy a spectacular evening dance in support of the Park at An Evening With Strauss! A long-time dance presenting partner at Glen Echo Park, Waltz Time generously presents this annual Viennese waltz ball as a benefit.
To close out a full week of events, the Yellow Barn Gallery presents a weekend exhibition featuring the Palisades Village Artists, open Saturday and Sunday only. Sunday afternoon, join resident photography program Photoworks for an artist talk with Lynn Alleva Lilley, discussing her upcoming photobook.
Read on for more of this week's happenings, including upcoming classes, exhibitions, and social dances. We can't wait to see you at the Park soon, and as always, we appreciate your support!
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| | Ride the Dentzel carousel | |
$2.00 per ride | $5.00 for an all-day pass
Join us for a ride on one of the greater Washington area’s true treasures! Tickets are available for purchase in person at the carousel's ticket booth and online.
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SPRING/SUMMER
CLASSES & CAMPS
Register Today!
| Visit our website for information on registering. Learn more >> | | | | |
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PRIVATE RENTALS
at Glen Echo Park
| Host your next corporate gathering, wedding, bar or bat mitzvah, birthday celebration, retirement party, or family reunion at Glen Echo Park! | | | | | | |
Our fun and affordable social dances are open to the public with no prior experience or partner required. When we say we offer something for everyone, we're not kidding! Styles range from folk, blues, and contra to waltz, swing, tango and ballroom ... and more!
New dancers are always welcome, and a pre-dance, introductory lesson is included with admission. Most dances feature live music by renowned local and national bands.
| | We were thrilled to have our social dance program featured in a wonderful piece about dancing in the DMV by WAMU's Matt Blitz, and we heartily agree that "[Glen Echo Park is] a haven for the performing arts." (and visual arts, too!) Listen to it here >> | | |
An Evening With Strauss Annual Viennese Waltz Ball with Waltz Time
May 3 | 8:00pm - midnight | Spanish Ballroom
See "featured" section above for more details.
Learn More >>
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Contra Dance* with Dancing Planet
May 4 | 2:30pm - 6:00pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
Join us for a Contra Dance in the Bumper Car Pavilionpresented by Dancing Planet!
Perry Shafran calls to the Gyrations (David Courret-Knight: fiddle, Liz Donaldson: piano, Carrie Rose: flute) Perry and the Gyrations are guaranteed to keep you moving (round and round?)
Learn More >>
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Also Check Out this Week ...
International Folk Dance* with Dancing Planet | Blues Dance* with Capital Blues | Bumper Car Squares Dance* | Contra Dance & Occasional Squares* with Friday Night Dancers | DC Rawhides Dance* | Ballroom Dance * with Ballroom Time | Tango/Milonga Dance* with Tango Brillante
*Includes beginner lesson & social dance
Partnership Dance Class Series
View the full dance calendar >>
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Gala in the Park
Disco Afterparty
Saturday, May 17
Boogie on down to the 🪩 Disco Afterparty, a dance celebration like no other! Let's dance the night away for a great cause—supporting the Park you love!
| | | | | | Glen Echo Park is your go-to place for classes & camps in visual arts, dance, music, and more! We offer a wide array of classes and workshops for children, teens, and adults, as well as camps for children & teens. We also present nature & aquatic life programs for kids. | | FEATURED ADULT & TEEN CLASSES | | | |
Ballroom & Latin Dance
Begins May 5 | Saturdays @ 7:30pm - 8:30pm | Arcade Building Rooms 202 & 203
Elegantly glide around the floor dancing Foxtrot, Tango, Waltz or add some sizzle with a little Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Cha Cha or Rumba -- it just takes a little know-how! Emphasis on foundation rhythms for each style of dance, leading/following techniques, quintessential moves that help define the dance style, and having fun! No partner/experience required. Drop ins welcome; $20.
More info: 301.448.0066. Minimum age 13. 3 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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Focus Class: Pinhole Photography - Shift your Focus
Begins May 10 | Saturdays @ 10:00am - 2:00pm | Photoworks
Change your perspective and way of thinking about photography by engaging with image-making in its most primal, basic form. Students will develop a new relationship with time, focus, and perspective through the use of pinhole cameras.
More info: dcphotoartist@gmail.com. Minimum age 18. 3 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
| | | FEATURED CHILDREN & TEEN CLASSES | | |
Exhibit your work at Glen Echo Park! | Glen Echo Park Partnership Galleries requests exhibition proposals from artists and curators for the Popcorn Gallery, Stone Tower Gallery, and Park View Gallery for the calendar year 2026. Exhibition proposals must be submitted by June 5, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. | | | | | | | |
Tiny Tots
Ongoing | the Puppet Co.
Designed for children 18 months to 4 years old, ongoing Tiny Tots shows offer a viewing atmosphere especially suited for young theatre patrons. All Tiny Tots shows feature: 30 minute runtime, no dark room, no loud noises, and open theater doors.
Purchase Tickets >>
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Jeghetto’s Entertainment presents: Jeghetto’s Workshop
May 3 - May 11 | the Puppet Co.
Jeghetto's Workshop is a family show for all ages. Learn how Jeghetto builds and manipulates his original puppets over hip-hop instrumentals. This is a very interactive production, you may even be pulled up on stage and get to become part of the show!
Purchase Tickets >>
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Charlotte's Web
April 25 - May 25 | Adventure Theatre MTC
Charlotte’s mission to save Wilbur unfolds with the unveiling of her miraculous web, adorned with the proclamation “Some pig.” Thus begins a triumphant crusade, culminating in Wilbur’s salvation and a poignant gesture honoring Charlotte’s legacy. This timeless tale celebrates the power of friendship and the enduring impact of kindness, promising both actors and audience an enchanting afternoon filled with warmth and wonder.
Purchase Tickets >>
| | | FEATURED CHILDREN & TEEN CLASSES | | | |
Working with Watercolor (Ages 6-12)
Begins May 6 | Tuesdays @ 4:30pm - 6:00pm | Crystal Poo Studio
In this 4-week class we will explore 8 different techniques to work with watercolor, and how to be more in control of paint usage. The main projects we will create will be a Geode Painting and a decorative Japanese Carp Kite. $20 supply fee payable directly to Instructor.
More info: katherinetandrle@mac.com. 4 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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Art Journey Through Time (Ages 6-12)
Begins May 8 | Thursdays @ 4:30pm - 6:00pm | Crystal Pool Studio
Let’s build a Time Machine and then embark each week to discover the people and art of the past. Some places we will travel to and create art related to the time are the Stone Age cave drawings, Ancient Egypt canopic clay jar, and the Middle Ages with Mosaics and a Family Crest. Supply fee of $20 payable via cash, check, PayPal or Venmo to instructor.
More info: katherinetandrle@mac.com. 5 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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2025 SUMMER CAMPS
Registration is open and ongoing!
Let your child spark their creativity and develop their artistic skills in a fun, non-competitive environment with classes in:
Aquatic Life & Nature | Arts & Media | Dance & Movement | Drawing, Painting & Crafts | Fused Glass | Music | Theater | & More!
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Praline Cafe
Monday - Friday: Closed
Saturday & Sunday: 11am - 7pm
*open for dances and special events beyond these hours*
Stop by Praline, located in the Spanish Ballroom wing closest to the playground, for sandwiches, pastries, snacks, and drinks! More Information >>
| | | The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and also by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (creativemoco.com). All programs are produced in cooperation with the National Park Service and Montgomery County, Maryland. | | | | |
