It’s that time of year again: PARK(ing) Day, an annual event that makes the District come alive with decorative pop-up parks in parking spaces, returns from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 20.
The event gives residents and businesses a chance to get creative, building mini-parks in curbside parking spaces throughout D.C.’s eight wards.
There will be 32 spots around town this year to view or hang out in the decorated spaces for free. Some locations include outside Island Press south of Dupont Circle, Eastern Market Main Street, Orangetheory Fitness near Mount Vernon Triangle, and the District Department of Transportation office in Anacostia.
The NoMa Business Improvement District is one of the companies supporting the event again this year, hosting several themed parklets including one called “Pool Party”—and yes, there will be an actual pool in the space. Dip your toes in a 2-by-4-foot pool surrounded by plants and chaise lounges in the 1100 block of First Street NE. The space will be staffed by “lifeguards” who will hand out lemonade during the event.
Brllnt is also decking out parking spaces in NoMa, except they’re taking a more booksmart approach. The marketing agency encourages guests to visit First Street NE and bring a book to donate to Goodwill of Greater Washington. The space will also feature a “giving tree” made by local builders at Design Foundry.
In Chinatown, the DowntownDC Business Improvement District will transform parking spots into an “interactive garden oasis,” its website reads. Guests can work with a local farmer from Up Top Acres from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to plant an herb seedling, or sample some herbs in a free bowl of hummus from Little Sesame. Visitors can also enjoy radishes from the farm, as well as coffee from Starbucks and DowntownDC swag while supplies last.
PARK(ing) Day started in San Francisco in 2005, and has since been held on the third Friday of September in cities all over the world.
Here’s where you can find the mini-parks around town: