H Street Festival

H Street Festival 2017! What a fun day it was. So many vendors, live music, and attendees created a wonderful environment. I had a stewed chicken meal with Mac and cheese and collard greens. Prices were fair, and portions were big. I'd definitely come back to the festival in the future.

The 2022 H Street Festival executed on every street festival/block party need: Good food, good music & entertainment, good vendors, a little dancing with a whole lot of celebration.. and Mother Nature brought the good weather! Not only was there diversity within the items listed above but it brought out a diverse crowd--I'm sure every identity was present at the festival making for good vibes.

Food wise, there was a range of vendors that included food from across the Black diaspora (Jamaican, Haitian, Southern soul food), American cuisine, Bar food from H Street bars & restaurants, sushi & other Asian cuisine , among other fun food trucks.

The music I experienced spread across multiple genres (African, r&b, reggae, hip hop, country, and pop) and was put forth by live musicians, DJs, and drag queens. Street formers were also off stage entertaining us with their percussion and brass instruments.

Prairie to circle around for parking and most spots are gone and streets are closed off. But it's fun to see the performers sample food and stuff

H Street Festival is the largest neighborhood festival in Washington, D.C. It started out 12+ years as a block party. Now it spans 11 blocks and attracts 150,000 people in one day, always a Saturday in September. It usually starts at noon and goes into the evening.

Since it's a massive festival almost every business along the H Street corridor is involved (except for Whole Foods and Starbucks). In addition, almost every food vendor and truck sets up shop at the festival. They have all kinds of food and there are many vendors selling arts and crafts (usually around 4th Street). There are also several staging areas, booths giving out water, and even a few stalls from churches.

It's always a great time and you'll get a taste for all types of culture in the city. It's AWESOME!

This festival has changed so much over the years. I remember the smaller version at the eastern end of H Street, when it was way more lit and way more hip. Definitely a cooler vibe back then.

However, I thought I would hate it's current incarnation, but I don't. I truly had a lot of fun wandering around, and I appreciate that it is still super diverse. Just be sure to seek out the local vendors. The growth offers more music, shopping, and eating, so can't complain. I'd been avoiding it for years, but am thinking I'm going to make it an annual thing. It's definitely worth checking it.

Why have I not been here before?? It feels like DC's biggest block party!! It's around the middle of September, when it's still hot enough to sweat while you're walking around. Get ready for it, cause you will sweat. The streets are so crowded, well, H Street is so crowded, you can't do anything but walk with the crowd and try to break off! If you start from the west and move east, you'll hit up the shopping area with many vendors peddling artistic creations from clothing to toiletries to trinkets to sculpture to paintings.

Keep going, and you'll be dancing in the streets with one of dozens of live performance bands, singers and dancers. It's quite an eclectic mix!

And then there are other businesses, non-profits and organizations vying for your attention from banks to anti-this or let's beat that.

Really though, I think people attend this festival for what feels like Mardi Gras in the H Street Corridor. Beverages are flowing. People are having a good time. There is so much going on, it's crazy. There is so much booze and food, it's unreal. The hardest part is finding some place to sit to drink or eat. Many people just went to the local businesses to drink and eat if looking for a seat. I don't think anything was particularly amazing, but the kettle corn stand was a delectable treat.

Smoothie, juice, beer, BBQ, rice, beans, jerk this, taco that, noodles and veggies, s'mores, water and so much more. There ke literally something for everyone! See you at the next one! (Don't drive - Uber, bike or Metro!)

I showed up a bit late to the party this past Saturday but still made the most of the two hours I had from 5-7pm. If I had known there was going to be so much going on, I would have made my way there earlier! H Street was shut down for about 10 blocks! Food trucks, beer gardens, music......three of my favorite things all rolled into a pretty packaged event! It was wall to wall people, but that's to be expected. I counted at least 20 different food trucks- carribean, BBQ, tacos, and lobster rolls plus many more. Lots of beer specials at the nearby restaurants. Music was mostly reggae and hip hop but they did have a belly dancer and some drum playing. Lots of art too. Great way to showcase this up and coming area and it's easy to get to from Union Station!

Cool food vendors. Vendor booths mostly sold tribal clothing or jewelry.

Way too many people packed together.

Overall it was ok.

I attended the festival this past weekend. There was great music, lots of different booths, but it was VERY crowded and a bit difficult to walk comfortably

They need to repackage this event as a chance to come out and find out about the amazing musical talent that we have in DC. Ok...maybe that is exactly what they did but I missed the memo. Everyone should get that memo because you might come out of there hyped about new music finds and amazed to be reminded that DC is a hub of musical talent.

I had a great time listening to the sounds of redline graffiti and RDGLDGRN (I Love Lamp is awesome!). I actually stopped in my tracks when I heard NuEra. They hit the song Wildflower (more commonly known as "Let her cry, for she's a lady") . To paraphrase Coming to America "Those boys can sing!!!".

The food was great and the energy was amazing. Everyone was so happy to be there and it showed. Random conversations and shared moments with strangers are always a good time.

Also, food good!