art all night festival

Art All Night is a citywide art festival taking place in sixteen (16) neighborhoods with different activations occurring each night, bringing visual and perforating arts to indoor and outdoor public and private spaces, including local businesses and restaurants. Minnesota Avenue Main Street (MAMS) partners with the Ward 7 community to celebrate our local small businesses and rich history in the arts, with special performances and interactive activities taking place throughout the night. 

This festival is hosted by Mayor Muriel Bowser in partnership with participating Main Streets and Business Improvement Districts, with support from the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities and the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business DevelopmentMain Street neighborhoods. 

On September, 24 2021, Minnesota Avenue Main Street (MAMS) joined Mayor Bowser's Art All Night festival. MAMS partners with the Ward 7 community to celebrate our rich history in the arts, with special performances and interactive activities. Businesses located along the Minnesota Avenue NE corridor participated by offering special promotions and providing discounts. 

In September of 2020, MAMS led the virtual celebration of the Minnesota Avenue community's engagement in Art All Night. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the community from coming together in person, the digital programming showcased food recipes, hair design, murals, and more, thereby honoring local influential artists and small businesses. 

For the second year, MAMS led Minnesota Avenue Community's participation in Art All Night. MAMS partnered with entrepreneurs and community members to celebrate Ward 7's rich history in the arts with interactive activities ranging from art demonstrations and instruction, musical and poetry performances, photography, and dancing. Over 50 artists and performers presented their talent and artistry to more than 2,500 visitors. 

The historical Senator Theatre received a makeover through a light and sound installation activated by the exterior sound environment. A mural dedicated to novelist Toni Morrison was painted on the side wall of the theatre with the quote "The Function of Freedom is to Free Someone Else."