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Greetings!
We're looking forward to another creatively fulfilling week at the Park! Whether you're in the audience at a children's theater show, attending a gallery opening, dusting off your dancing shoes, or learning new skills at a class or workshop, we're glad you're a part of our arts community.
Check out a NEW dance series! Salsa & Bachata y más!, combines our Back Room Salsa Nights and Bachata y más dances into one special night of Latin Dance. We'll start the evening off with beginner lessons in Salsa & Bachata taught by instructors Amber Logan and James Robertson. Then, we'll dance the night away with DJ Christina Taylor. This series will meet on the third Friday of the month in the Ballroom Back Room, open to all levels of experience. Expect friendly faces and effortless connection; No partner? No problem! We'll rotate partners and foster a warm, inclusive atmosphere.
Connect with local artists and learn more about their artist practices! Saturday morning, tune in to an online ACO Artist Discussion with Jun Lee, a DC-based printmaker who works in large-format woodcut, utilizing animals as metaphors to convey competition in our daily lives. Saturday evening, we hope you'll be our guest for several opening receptions in the Partnership Galleries. Critical Ground: Art and Environmental Justice opens in the Popcorn Gallery, a group exhibition featuring members of the Washington Sculptors Group (WSG), juried by curator Tomora Wright Swann. In the Stone Tower Gallery, Vicky Perry presents Secret Life of Flowers, a solo show of paintings thematically tied together using floral elements in a quantum arrangement. Winston W. Harris’ solo exhibition New Everything, New at the Park View Gallery explores the artist’s evolution as a printmaker and ideas about American culture from different perspectives. Opening receptions will take place in all three galleries, with light refreshments provided.
Registration for Spring and Summer 2026 Classes and Camps is open and ongoing! Browse the catalog to find classes that spark curiosity and inspire creativity during this season of growth. Visual arts, performing arts, fine crafts – we have it all! Looking ahead to the spring & summer breaks? Browse the Camps section of the catalog to find creative spring break and summer camps for kids!
Black History Month is a great time to learn more about programming by Black artists at the Park and about the Park’s civil rights history. We invite you to check out the Civil Rights History page on our website and to learn more about the 1960 Civil Rights protests to desegregate Glen Echo Amusement Park by attending a monthly Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tour. And if you missed the recent screenings of Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round at the Park, you've got another chance to catch this important film! Wednesday brings two local screenings in Reston and Chevy Chase.
Read on for more details about these events plus other happenings this week, 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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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
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Host your next corporate gathering, wedding, bar or bat mitzvah, birthday celebration, retirement party, or family reunion at Glen Echo Park!
Browse our NEW Private Rentals Brochure >>
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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.
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BALLROOM DANCE with Ballroom Time
February 22 | 2:45pm - 6:00pm | Ballroom Back Room
Ballroom Time presents a ballroom dance in the heated Ballroom Back Room on Sunday afternoon. A beginner lesson in samba line dancing will take place at 2:45pm, followed by dancing to music by Night & Day Band from 3:30pm - 4:45pm, then DJ music until 6:00pm. During the afternoon, there will be a mixer and some samba line dancing.
Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>
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CONTRA DANCE with Dancing Planet
February 22 | 2:30pm - 6:00pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
Enjoy a fabulous afternoon of contra dancing in the Bumper Car Pavilion, presented by Dancing Planet. Janine Smith will call to the inspired music of Handspring: Alex Mitchell, fiddle/mandolin/tenor banjo; Owen Morrison, guitar/feet; and Carrie Rose, flute/piccolo.
Learn More >>
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THIS WEEK: AT-A-GLANCE
DANCE FOR PD® | FOLK DANCE* with Dancing Planet | BLUES DANCE* with Capital Blues | CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES* with Friday Night Dancers | SALSA & BACHATA Y MÁS! | DANCEFIT: LINE DANCING | CONTRA DANCE* with Dancing Planet | BALLROOM DANCE* with Ballroom Time | TANGO DANCE* with Tango Brillante
*Includes beginner lesson & social dance
KEY:
bold = Partnership-presented social dance or class/workshop
italics = Dance class/workshop (no social dance)
View the full dance calendar >>
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Volunteer for Partnership Dances
We need volunteers at many of our dances! Volunteer for one hour, to either help set up or break down for a dance or event, and gain free admission to the dance or event! To volunteer, please send an email to volunteer@glenechopark.org | Learn More >>
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Did you lose something at a dance? Items will be cleared out of the Lost & Found and donated on March 1, 2026. If you think you have left something, ask the dance presenter to get an event supervisor to assist you. Or you may come by the Partnership office on the 2nd floor of the Arcade Building to ask about your item Monday-Saturday between 10am and 6pm. | | | | | | 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 | | | |
Encaustic & Mixed Media Painting Workshop
March 1 (one day) | Sunday @ 12:00pm - 6:00pm | Arcade Building Rooms 202 & 203
Painting and collage with wax, fusing, carving, and experimenting with techniques. Bring wood support (cut to size; max 14”). Option: Up-cycle art (drawings, prints, photos). Supply fee ($35) payable to instructor. All skill levels.
More info: marcieplusart@gmail.com. Minimum age 16. 1 session.
Learn More & Register >>
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Ballroom & Latin Sampler
Begins March 2 | Mondays @ 7:30pm - 8:30pm | Spanish Ballroom
Step into the joy of dance with this fun, beginner-friendly sampler class! You’ll explore a variety of popular Ballroom and Latin styles—such as Waltz, Rumba, Cha Cha, or Foxtrot—while learning easy-to-follow steps, rhythm basics, and simple partner skills. No experience or partner needed! This light-hearted class is designed to help anyone feel comfortable on the dance floor, gain confidence, and discover which styles they enjoy most. Join us and try a little bit of everything! Drop ins welcome; $20.
More info: 301.448.0066. Minimum age 14. 3 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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WINTER CLASSES
Register Today!
| There's still time to enroll in a February class or workshop! Visit our website for information on registering. Learn more >> | | | | |
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Exhibit your work at the 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 2027. Exhibition proposals must be submitted by June 5, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
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Creative Movement (Ages 3 – 6)
Begins March 3 | Tuesdays @ 4:15pm - 4:55pm | Ballroom Back Room
This class aims to give children exercise while also using imagination. We do this by pretending to be different animals, shapes, using instruments, and more. In this class, it is more about exploring the space and various concepts rather than the principles of a particular dance. Instructor prefers for parents to remain in the waiting area of the classroom.
More info: Amber.Dawn.Logan@gmail.com. 4 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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Ukulele for Beginners (Ages 5-14)
Begins March 4 | Wednesdays @ 6:30pm - 7:30pm | Washington Conservatory of Music
Strum, sing, and have fun learning the ukulele! This upbeat class introduces young musicians to the basics of playing the ukulele through songs, rhythm games, and simple chords. Students will learn how to hold and tune the instrument, strum patterns, and play familiar tunes — all while building a strong musical foundation and confidence performing in a group. 12 sessions.
Learn More & Register >>
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Praline Cafe
Monday - Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday - Friday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am - midnight
*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. | | | | |
