• By Paul Medvetsky *
• December 21, 2023

Eat, Play, Move on Pennsylvania Avenue

As progress and momentum around NCPC’s Pennsylvania Avenue Initiative continue to grow into the new year, federal and District partners are working to bring the vision of the Avenue as a Venue closer to reality. An integral part of this vision is reimagining the Avenue as a stage for spectacular events to complement its attributes as a great public space destination for daily activities.

In addition to the Presidential Inaugural Parade that takes place on the Avenue every four years, there is a roster of local and regional events that bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Avenue annually such as the Capital Pride Festival, Fiesta DC, and Snallygaster beer festival. The new vision builds upon these existing activities to attract national and international events and expand programming year-round by capitalizing on the Avenue’s iconic location, vista of the U.S. Capitol, spatial configurations, and layered history.

NCPC has released two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for consultant services to develop the New Pennsylvania Avenue Plan. The first RFP focuses on economic assessment and stewardship; the second RFP focuses on design. In early 2024, NCPC will announce the first consultant team and start the selection process for the second team. Once on board, both teams will work hand-in-hand and use the public comments received on the three early concepts in 2022 to inform the next iteration of design development and the new plan.

One of the tasks is to develop a specific “program of requirements” for special events and daily use. This is a menu of physical elements—large and small—that will improve event experience and infrastructure such as power generators, Wi-Fi and telecommunications, lighting, street trees, comfort amenities, and security.

Incorporating new infrastructure will make Pennsylvania Avenue a more “plug-and-play” corridor, so event organizers can be more creative with programming, offering a variety of event types, scales, and themes for different audiences from spectacular arts and culture festivals to sports and entertainment. Making improvements to the Avenue can set the stage for more engaging civic space at the heart of the city and America’s capital—a once-in-a-generation opportunity to usher in a new era for Pennsylvania Avenue.

* Paul Medvetsky is a recent Georgetown University graduate. Before completing NCPC internship, he interned with the NYC Planning Department and Greater Greater Washington.

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