The third annual Barracks Row festival will be held this Saturday from 11-5, on, you guessed it, Barracks Row. The festival will feature musical performances; a dog show; and over 70 vendors selling art work, gift items, and food. If you haven’t been to Barracks Row and are curious, this is the perfect opportunity to see what some have (perhaps a little prematurely) called “the next Georgetown.”
The Barracks Row strip (the 500-700 blocks of Eighth Street SE) has been one of the great success stories of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program. According to The Common Denominator, the blocks thrived until the 1960s, when large populations began moving to the suburbs. Until about five years ago, the area was stricken with drug traffic and petty crime. Enrollment in the Main Street program — and the ensuing funding — was the first step in revitalizing the strip. Now Eighth Street is home to arts organizations like the Shakespeare Theater, new restaurants and bars like Tapatinis and Finn MacCool’s, and boutiques like Plaid, all welcome additions to life on the Hill.
If you’re unable to come to the festival tomorrow, rumor has it that Tapatinis will be offering free Kutskova vodka for everyone from 8 until the bottles run dry.
To get to Barracks Row, take the Blue or Orange lines to the Eastern Market station or ride the 90 or 92 metrobuses from Woodley Park, Adams Morgan, U Street or Florida Avenue.
