Culture of Washington, D.C.
The culture of Washington, D.C. is reflected in its status as the capital of the United States and the presence of the federal government, its large Black population, and its role as the largest city in the Chesapeake Bay region.
The presence of the U.S. federal government, in particular, has been instrumental in developing numerous cultural institutions throughout the city, such as museums and performing arts centers.
[1] DAR Constitution Hall, National Theatre, and other venues remained segregated throughout the early part of the 20th century.
The Lincoln Theatre hosted the likes of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald on U Street (known as "Washington's Black Broadway") prior to the 1968 riots.
[3][4] Arena Stage has produced 22 productions that have been performed on Broadway, including Sweat, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Velocity of Autumn.
[6] Founded in 1976 by Hugo Medrano, GALA shares the Latino art and culture to the public by creating productions that touch communities today, and preserves the Hispanic heritage for future generations.
Notable Washingtonians in the entertainment industry include singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye, film actress Helen Hayes, comedian David Chappelle, musician Duke Ellington, filmmaker Ted Salins and two members of Jefferson Airplane: guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady.
The Kennedy Center Honors are awarded the first weekend of December every year to individuals in the performing arts who have contributed greatly to the cultural life of the United States.
[10] The Honors Gala is one of the annual cultural highlights of the Washington, D.C., art scene and is attended by various respected individuals in film, theater, dance, and music as well as the President of the United States and the First Lady.
Farrell announced in September 2016 that the company will disband indefinitely in December 2017, citing her desire to return to teaching full-time.
Punk bands of note from Washington include Tru Fax & the Insaniacs, Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat.
On New Year's Day in 1801, the band officially debuted at the White House for President John Adams and has since performed for State Dinners, South Lawn Arrivals, presidential inaugurations, and receptions.
The U Street Corridor is a commercial and residential district in Northwest Washington, D.C., that holds many restaurants, clubs, shops, and art galleries.
U Street is the home to the Bohemian Caverns and the Lincoln Theatre, and is where famed DC-native jazz musician Duke Ellington began his career.
There were two Major League Baseball teams named the Washington Senators in the early and mid-20th century, which left to become respectively the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers.
Office buildings, high-end condominiums, restaurant chains, movie theatres, and other luxuries have sprung up around Chinatown.
[27] D.C. is the birthplace of the half-smoke,[28] which is a half-pork, half-beef sausage, typically placed in a hotdog-style bun and topped with chili, onions, and mustard.
[29] Many celebrity chefs are based out of D.C., including José Andrés,[30] Kwame Onwuachi,[31] Gordon Ramsay,[32][33] and previously Michel Richard.
The Washington Post also had a daily free newspaper called the Express, summarizing events, sports, and entertainment.
Major television network affiliates include WRC 4 (NBC), WTTG 5 (Fox), WJLA 7 (ABC), WUSA 9 (CBS), WDCA 20 (MyNetwork TV) and WDCW 50 (The CW) as well as WETA 26 and WHUT 32 (PBS) stations.
They are: WMAR 2 (ABC) – WBAL 11 (NBC) – WJZ 13 (CBS) – WMJF 16 (Ind/MTV2) – WMPT 22 / WMPB 67 (PBS/MPB) – WUTB 24 (MyNetwork TV) – WBFF 45 (FOX) – WNUV 54 (The CW) (The Tube on DT2) Spanish-language television is also represented by Telemundo WZDC-LP 25 and Telefutura affiliate WMDO-CA 47, but these are low-power television stations limited to within the Capital Beltway area.
The change caused Univision and Telefutura to exchange channel locations on D.C. area cable TV systems, too.
The earliest reports from viewers did not indicate any availability of its broadcasts inside the District, as far south as Prince William County, Virginia, or as far north as the Columbia/Baltimore area.
Among these are C-SPAN on Capitol Hill and Voice of America (VOA) in Southwest D.C. Two that have their headquarters in suburban D.C. include Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, Maryland and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in Arlington, Virginia.
Two major contemporary Christian music stations in the region are WGTS 91.9 FM (of Takoma Park) and WPIR 89.9 (of Warrenton, Virginia).
WOL 1450 AM, WKYS 93.9 FM, and WMMJ 102.3 are owned by Washington's Radio One, the largest African American media conglomerate in the country.
Dupont Circle has historically been the epicenter of LGBT culture in D.C.[36] Since 1986, on the Tuesday before Halloween, the High Heel Drag Queen Race is held.
[citation needed] In 2010, the largest Latino population in Washington, D.C., were Salvadorans, followed by Mexicans and Puerto Ricans respectively.
[38] The Hispanic Access Foundation is a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., that works to improve the lives of Latinos in the United States by promoting civic engagement and helping them gain trustworthy support systems.
Several organizations, such as the Latin American Youth Center, help foster the educational and professional needs of young Latino students.
