SWING DANCE DEAL! A Dual Dance Ticket lets you attend both a Swing Dance with the Daryl Davis Band on 1/17 and a Swing Dance with The Grandsons on 2/7 at a discount! Purchase Dual Dance Tickets >>

 

  • Collage of Black performers and artwork at the Park

    MLK DAY & BLACK HISTORY MONTH

    From its civil rights history to the importance of diversity in modern-day programming, the Glen Echo Park Partnership acknowledges and honors the importance of Black culture. We are eager to celebrate Black History Month, and share the work of Black artists with our community.

    Read the 2025 Press Release >> | Watch Fox5's visit to the Park to explore our 2024 Black History Month programming >>

    MLK Day & Black History Month 2026 Programming

    Special MLK Day Virtual Screening Event: Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round | ONLINE | January 15 - January 20, 2026 | Purchase Tickets >>

    Live Q&A on January 18, 6pm EST with director Ilana Trachtman and several of the film subjects. Recieve the zoom link after purchasing a ticket. 

    In celebration of Dr. King, Ain't No Back is hosting a very special virtual streaming event. Anywhere in the country, viewers at home can rent the film for a limited time and then join us for a special zoom Q&A with director Ilana Trachtman and several of the film subjects. If you missed the film in your community, or we haven't been there yet, this is your chance. Film rental will be available from 1/15-1/19.

     

    Swing Dance with the Daryl Davis Band | Spanish Ballroom | January 17, 2026 at 8:00pm | Purchase Tickets >>

    The Partnership is thrilled to present a Swing Dance to live music from The Daryl Davis Band. A beginner lesson (free with the price of admission) will be taught by Ellen Engle & Marc Shepanek of Flying Feet Enterprises from 8:00pm - 9:00pm and then enjoy dancing with the band from 9:00pm - 11:30pm. International recording artist, author, actor, and band leader, Daryl Davis was born in the Electric Blues Capital of the world, Chicago. He moved to Washington, DC, to earn his Bachelor of Music Degree from Howard University and never left the area. Since then, he has worked with artists such as: Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Platters, The Drifters, The Coasters, Bo Diddley, Percy Sledge, and Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave)–and that’s only a partial list! He’s also an author of renown and widely-recognized expert and lecturer on race relations. 


    Celebrate the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with Washington Revels Jubilee Voices
    OFFSITE: Augustana Lutheran Church | January 18, 2026 at 10:30am | Learn More >>

    Join Washington Revels Jubilee Voices as they bring their unique blend of history, music, and spoken word to lead a special worship service honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Augustana Lutheran Church. The group, now in its 16th year, will present traditional African American spirituals, deliver a “sermon in song,” and lead the congregational singing, joined by the Augustana choir.


    Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tour with National Park Service | Meet at the Dentzel carousel | February 7, 2026 at 10:00am | Learn More >>

    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.

     

    FREE Film Screenings: Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round  | Ballroom Back Room | February 7, 2026 at 11:30am & 2:00pm | RSVP (Required) >>

    The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture presents two free screenings of "Ain't No Back to a Merry-Go-Round" in the Ballroom Back Room at Glen Echo Park. RSVPs required. The film has a runtime of 90 minutes. Read the full synopsis at aintnoback.com

     

    Washington Conservatory of Music Concert with Accord Symphony Orchestra: Black History Month | OFFSITE: St. Columba’s Episcopal Church | February 15, 2026 at 3:00pm | More Details Coming Soon >>

    Washington Conservatory of Music (WCM)—one of the Park’s resident arts organizations and a nationally accredited music school—presents a concert in honor of Black History Month on Sunday, February 15, at 3:00pm at St. Columba Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. 

     

    Winston Harris: New Everything, New  | Park View Gallery | Opening February 21, 2026

    Park View Gallery at Glen Echo Park presents New Everything, New, a solo exhibition of work by African-American artist Winston Harris, a DC-area printmaker. The show will include work produced during his time as a Key-Holder Artist in Residence at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (2022-2023) as well as artwork created during a 2024-2025 Artist’s Workshop at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. The exhibition runs February 21–March 21. Park View Gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 10:00am – 6:00pm.

    Civil Rights at the Park

    From its beginnings as a Chautauqua in 1891 and later as a place of amusement in the 1890s, Glen Echo Park only advertised in newspapers with primarily White readerships. The park was not strictly segregated, but visitation by Black individuals and families was not encouraged, and likely discouraged. Restrictions hardened in 1931 with the opening of the Crystal Pool. From that point through the 1950s, the privately-owned Glen Echo Amusement was officially segregated and would not admit Black patrons. Thanks to a group of brave protestors–both Black and White–during the summer of 1960, the park was integrated the following year.

    Read more about how Glen Echo Park's carousel was central to the civil rights story of the Washington, DC area >>

    The Summer of Change

    In Glen Echo Park history, the summer of 1960 is often referred to as the “Summer of Change,” because it was then that a group of Howard University students organized themselves as the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG) to combat racism and segregation in the D.C. area and chose the now-defunct Glen Echo Amusement Park as one of their first protests.

    With tickets purchased by a White NAG member, the students seated themselves on the carousel animals. Seeing that there were Black students in the group, the carousel operator refused to start the ride. This launched a standoff; two and a half hours later, five Black students were arrested for trespassing.

    White community members from the nearby Bannockburn neighborhood were already challenging the amusement park’s segregation rule, so when NAG activists returned the following day, their numbers were quickly boosted by local residents. Union members from the national labor movement also joined the cause. The picket line continued every day that summer, with numbers ranging from 25 to hundreds. Protesters endured 90 degree heat, threats of violence, and a counter-protest organized by George Lincoln Rockwell’s American Nazi Party.

    Throughout the summer, local press wrote articles that helped publicize the protests and attract more supporters. By August, celebrities and national figures began to speak out. What began with a few young members of NAG, now was a powerful movement that echoed protests in North Carolina, Atlanta, and New Orleans.

    The Glen Echo Amusement Park protests ended on September 11, when the park closed for the season. Over that winter, U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy intervened, and by March 14, 1961, the private owners of the Glen Echo Amusement Park had abandoned their segregation practices. When the park opened again for a new season in the summer of 1961, it was open to all, and it remained so until the permanent closing of the amusement park and its rides in 1968.

    Civil rights era photo of newspaper clipping

    Hearing on the Glen Echo Amusement Park civil rights protests.

    National Park Service, Glen Echo Park Photo Archives

     

    Glen Echo Park Civil Rights Story Brochure

    For best viewing, click the full screen icon ( full screen icon with four black arrows facing in 4 directions to make a square ) in the bottom right corner of the catalog screen (or in the middle of the screen if you are on a mobile device).

    Protestas en el Glen Echo Amusement Park de 1960

    Para una mejor visualización, haga clic en el icono de pantalla completa ( full screen icon with four black arrows facing in 4 directions to make a square ) en la esquina inferior derecha de la pantalla del catálogo (o en el centro de la pantalla si está en un dispositivo móvil).

    Black Visual Artists Presented at the Park

    The Partnership is proud to emphasize diversity in its lineup of exhibitions in the Partnership Galleries throughout each year, and has featured many talented Black artists in recent years, including:

    Black Performing Artists Presented at the Park

    The performing arts are another cornerstone of programming at the Park. Recent Black performing artists include: