Shaw Main Streets held its 15th anniversary Art All Night festival on the evening of Saturday, September 12. The free overnight festival, inspired by Paris’ Nuit Blanche, began in Shaw in 2011 and now spans all eight DC wards and two nights. This year’s event encompassed 18 different venues, with a notable increase in the number of families with children attending, including Ward 4 Councilmember and Democratic mayoral nominee Janeese Lewis George with her husband and son.
For the third year, Events DC and the Downtown DC Business Improvement District joined Shaw Main Streets in producing the festival’s signature activation at Mount Vernon Square. This year’s theme was District of Wonder, with the Main Stage on K Street featuring musical performances by DJ Ebb King, Mambo Sauce, the Herb Scott Quartet, Oddisee & Good Company and Gracie Jay. A master juggler and a contortionist also appeared on the stage.
K Street was also the site for the Shaw Artists Market, with over 20 local artists exhibiting their work for sale. The always-popular Do It Yourself Paint Experience led by artist-educator Sydney Buffalow saw tables and chairs set up for 100, along with canvases and paints, with over 300 amateur artists exploring their creative skills under the stars. The VisuEL Society’s Brush Battles were also back, with eight artists participating in a live painting competition staged around a boxing ring.
On the grounds of the Carnegie Library, kids of all ages frolicked in a Foamboree bathed in colored lights, jumped in a boombox-shaped bounce house and enjoyed facepainting and other amusements. Glow wing dancers, stilt walkers and a unicyclist also entertained festival goers. Batala Washington, the women’s drumming troupe, led the #LOVESHAW parade, marching around Mount Vernon Square in a rousing performance. Popular performance artist Jennifer Stephens thrilled the crowd with her combination of silk, soap bubbles and flames.
On Anthem Row, other DMV artists displayed their work. At the end of the row, DJs Harry Hotter and Jahsonic kept the beat going through the night. Members of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute performed an Asian dragon dance, in illuminated costumes, followed by a lion dance.
Howard University activated Sandlot Uptown, at the corner of T and Seventh Streets, with a showcase highlighting the talents of university students and alumni. It included an art gallery displaying work by HU students and graduates, as well as musical entertainment by the Howard University Fine Arts and Music Departments. There was a hair and fashion show, with hair styles by Shaw salon Wanda’s on 7th owner Wanda Henderson and makeup by the HU ELITE Model Organization. Original fashions by the faculty, students and alumni of the Howard Fashion Department were exhibited by student models from several campus modeling organizations. Outside, the Bison Block Party spotlighted the Howard University marching band along with the band’s dancers.
The 600 block of T Street was closed so that Urban Garden Brewhouse could host a family-friendly block party. The Shaw Artists Market North was set up on the wide sidewalks. Entertainment included live Go-Go music, a DJ, and an open mike performance session. At the end of the block, the C3W Capital Combat professional wrestling team came back to Shaw Art All Night for another year. The matches included a fight for the title of Super Heavy Weight Champion, along with a set of lady wrestlers flipping their hair and each other. The enthusiastic crowd supporting the wrestlers numbered in the hundreds.
Other Shaw businesses also contributed to the festivities. The Pop Fizz Bar had the CDH Brassworks Quintet playing live jazz. Outside the endlessOM Yoga and Aerial Studio, its staff gave demonstrations of their vertical yoga and silks workouts. Touchstone Gallery, which has been participating in Shaw Art All Night since the beginning, celebrated its 50th Anniversary during the night. The Foundry Gallery held a poetry open mike and art show. Techo Palma, Prim’s Café and the Hyatt House Hotel held painting exhibitions. The Eighteenth Street Lounge threw an event for the alumni and instructors of the Corcoran Art School. The Urban Athletic Club hosted a comedy showcase by Don’t Tell Comedy. Beau Thai Shaw had customers color commemorative postcards, while Lee’s Flower and Card Shop trained over 100 visitors to make floral crowns to wear during the festival.
Outside the DC Housing Finance Agency, there was a truck from Humanities DC playing a constant stream of EDM music, while staff videotaped people relating their stories of life in the District. Inside, artist vendors’ paintings were the backdrop for Team Rayceen’s ever-popular LGBTQIA+ showcase offering music, poetry and comedy entertainment. The evening closed with the dynamic Shaw Mini Ball, where extroverted amateurs competed for awards in categories such as Best Dressed Spectator and Best Runway Attitude. The fight for the Vogue Your Way prize was particularly spirited, with a series of heated dance battles determining the winner.
Art All Night Shaw 2026 was presented by Shaw Main Streets with funding from the District’s Department of Small and Local Business Development and its Main Streets program, along with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and Events DC. Sponsors included ArtBoxDC, Beyond Studio, Capital Community News, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, HedRush, Hyatt House, Miller Copying Service, and U Street Parking.
