(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) are encouraging residents and visitors to make plans for Art All Night 2026, taking place on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12. The two-night festival will bring free arts, entertainment, and cultural experiences to neighborhoods across all eight wards. For the first time, Art All Night will extend the celebration into Sunday morning with the Run for the Arts 5K Run & Walk, bringing together fitness, live entertainment and DC’s creative community along the Navy Yard waterfront.

“We have been intentional about building a city where artists, makers, performers, and creative entrepreneurs can not only create, but also build careers, grow businesses, and help our neighborhoods thrive,” said Mayor Bowser. “Art All Night shows what that investment looks like. It brings people into our neighborhoods, puts local talent on center stage, supports our restaurants and small businesses and showcases DC as a city of culture and creativity. This year, we have some new locations, new experiences, a new 5K – so check out what’s available and make your plans with friends and family to enjoy a weekend of creativity.”

Now in its 15th year, Art All Night has grown from a single-neighborhood arts experience into one of the District’s largest cultural celebrations. That growth reflects more than a decade of intentionally investing in DC’s artists and creative entrepreneurs, using arts and culture to activate neighborhood commercial corridors, and recognizing the creative economy as an important driver of jobs, tourism, small business growth and economic activity.

According to the most recent data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts, arts and cultural production contributed approximately $15 billion to the District’s economy in 2023, representing 9% of DC’s economy and supporting more than 50,000 workers. In 2015, arts and cultural production contributed approximately $10.2 billion, or 8.4% of the District’s economy. That represents an approximately 47% increase in nominal economic contribution over that period.

First presented as Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC in 2011 by Shaw Main Streets, the inaugural festival welcomed more than 30,000 attendees. By 2017, the festival had expanded to six DC Main Streets neighborhoods. In 2019, Art All Night generated more than $2 million in revenue across participating neighborhoods. In 2021, the festival grew to 18 neighborhoods and welcomed more than 120,000 attendees. In 2025, Art All Night reached another milestone, welcoming a record 250,000-plus attendees and showcasing more than 1,200 artists and performers across the District.

“Art All Night demonstrates what happens when we connect creativity directly to our neighborhood economies,” said Rosemary Suggs-Evans, Director of DSLBD. “Every performance, activation, meal, and visit creates another opportunity for someone to discover a local artist, walk into a business for the first time, experience a different neighborhood, or spend with a DC entrepreneur. The growth of Art All Night reflects the strength of our creative community and the investments made over the past decade to ensure that culture and commerce continue to grow together.”

Art All Night celebrates DC’s larger creative ecosystem by bringing visual art, live music, dance, theater, fashion, film, photography, literary arts, culinary experiences and interactive programming directly into neighborhoods and commercial corridors across the city.

This year, festivalgoers can once again use the Art All Night mobile app to discover events, explore activations by neighborhood or interest, build personalized schedules and navigate between experiences. The app also connects users to Dine All Night, taking place September 10–13 at locations across the District. Over 100 restaurants are participating this year, giving residents and visitors another way to support DC’s restaurants and hospitality community throughout the weekend. This year’s festival will also feature more than 150 local artists across 24 Main Streets and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), including:

The Run for the Arts 5K Run & Walk is presented by Scorpio Entertainment in partnership with DSLBD. The free, timed 5K will be held on Sunday, September 13, at 9:30 am at Yards Park Marina and will feature a pre-race concert, live entertainment along the course and a post-race celebration. Participants will receive race swag and a finisher medal, with awards presented by age division. Registration is free and now open. Runners and walkers of all experience levels can register and learn more at DCArtAllNight.org/5k-art-run.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to start planning their Art All Night experience and explore participating neighborhoods, performances, activations, artists and Dine All Night locations at DCArtAllNight.org.

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