Get ready for the 2021 Funk Parade Festival. As members of the DC Music Community we were really heartbroken when the 2020 Funk Parade had to be cancelled.  This year the festival is coming back albeit slowly, but with signs of better days to come.

The Black Broadway-themed celebration will be delivered via virtual and in-person programs featuring art, entertainment, and cultural reflection on the state of the District of Columbia, via Funk University (Funk U). In keeping with Funk Parades of years past, this year’s events will bring forth historic touchpoints and lessons to unite the community, music and arts scene and the U Street neighborhood under the spirit of funk that brings us all together! 

This year’s hybrid festival features three key events. 

• May 1, 2021 - Aslin Beer Day will take place at Aslin Beer Co. in Alexandria, VA between the hours of 11am - 9pm. In solidarity with the vibrant DC music community, Aslin Beer Co. is partnering with Funk Parade to support their fundraiser for youth education programs in the DC region. A portion of the proceeds from each “Black Broadway” beer purchase go directly towards the festival’s $5,000 fundraising goal. Funk Parade ticket holders get a free beer sample while supplies last.

• May 5, 2021 - The Black Broadway Mural Walk will be led by Funk Parade Historian Bernie Demczuk of the Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation. A limited number of VIP ticket holders will be led through a curated tour of almost 15 different murals in Black Broadway. Attendees get to hear the murals come alive with music via surprise performances from Saxophonists Reginald Cyntje, Elijah Balbed and more!

• May 8, 2021 - The Virtual Festival will features performances by artists and creatives such as Langston Hughes II, Les The DJ, Onrae Lateal, Chazz G, Elevate Poetry, DMV Lady Warriors, Brides of Funkenstein, We The Fix, Roquois, Paris Sashay, Tony Woodz, Leon Scott, Rolloway Productions, and Hung Tao Choy Mei. Funk Parade will also debut it’s new Funk Parade Documentary, directed by Candace Carrington and produced by Michael Harrison. 

Funk Parade programming is supported by The MusicianShip, a D.C.-based nonprofit that is focused on changing lives with music. Proceeds from the Funk Parade help support The MusicianShip’s free-of-charge music programs that serve over 1600 youth and continue to be a resource for local D.C. artists and musicians. In addition to Funk Parade, The MusicianShip is the home of the Wammie Awards and The Washington Youth Choir.