CAROUSEL DAY
May 2, 2026 • 11am – 4pm || FREE Performances || FREE Hands-On Arts & Crafts || Carousel Rides || FREE Parking
RSVP (Preferred, not required) >> PURCHASE CAROUSEL TICKETS ONLINE >>
Join us (rain or shine!!) on Saturday, May 2, 2026, for a festival event in celebration of Glen Echo Park's 105-year-old Dentzel carousel as it opens for the season!
In addition to riding the carousel ($2 per ride or $5 for an all-day pass), visitors will enjoy many FREE activities throughout the Park, including performances, hands-on art projects, open studios & galleries, and more! Food options include Praline Café and Money Muscle BBQ food truck, as well as cold treats from Ben & Jerry's and Pacha Mama Juice Co.
RSVP (Preferred, not required) >>
PURCHASE CAROUSEL TICKETS ONLINE >>
Find more information about visiting the park here >>
We are thrilled to present these performers:
Performances in the Bumper Car Pavilion
- 🎠 Soul In Motion Players
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For over four decades, Soul In Motion has preserved and shared the rich traditions of West African drum and dance, creating engaging performances that inspire, educate, and unite diverse communities.
- 🎠 Elements Dance Company
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Elements Dance Company is North Bethesda’s pre-professional training program for dedicated dancers ages 8-18. With a focus on Hip Hop and urban dance styles—including breaking, locking, popping, house, and commercial dance—the program blends high-level technique with real-world performance opportunities. Dancers train with industry professionals, build confidence, and take the stage at major events, all while growing as artists and athletes in a supportive, community-driven environment.
- 🎠 SOLE Defined
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SOLE Defined, led by the 2024 Guggenheim Choreography Fellow Ryan K. Johnson and International Art-based Teaching Artist Quynn L. Johnson, metamorphosizes percussive dance by transforming their bodies into human drums, creating immersive performances and innovative arts education programs. The company pushes the boundaries of African Diasporic Percussive Dance, specifically Tap Dance, Body Percussion, and Sand Dance, infused with technology and original musical orchestrations, captivating audiences nationwide. SOLE Defined's mission is to preserve, advance, and honor the tradition of African Diasporic Percussive Dance. The company aims to establish itself as a central hub for Tap Dance, Body Percussion, and Sand Dance physical practices and practitioners, offering full-time employment with health and retirement benefits to artists, creatives, administrators, and crew. The company has performed and taught across the United States, Canada, Peru, Uganda, South Africa, Mexico, and Italy.
Performances in the Spanish Ballroom
- 🎠 National Hand Dance Association
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Formed in Washington, DC in 1994, the mission of the National Hand Dance Association (NHDA) is to "Promote, Educate and Preserve" the art form known as Hand Dance. Hand Dance is an improvisational form of swing style partner dancing developed in the Washington, DC area in the early 1950s. The dance evolved from the early Lindy Hop and Jitterbug dance styles of the 1930s. Hand Dance can vary from a 6 count to a 12 count dance depending on the various styles of the dance fueled by music ranging from music of the 1950s to today’s contemporary sounds. Individual style and interpretation is key to the definition and understanding of the dance. Hand Dance is the Official Dance of the District of Columbia by Resolution of the DC Council.
The National Hand Dance Association is a clearinghouse and resource of current and archival information on Hand Dance and the many activities associated with the dance and its culture. Today, NHDA and the organization's members and affiliates promote Hand Dance through support and promotion of the hundreds of Hand Dance classes and workshops both locally and nationally, dance competitions, social events, cultural dance exchange and public education programs. Through its Community Service, the organization has received special recognition for its presentations in dance and narration on the culture of Hand Dance from its beginnings as Lindy Hop to the various styles of Hand Dance from the 1950s – 1960s (also known as “Old School Hand Dance”), to the contemporary Hand Dance style (also known as New School Hand Dance”).
- 🎠 The Eric Byrd Trio
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For 25 years The Eric Byrd Trio (EBT) has brought the spirit of swing, bebop, gospel, and the blues to audiences worldwide. Winners of the Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, the Trio has also received a Governor’s Citation from Larry Hogan honoring 20 years of global performances. Their recording Twenty earned the 2022 Washington Area Music Award (Wammie) for Jazz Recording of the Year, and their newest release, Echoes of Arrival (August 2025, Two for the Show Media), marks an exciting new chapter with support from Shaunna Machosky of Jazzdog Promotions.
Carousel Day will also include:
- 🎠 Family-Friendly Art Projects
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Children will enjoy a range of arts and crafts celebrating spring and the magic of the carousel:
- Springtime Flutters (Butterfly and Dragonfly paper hand puppets)
- Create-Your-Own-Carousel! (THE Craft of all Carousel crafts is back!)
- Carousel Animal Fans
- Rainbow Bird craft with a special guest presenter!
- 🎠 Resident Artist Studios & Galleries
Thank You to our Carousel Day sponsor: Nora Roberts Foundation!
Also Happening in the Park on Carousel Day:
- Partnership Galleries Exhibitions
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The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture curates and manages three galleries: Popcorn Gallery, Stone Tower Gallery, and Park View Gallery. These spaces present work by both established and emerging artists.
On view during Carousel Day:
- Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tour | 10:00am
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10:00am - 10:45am | Meet at the Dentzel Carousel | Learn More about NPS Tours >>
Who led the Civil Rights protests to desegregate Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1960? Which amusement park ride was a focal point of the protests? How did Glen Echo Park become part of the National Park System? Explore Glen Echo Park’s history on this 45-minute free walking tour and find out the answers to these questions and more! This 45-minute ranger-led tour starts at the Dentzel Carousel at 10:00am. No registration required.
- Glen Echo Park Aquarium
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Open with ticketed admission | 9:00am - 5:00pm, timed entry | Glen Echo Park Aquarium | Schedule a visit >> ($)
- "Aesop’s Fables" at Adventure Theatre MTC
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11:00am & 2:00pm | Adventure Theatre MTC | Purchase Tickets >> ($)
Aesop’s Fables is a vibrant, theatrical adventure that brings timeless tales to life with wit, warmth, and whimsy. Adapted by acclaimed playwright Mike Kenny, this fast-paced production features a lovable troupe of traveling storytellers—Wolfie, Syd, Harriet, and Barry—who use humor and imagination to retell five classic fables: The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Wind and the Sun, The Lion and the Mouse, and The Wolf and the Jackdaw. Each story delivers a valuable life lesson on patience, honesty, kindness, and perseverance, making it a delightful experience that entertains while inspiring young audiences to think, feel, and grow.
- "The Forest of the Witch" at the Puppet Co.
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11:30am, 1:00pm, & 3:00pm | the Puppet Co. | Purchase Tickets >> ($)
With a 700-year history, Turkish shadow theatre is one of the world’s oldest shadow play traditions, brought to the stage through Ayhan Hulagu’s original solo performance. Recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Karagöz is reimagined here through The Forest of the Witch and The Other Side of Hollywood, blending tradition with contemporary storytelling.
This performance brings the past and present together in a surprising and playful way—traditional, modern, unexpected, and delightfully entertaining.
- Concert with Nowhere Men feat. The Wildflower Frequency | 7:30pm
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7:30pm, doors open at 7:00pm | Spanish Ballroom | Purchase Tickets >> ($)
Come join us for an evening concert (with room to dance!) in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park!
Performing bands during this evening will be Nowhere Men, a Beatles tribute band, with The Wildflower Frequency opening the set.
Nowhere Men are an acoustic quartet of guitars, bass, percussion, and lots of singing! Based out of NOVA, NM pride themselves on reproducing the vocals of the Beatles in a more intimate atmosphere that is suited for a wide variety of venues. They will be returning at the Park, previously performing during the Summer Concert Series and Music FREE-for-all back in 2025!
Check out fun highlights from a previous Carousel Day!
- 🎠 Highlights from Carousel Day 2023
Every contribution helps us present free festivals and concerts, preserve and maintain the Park's historic buildings, and more.
FREE parking in our main parking lot at 5801 Oxford Road. Search "Glen Echo Park Parking" in Google Maps. Find more information and a link to our Park Map here.
Visit our Dentzel Carousel page to learn more about the carousel's operation
Read the 2025 Carousel Day Press Release here.
Learn more about the carousel's history and the civil rights story of the carousel here.
Learn about our 2021 Carousel 100th Anniversary Celebration here.
Watch 100 years of the carousel in photos here.
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