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 Spanish Ballroom

🎠 Soul Line Dancing with Janee Murray | 11:15am - 12:00pm | Spanish Ballroom

Janee Murray of DC Rawhides has been dancing for as long as she can remember, bringing a lifetime of movement, music, and expression to every class she teaches. Her dance journey spans musical theater, Latin dance, Country Western, and a wide range of line dances, giving her a versatile foundation and a deep appreciation for many styles. With experience teaching both Latin dances and Country Western line dancing, Janee blends technique, rhythm, and fun in a way that helps dancers of all levels feel confident on the floor. She has dedicated the last five years to line dancing specifically, developing a strong passion for its community, creativity, and accessibility. As an instructor, Janee is committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming environment where every dancer feels supported. She believes in adapting her teaching style so that everyone—regardless of background, experience, or learning preference—can succeed. Her philosophy is simple: everyone can learn, and everyone can dance.

🎠 Eric Byrd Trio | 12:15pm - 1:00pm | Spanish Ballroom

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.

 

🎠 National Hand Dance Association | 1:15pm - 2:00pm | Spanish Ballroom

The National Hand Dance Association will be presenting a DC Hand Dance showcase with Kevin Fitzhugh and Shroeder Noble and youth hand dancers from the Roots Public Charter School. An audience hand dance lesson will immediately follow the showcase.

 

🎠 Elements Dance Company | 2:15pm - 3:00pm | Spanish Ballroom

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.

Performances in the Bumper Car Pavilion

🎠 Soul In Motion Players | 12:45pm - 1:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

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.

 

🎠 Clarence "The Blues Man" Turner | 2:00pm - 2:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

Clarence "The Blues Man" Turner is a high energy Blues performer who keeps the audience intrigued by his unique style of guitar playing. Although Clarence keeps true to traditional blues playing, he is also able to excite patrons of all ages by infusing various rhythms into his performance, while maintaining authenticity to the Culture of Blues Music.

 

🎠 SOLE Defined | 3:00pm - 3:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

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. The company has performed and taught across the United States, Canada, Peru, Uganda, South Africa, Mexico, and Italy.

 

Carousel Day will also include:

🎠 Opening Parade, Maypole Dance & Mummers' Play with Washington Revels

To kick off the Carousel Day festivities, Glen Echo Park Resident Organization the Washington Revels will provide a festive musical procession throughout the Park, followed by joyous dancing around a Maypole! Throughout the day, see the Revels perform a Latin American mummers' play, inspired by traveling La Carpa–tent shows that toured Mexico and the southwestern U.S. in the early 1900s.

 

 

 

🎠 Family-Friendly Art Projects

Children will enjoy a range of arts and crafts celebrating spring and the magic of the carousel:

• Dentzel Carousel Crowns
• Create-Your-Own-Carousel! (THE Craft of all Carousel crafts is back!)
• Carousel Animal Fans
• Aluminum Printmaking

🎠 Resident Artist Studios & Galleries

Art Glass Center  

Gallery open and art sales | 11:00am - 4:00pm

 

Glen Echo Glassworks  

Glassblowing demo and art sales | 11:00am - 4:00pm

 

Glen Echo Pottery 

Outdoor Pottery Sale | 11:00am - 5:00pm

Glen Echo Pottery Gallery open | 11:00am - 4:00pm

Drop-in handbuilding activity | 11:00am - 2:00pm

 

Photoworks 

Kids' Cyanotype Printing and Painting  | 12:00pm - 4:00pm | Designed for children ages 6 and up to explore the art of cyanotype printing, kids will have the chance to use stencils, leaves, and flowers to create their own prints.

Petals & Portraits | 12:00pm - 4:00pm | Petals & Portraits invites kids to create their own colorful flower arrangement and pose for a photo with their masterpiece. While the flowers stay behind, families leave with a beautiful, lasting keepsake—a charming photo taken by your phone.
 

Sculpture Studio 

Open studio  | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

 

SilverWorks

Open studio and art sales (Studios 1 & 2) | 11:00am - 4:00pm

 

Stone Tower Studio 

Open studio and art sales | 11:00am - 4:00pm

 

Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery

Pop-up exhibition featuring Yellow Barn instructors: Anastasia Donnellan, Justin Pyles, Aletha Kuschan, Holly Bueller, and Ken Conley at Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery (Studio 1) | 11:00am - 4:00pm

Demos throughout the Park 

🎠 Live Screen Printing

Screen print a piece of art to take home!

 

🎠 Organ Grinders

For a special treat in celebration of the Wurlitzer 165 band organ’s 100th anniversary, Organ Grinders Paul Senger and Terry Bender will play their street organs throughout the day.

 

🎠 Short Films Feat. Folklife Apprenticeships & Heritage Awards artists

The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture is pleased to showcase screenings of documentary short films by Wide Angle Youth Media for the Maryland State Arts Council. These short films document traditions in Maryland through Folklife Apprenticeships and Heritage Awards. 

Thank You to our Carousel Day sponsor: Nora Roberts Foundation!   

Also Happening in the Park on Carousel Day:

Partnership Galleries Exhibitions

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: 

Popcorn Gallery  | Glen Echo Pottery, Collaborations in Clay 2026  

Stone Tower Gallery  | Gerardo Camargo, On Behalf of New Myths / En Nombre de Nuevos Mitos, curated by Fabiola R. Delgado

Park View Gallery | Patricia Whittle, Botanical Whimsy: Patterns in Bloom

Public Art Installation | Lauri Hafvenstein, Magic Staircase 

Learn More >>

Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tour | 10:00am

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

Open with ticketed admission | 9:00am - 5:00pm, timed entry | Glen Echo Park Aquarium | Schedule a visit >> ($)

 

"Aesop’s Fables" at Adventure Theatre MTC

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.

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

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

Suggested Donation: $10
 

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 2026 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.