Long Branch Festival

The Long Branch Festival is a collaborative partnership of the Long Branch Business League, Montgomery Housing Partnership, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Housing and Community Development, with substantial support from Montgomery Parks and Purple Line Transit Partners.

The purpose of the Long Branch Festival is to celebrate the dynamic neighborhood, businesses and culture of Long Branch. Our goal is to bring communities together and celebrate our diversity, expand understanding of the crucial role of shared public spaces and highlight the value of locally-owned stores.

An additional goal is to help our community reimagine a future that includes both the current community and future changes.
The festival is also an experiment in placemaking — the process of adding small interventions to the built environment to make areas feel more walkable, accessible, and friendly. We want community members to start seeing the places they already use in a different light: maybe there are ways to increase support to local business by adding more seating in a certain area, or create more spaces for people to gather.

One of the several inspirations for this event came from a Montgomery Planning initiative in White Flint. We also want to reimagine the look and feel of Long Branch with a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces while supporting the people and businesses who have called Long Branch home for many years.

Schedule:

5:00PM - Loteria

A Long Branch Festival family favorite! Be sure to plan dinner and Loteria in the park with the kids. Thank us later.

6:00PM - Taisha Estrada

Rooted in the traditions of Latin and American jazz, Puerto Rican born Taisha Estrada is a compelling songwriter and storyteller who engages audiences through her lyrics and dynamic stage performance. Her musical projects have been featured in the Washington Post and NPR’s Tiny Desk show, and she has performed at such venues as Blues Alley, Strathmore, Songbyrd and Union Stage.
 
7:00PM - DC Casineros

DC Casineros is a world-renowned dance company that performs Cuban dance styles, including Rueda de Casino, Afro-Cuban Rumba, Cha Cha Chá, Mambo, Danzón, and Yoruba Orisha dance. DC Casineros has superb instructors that offer weekly Rueda de Casino classes at Dance Place in Northeast DC.

8:00PM - Dupont Brass

DuPont Brass is a one-of-a-kind, brass-driven supergroup from the D.C. Metropolitan Area. Originally composed of five music majors from Howard University trying to raise money for tuition during the Christmas season, they have grown to a 9-piece ensemble consisting of brass, a rhythm section, and vocalists. DuPont Brass has had the opportunity to perform in conjunction with the D.C. Jazz Festival, The Washington Performing Arts Society, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, and The National Cannabis Festival. DuPont Brass has developed a sound they’ve coined “Eclectic Soul” that mixes varied genres of music, including jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. In their latest effort, Music Education, DuPont Brass shows us why they are qualified to excel in both the education and performance arenas of the music industry.