Get ready for music all day before Art All Night.
A new culture festival was recently announced to take place in DC on September 25th, 2021. NEXTfest, organized by CapitalBop and co-produced by Long Live GoGo (the group behind Moechella) and Washington Parks & People, is being promoted as “DC’s largest fully free celebration of jazz, funk, and go-go music culture.”
And it’s timely for music enthusiasts as New Orleans’ JazzFest was put on hold this year and rescheduled for Spring.
There are plans for two stages, nine bands, and a day full of varied cultural programming featuring some of the leading names in music from all around the DC area.
Taking place all day, from noon to 9:30 pm on Saturday, Sep. 25, NEXTfest is projected to be an annual celebration to start the fall season, claiming a place for the city’s musical heritage on the annual festival calendar.
There is no coincidence that the majority of events are located at Meridian Hill Park, just a few blocks from where the #DontMuteDC protests were launched in 2019. The main stage will be on the northern side of the park’s Joan of Arc statue, with a second stage facing it on the walkway roughly 100 yards from the main stage.
More programs, however, will take place across the street at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, like a symposium on the jazz, funk, and go-go traditions of Washington, DC that CapitalBop is hosting from 12 to 6 p.m. on September 25th in addition to a series of artist Q&As, art installations, panel discussions, and workshops.
Participants also won’t want to miss the video game truck provided by Moechella.
Here’s the current lineup (subject to change):
Mumu Fresh, aka Maimouna Youssef
Idol Beings (Akua Allrich & Kris Funn)
Student ensemble TBA
