FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2025
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Weekly September activations bring DJs, new pop-up markets and specials at favorite downtown restaurants every Thursday night.
Washington, D.C. (Aug 21, 2025) – There’s something amazing to do nearly every week in September as Usan Usan, the cultural force behind the smash-hit Umbrella Art Fair and Redeye Night Market, the DowntownDC Business Improvement District and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) turn Downtown D.C. into a culture vulture’s paradise.
Launched with grant funding from DMPED, “Thursday Night Out” will activate outdoor downtown venues from Chinatown Park to Anthem Row to the lawn of the National Building Museum every Thursday in September from 5-10 p.m. with some of the city’s best underground parties and genre-spanning DJ collectives, including Extended Play, Flower Factory, Dance Club and Church on Sunday. Guests, meanwhile, can shop unique, curated markets every week with art, streetwear and vintage goods from Samasama, Evolve Vintage + the Disco Loft, and more. Before or after each activation, be sure to check out a host of buy-one-get-one (BOGO) “Thursday Night Out” deals at nearby neighborhood restaurants and bars, including Carmine’s, Daikaya Izakaya, Jaleo, Chaia, Kata DC, Lucky Danger, and more. Guests can unlock these BOGO deals through experience partner Bandwango. By signing up, they will also be eligible to win gift card prizes. Sign up for Bandwango HERE.
“Thursday Night Out” is part of the DowntownDC BID’s efforts to make downtown a dynamic and diverse district that is green, livable, and walkable. This event series is funded by DMPED’s Downtown Summer Activation Grant program with support from Destination DC.
The “Thursday Night Out” schedule includes:
- SEPTEMBER 4: Extended Play spins at Chinatown Park (on Massachusetts Avenue NW between 6th and 5th Streets NW), with a marketplace curated by Samasama. Black Rave Culture, meanwhile, plays its signature wildly inventive blend of house, techno, dub, and baile funk and more on the lawn of the National Building Museum (401 F Street NW).
- SEPTEMBER 11: The Street Market Gallery by Home Court DMV, the Silver Spring-based resource for streetwear, sneakers, and culture, and DriftersMD will pop-up at Anthem Row (800 K Street NW) while Church on Sunday, a collective spotlighting black electronic dance music across DC, and singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ Dreamcast.Moe perform on the lawn of the National Building Museum.
- SEPTEMBER 18: Anthem Row lights up for Gen Z with a dance party featuring 140+ and FWB, and a pop-up market with unique art, clothing, records, and home goods from Get Flee, voted best flea market for Gen-Z by Washingtonian Magazine.
- SEPTEMBER 25: Anthem Row will be filled with a celebration of fashion and queer identity, complete with a vintage-filled night market from queer-owned and gender-inclusive shop Evolve Vintage, and the funky, vibrant vintage clothing shop Disco Loft; dance music from queer DJ collective the Flower Factory and LGBTQ/BIPOC dance party The Dance Club; and roving drag queens, there to give guests their flowers.
“We’re excited to bring the ‘Thursday Night Out’ series to the heart of downtown, transforming three of our most lively public spaces into a celebration of music, culture, and delicious food,” said Gerren Price, president and CEO of the Downtown DC BID. “These free weekly gatherings are all about coming together, celebrating local artists, supporting small businesses, and creating memorable moments for friends, families, and neighbors alike. This fall, we invite you to feel the energy and creativity that make our downtown unique.”
“Thanks to Mayor Bowser’s continued investment through the Downtown Summer Activation Grant program, we’re bringing continuous activity and energy to Gallery Place-Chinatown,” said Nina Albert, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “Exciting activations like Thursday Night Out draw people Downtown, and we encourage residents, employees, and visitors to experience all it has to offer and support our small businesses.”
In addition to “Thursday Night Out,” Usan Usan is also whetting art fans’ appetites for the Umbrella Art Fair in November with two new art events in September: The new Friends of USAN art exhibition, a three day pop-up show Sept. 12-14 featuring over 100 pieces of 1’x1’ work by more than 50 local artists, takes over Gallery Space @ Gallery Place (616 H Street NW), with a public opening Sept. 12 at 6 pm, and a special Art All Night event on Sept. 13 with a DJ set by Chinatown Funk Express.
Finally, the inaugural Umbrella Photo Fair will showcase the work of over 30 emerging and established photographers in a platform that pushes creative boundaries and connects photographers with art lovers and collectors. It runs Sept. 26-28, also at Gallery Space @ Gallery Place, with an opening party on Sept. 26 featuring DJ Mathias.
Thursday Night Out, Friends of Usan and the Umbrella Art Fair are all initiatives driven by Usan Usan’s mission of supporting local artists, and creative entrepreneurs. Like Umbrella Art Fair, Umbrella Photo Fair takes no participation fees or commissions from artists, with all sales going directly to photographers.
Friends of Usan will be open to the public Sept. 12 from 6-10pm, Sept. 13 with Art All Night from noon-10pm, and Sept. 14 from noon-6pm.
Umbrella Photo Fair will be open to the public Sept. 26 from 6-10pm, Sept. 27 from noon-10pm, and Sept. 28 from noon-6pm.
For more details and a full list of participating restaurants, visit www.downtowndc.org.
About Usan Usan: USAN USAN is dedicated to nurturing a vibrant ecosystem where artists and creative entrepreneurs stand at the center of innovation and prosperity. Our vision is steeped in the boundless power of collaboration. We believe in the transformative potential of unity and coalition-building. Usan Usan is a catalyst for economic growth, offering a canvas for artists and creative entrepreneurs to showcase their work. Co-founded by muralist, designer and No Kings Collective co-founder Peter Chang and Ally Mumm, co-founder of brand strategy consultancy The Good Neighbor, USAN USAN is the force behind Umbrella Art Fair, REDEYE Night Market, and Studio USAN.
About the DowntownDC BID:
Downtown DC is the most diverse and exciting neighborhood in one of the most important cities in the world. Here, locals and visitors find all the most thrilling experiences of DC in 140 walkable and transit-rich blocks: business, education and government; shopping and dining; parks, art, music, sports, theater, history — adding up to a bright future.
Founded in 1997, the DowntownDC BID’s area includes 530 properties and is defined by Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at Mount Vernon Square, to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west.