ECHO ARTS FESTIVAL
Sunday, September 28, 2025 | 12pm – 5pm | Throughout the Park
Join us at the Park for a celebration of visual and performing arts! This FREE event will include a multitude of hands-on activities, live music, and unique opportunities to delve into the arts.
We hope you can join us for an art-filled day! Echo Arts Festival is our fall celebration of visual and performing arts at the Park.
RAIN or SHINE, we've got you covered (literally! even outdoor spaces are covered) with so many different types of arts and cultural programs that make up this annual festival: performances, workshops, art sales, art demos, hands-on art/craft projects, and more!
The FREE event will include unique opportunities to delve into the arts. From hands-on art activities, to musical performances – including Emma G – to dance performances & workshops, and Resident Artists' open studios & galleries, everyone is sure to find something fun to explore!
Echo Arts Festival takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month, and we're thrilled to feature an incredible lineup of musicians and dance presenters showcasing Hispanic culture including Grupo Fénix, DC Casineros, and more!
We'll have food, too, so you can stay all day! Square Taco food truck, and our own Praline Café.
Check out all the activities below. (On the day of the event, we'll post a schedule here to view & download.)
RSVP preferred, not required. There is no check-in at this event.
Thank you to our generous event sponsor!
Performances / Presentations
- GRUPO FÉNIX | 12:00pm - 12:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
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Grupo Fénix is a Washington, DC-based collective of musicians focused on preserving and promoting musical genres from Mexican and Latin American culture. The group combines rancheras, huapangos, boleros, and son jarocho with Caribbean and South American influences for a multi-layered experience of the Latin American soundscape. (Fans of the Washington Folk festival may recognize this group from a 2023 performance at the Park.)
Learn more about Grupo Fénix >>
- SALSA & BACHATA WITH AMBER LOGAN | Salsa: 12:45pm - 1:30pm, Bachata: 1:30pm - 2:15pm | Spanish Ballroom
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Latin Dance instructor Amber Logan will lead introductory Salsa and Bachata lessons in the historic Spanish Ballroom. Amber is the instructor at monthly, Partnership-presented Bachata y más (Bachata & More) dances.
- DC CASINEROS WITH GERARDO CONTINO AND LOS HABANEROS | 1:00pm - 1:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
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DC Casineros Dance Company will present a dance performance and demonstration rooted in AfroCuban, Afro-Caribbean, and French/English contra dances. The Company’s co-directors, Amanda Gill and Adrian Valdivia, have performed and taught at local venues and have experience with dance-as-therapy. DC Casineros has been presenting their popular Rueda de Casino social dances at the Park for two years.
Learn more about DC Casineros >>
Gerardo Contino and Los Habaneros will present a performance of Cuban music. Bandleader and singer Gerardo Contino began performing professionally in Havana, Cuba at the age of 19. Gerardo created and directed Los Habaneros, which went on to become the 2015 "Best Band in Manhattan" (WNYC/NPR), and the 2017 "Best Cuban Dance Band" (NY Latin Culture Magazine). Mixing musical styles from their home in Cuba with the diversity of sounds they encountered when they made New York City their home, Los Habaneros transcend traditional musical genres to create a real fusion that provokes fans into hip-shaking abandon.
Learn more about Gerardo Contino and Los Habaneros >>
- CULKIN SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL IRISH DANCE | 2:00pm - 2:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
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The Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance keeps Irish dance and music alive through a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum for ages 5 through adult. Founded in 1997 by Sean and Denise Culkin, the school prides itself on its sense of community and has been able to foster relationships that last a lifetime through the ties of Irish culture and the interest in Irish dance.
Learn more about Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance >>
- WASHINGTON REVELS: HERITAGE VOICES | 2:30pm - 3:30pm | Spanish Ballroom
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Founded in 1983 as a multi-generational performing arts community of professionals and nonprofessionals that presents traditional music, dance, storytelling, and drama, Washington Revels has been a resident arts organization at Glen Echo Park since 2021. Revels includes four performing ensembles — Gallery Voices, Heritage Voices, Jubilee Voices, and Maritime Voices.
Learn more about Heritage Voices >>
- EMMA G | 3:00pm - 3:45pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
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Headlining this year’s festival is Emma G, an award-winning singer-songwriter, two-time TEDx speaker, transformational empowerment coach, and #1 bestselling author who uses music as a vehicle for healing, resilience, and self-discovery. Whether on stage, in a studio, or through the screen, Emma G helps people find their voice and their power.
- SAMBA WITH EDUCARTE | 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Spanish Ballroom
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Dance presenter EducArte will teach a lesson in Samba in the historic Spanish Ballroom. EducArte is a Montgomery County-based Brazilian performing arts presenter dedicated to celebrating and sharing the vibrancy of Brazilian culture through music, dance, and educational programs. The Partnership co-presents a monthly Sarau de Samba event with EducArte in the Ballroom Back Room.
- WEST COAST SWING WITH LATE NIGHT EARLY | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Bumper Car Pavilion
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Late Night Early will present a performance and a participatory, beginner-friendly West Coast Swing workshop. Late Night Early will also present a late-afternoon social dance & lesson after the festival.
Learn more about Late Night Early >>
Demos / Hands-On
- HANDS-ON ART PROJECTS
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Details coming soon!
- SHORT FILMS FEATURING FOLKLIFE APPRENTICESHIPS & HERITAGE AWARDS ARTISTS
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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.
- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MOBILE VISITOR CENTER
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Junior Ranger programs are a great way for "children" of all ages to learn about National Parks by completing fun activity booklets and earning their Junior Ranger Badges. Stop by the NPS Mobile Visitor Center, pick up the free booklets of your choice, and learn about the history of Glen Echo and the Civil Rights Movement. A selection of Junior Ranger Books and Badges will be available, including Glen Echo Park Civil Rights, Clara Barton National Historic Site, The U.S. Colored Troops from Theodore Roosevelt Island, and Captain George Pointer from Great Falls Park.
Resident Visual Arts Organizations, including Demos & Art Sales
- Glen Echo Pottery
- Sculpture Studio
- Stone Tower Studio
- SilverWorks
- Photoworks
- Art Glass Center
- Glassworks
- Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery
Glen Echo Park Partnership Galleries
- Popcorn Gallery: View the current exhibition; artwork for sale.
- Stone Tower Gallery: View the current exhibition; artwork for sale.
Food & Beverages
- Praline Café
- Square Taco food truck
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.
While we will have different activities and performers this year, watch this video of highlights from previous Echo Arts Festivals to get a taste of what the event is like!
Suggested Donation: $10
Every contribution helps us present free festivals, concerts, preserve and maintain the Park's historic buildings, and more.
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