Emancipation Day is coming up in a few days, and Mayor Muriel Bowser will put on a celebration for the annual District holiday after two years this Saturday, April 16. DC Emancipation Day commemorates the April 16, 1862, passage of the Compensated Emancipation Act, which ended slavery in the District and compensated slave owners $300 per enslaved person.
The afternoon will start with a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue toward Freedom Plaza, where there will be a DC Statehood Food Truck Palooza and concert with performances and appearances from CeeLo Green, Junkyard Band, and Netflix’s reality TV show Bling Empire stars Jessey Lee Chèrie Chan. The night will end with a fireworks show at Freedom Plaza at 8:30 PM.
After a 2 year hiatus, we are back! Join us this Saturday as we celebrate DC #EmancipationDay! 🎉
📆 Saturday, April 16th
⏰ 2PM
📍 Freedom Plaza pic.twitter.com/Q5tbE6IY8B— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) April 12, 2022
From 6 AM on Saturday, April 16, until about midnight on Sunday, April 17, the streets near the White House and National Mall will be blocked off to traffic. The Metropolitan Police Department released a list of roads that will be closed to traffic and parking.
Here are a map and list of street closures for Saturday’s parade and concert:
These streets will be closed to traffic and parking from 6 AM to 11:59 PM on Saturday, April 16:
- E Street, from 13th Street to 14th Street, NW
- Pennsylvania Avenue, from 12 Street to 14th Street, NW
- 13th Street, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
These streets will be closed to traffic and parking from 11 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, April 16:
- 10th Street, between E Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
These streets will be closed to traffic and parking from 1 PM to 3 PM on Saturday, April 16:
- Pennsylvania Avenue, from 9th Street to 14th Street, NW
- 10th Street, between E Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
- 11th Street, between E Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
- 12th Street, between E Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
- 13th Street, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
- E Street, between 13th Street and 14th Street, NW
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
