Global Rhythms at Glen Echo Park

Six Hours of Music, and Nobody Has to Sit Still

Glen Echo Park gives its whole Saturday over to music, dance and storytelling from around the world, and charges nothing for it. This year the Capital Horns play Latin music, Hungarian folk dancers perform, and a contemporary Hungarian choreographer premieres a piece she built during a week-long residency at the park. Food trucks handle lunch. It runs noon to 6pm on Saturday, September 5.

The reason this one works with kids is that nobody expects them to sit through anything. Performances move around the park all afternoon, so a child who is finished with one act can wander toward the next. RSVP is preferred but not required, and parking is free in the main lot on Oxford Road.

It also lands on the same weekend as the 55th Labor Day Art Show, which fills the park galleries Friday through Monday. If the September sun gets to be too much, the galleries are a free, quiet, indoor break that is a two-minute walk away.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓RSVP anyway. It is not required, but it takes thirty seconds and helps the park plan.
• ✓Bring a blanket. Seating is limited and most of the audience ends up on the grass.
• ✓Pair it with the Art Show. Free, indoors, and a good reset when a kid overheats.
• ✓Come hungry. Food trucks are on site, so you can skip packing lunch. Still bring water.
• ✓Don't plan the full six hours. Two or three acts and a wander is usually the sweet spot with small kids.