October 22, 2025
Updates from Adams Morgan
Click Here
to see previous updates in our newsletter archive
Check
ObviouslyDC.com
for the latest in DC government funding and grant opportunities for businesses.
Be prepared. Visit to
Ready.DC.gov
for preparedness information for a
variety of hazards including manmade and natural disasters.
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Adams Morgan PorchFest: Next Saturday, November 1!!
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The 15th edition of
Adams Morgan PorchFest
is coming up on Saturday, November 1 and we're in the midst of planning another great event. The
event website
has been updated with the performers and locations, but schedules are subject to change.
Official PorchFest T-shirts are on sale
now at
ACE Hardware
,
Because Science
,
Smash Records
, and
Urban Dwell
. The shirts are $20.
We're still looking for Volunteers
. We have a very small staff and this is a very large event that we can't put on without volunteers. Volunteers will get a PorchFest t-shirt, access to the green room with food & drinks during the event, and more! To sign up to volunteer,
please click here
.
Adams Morgan Businesses:
The
form to submit your wristband discount specials
is live and there are already a
bunch of specials
on the site that have been submitted.
The deadline to have your special included on the printed map is Friday, October 24.
Special thanks to our sponsors
who help make this event possible:
Aetna
,
Pepco
,
Devil's Backbone Brewing Company
,
Jubilee Housing
,
Colonial Parking
,
Lars Etzkorn Law PLLC
, and
DC Fray
.
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Adams Morgan Apple Festival Pie Baking Contest Results
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A huge congratulations to this year’s Apple Pie Baking Contest winners:
🏆 People’s Choice:
Sara Vila
(pie A)
🎨 Appearance:
Siona Sharma & Julie Hua
(pie K)
🥧 Crust:
Amelia Malcolm
(pie M)
🍏 Filling:
Noel Ortiz
(pie E)
🥇 Overall:
Marsh Palin
(pie I)
Together, our community helped raise $2,400 for
Sitar Arts Center
, supporting arts education and opportunities for young people right here in the neighborhood.
Thank you to our amazing emcee
Marya Kazmi
and our incredible judges —
Alex Schroeder
,
Eun Yang
,
Tom Sherwood
,
Alexis Grea
,
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson
,
ANC1C Chair Peter Wood
, and
Sitar Center ED Maureen Dwyer
— and to our partners at
The LINE DC
,
Licking Creek Bend Farm
, and the Adams Morgan Farmers Market for making this year’s festival one to remember.
See you next fall for more apples, pies, and community pride! ❤️
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Together We Dine: October 1st - 31st
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This October, you’re invited to the table for
Together We Dine
— a month-long celebration of the power of shared meals and the DMV restaurants that make them possible. It’s the perfect time to remember that dining is about more than food — it’s about connection, community, and care. So whether you’re breaking bread, sharing sushi, trading tacos, or passing pasta, join RAMW and DMPED in supporting the places and people that nourish our stomachs and souls.
Adams Morgan restaurants:
To post an event to the Together We Dine calendar,
click this link
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Upstairs at Shanklin Hall Grand Opening
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The lights are on. The doors are open. And Upstairs is where the energy lives.
Get ready for an unforgettable night as we unveil the second floor of Shanklin Hall — transformed, elevated, and ready to be experienced. This is the beginning of Shanklin Hall Saturdays — where they bring back the real DC club culture: the music, the movement, the memories.
RSVP here
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Adams Morgan Farmers Market
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The Adams Morgan Farmers Market is open for the season on
Saturdays
from
8:30am - 12:30pm
featuring
Licking Creek Bend Farm
and
Ravenhook Bakehouse. Remie's Flowers and Plants
are back as well.
Ravenhook will be featuring: Pumpkin Cheesecake; Roasted pumpkin, garlic, goat cheese, and mozzarella focaccia; Hand-painted Halloween Cookies; Harvest Grain Bread
Come to the Adams Morgan Farmers Market for fresh picked,
chemical-free (and tariff-free) produce. We're entering the fall season. Our amazing, hard working staff tells us the fall will produce:
a wide variety of Winter Squashes, Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Melons, Chicory Root, Apples, Hot peppers, Herbs, Basil, Pears, Amaranth, String Beans Snap Peas, Garlic and Collard Greens, Jerusalem (also called) Sun Chokes
...and other fall goodies and they say some surprises along with seasonal fruits from our partner orchard.
Plastic bags are no longer available from the market, so please remember your own bags!
2025 CSA Season Membership is now open.
Click here
for more information, including the membership form.
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“Breaking the Silence” Domestic Violence Conference at Howard University Hospital
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Join the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for “Breaking the Silence on Domestic Violence,” a citywide Domestic Violence Conference bringing together professionals, students, advocates, and community members to collaborate and empower survivors. Discussions will include arrest to prosecution, medical effects and healing, and survivor stories with resources and support.
Wednesday, October 29 · 9:30am - 12:30pm
Howard University Hospital
2041 Georgia Avenue Northwest
RSVP here
.
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Oyster-Adams Bilingual Book Fair opens Nov. 4th
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The 30th annual
Oyster-Adams Bilingual Book Fair
opens November 4th! This is a great opportunity to find wonderful books for the Spanish-speaking, English speaking, and bilingual kids and young adults in your life!
OA's Book Fair has an especially good selection of books written in Spanish by Spanish-speaking authors (rather than translations from English). These can be hard to find, even in our diverse city.
Location:
Oyster Bilingual School; 2801 Calvert Street NW
Times:
Tuesday-Friday November 4th-7th 8am - 8pm
Saturday, November 8th 9am - 4pm
Monday, November 10th 8am - 4pm
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National Pupusa Day Celebration – Saturday, November 9!
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El Tamarindo is bringing back one of their favorite annual traditions — National Pupusa Day! Join in for a full day of family-friendly fun, cultura, and all the pupusas your heart desires.
Kids’ Pupusa-Making Workshop
:
Let the little ones get hands-on in a fun, interactive class where they’ll learn how to make their own pupusas from scratch. Registration is just $5 per child and includes all materials. Purchase tickets
HERE
!
Live Music, Food & Culture:
Enjoy live music, sip on your favorite drinks, and celebrate Salvadoran culture with us.
Click here
for restaurant reservations.
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Sign Up for the 2025 RAMW Holiday & Events Marketing Campaign
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Ready to put your holiday dining, catering, and event spaces center-stage? RAMW is here to strategically amplify your holiday offers to hungry diners across the Metropolitan area. Focus your valuable time on perfecting the guest experience while we execute a high-impact marketing strategy to help drive reservations, bookings, and catering orders.
The Holiday Dining Campaign includes:
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Inclusion in a dedicated Holiday Dining campaign across RAMW's social media platforms to include boosted social media ads on Instagram and Meta (Facebook)
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Inclusion in dedicated Holiday Dining campaign eblasts to 32K+ RAMW subscribers and more through our marketing partners
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Collaborative Reels on RAMW's IG & Meta (Facebook) feed and a featured Story of your menu, space, or catering offer
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Inclusion of your menu or catering offer in our Holiday Dining Flipbook
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Listing on dedicated RAMW.org Holiday Dining page
Pricing: $175 per holiday or $475 for 3 or more holidays
Questions? Please email
laila-rose@ramw.org
or call (202) 331-5990.
Sign up here
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What Does the RENTAL Act Mean for DC's Housing Market?
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Presentation and Panel Discussion
October 28, 2025; 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Hamilton LIVE at 600 14th Street NW
Join DCBIA for a critical, real-time briefing on the RENTAL Act of 2025, now officially enacted by the Council after today's final vote.
After months of debate, amendments, and industry engagement, the DC Council took its third and final vote on the RENTAL Act this week, resolving the last technical correction related to the clarification of the TOPA exemptions. With that correction now complete, the bill will soon be transmitted to the Mayor for signature, followed by the 30-day congressional review period before it becomes law.
Next week's event is right moment to understand what made it into the final legislation — and what didn’t.
This session will break down:
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What’s actually in the final law
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Who it applies to and when
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What provisions were changed during amendments
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What guidance and regulations are still to come
Click here
for more information and to register.
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Metro Seeks Public Input on Strategic Plan Refresh
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Metro is updating
Your Metro, The Way Forward
and invites public feedback through Nov. 4 at
wmata.com/strategicplanrefresh
.
A
hybrid public hearing will be held Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m
. at Northern Virginia Transportation Commission headquarters at 2300 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington and online. The plan update sets new goals for the next three years.
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November Track Work
Metro has weekend track work planned throughout the month of November including trains
single-tracking between Dupont Circle and Van Ness on the Red line on Nov. 8-9
.
Click here
for a full list of November track work.
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Build your personal brand with Nate Berkus
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Join CO-- on
November 13 at noon ET
for C-Suite to Main Street: Building a Business Around Your Personal Brand, a free virtual masterclass featuring Nate Berkus, interior designer, TV personality, and founder of Nate Berkus Associates.
From launching his firm at just 24 to becoming a global design icon, Nate has built his success on authenticity, creativity, and purpose. At our upcoming event he’ll share the lessons he's learned about how to build a personal brand that can scale into a thriving business, rooted in the values and interests that make you tick!
Register Now
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Complete the 2025 Quarter 4 Business Sentiments Survey
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You’re invited to complete the D.C. Policy Center’s
Business Sentiments Survey
. This round aims to capture how recent immigration policy and enforcement priorities have affected local businesses, as well as their economic expectations for the months ahead. The survey will take no longer than 20 minutes to complete, and the link will remain open until 11:59 PM EST on Thursday October 30, 2025.
Click here
to take the survey
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Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Conference
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The 2025 Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) Conference,
Fostering Resilience
, convenes
November 12–14
at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Attendees will explore strategies to support resilient small businesses and advance anti-displacement work.
Keynotes, panels, and workshops will provide tools for supporting BIPOC and immigrant entrepreneurs, navigating funding gaps, shaping policy, and implementing strategies like commercial tenant protections and community ownership. Mobile workshops will take place in local neighborhoods, offering hands-on learning. SBAN unites 175+ organizations worldwide to prevent displacement of small businesses in gentrifying areas.
Register now
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Keynotes
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Full agenda
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Small Business Resource Hub: DCSmallBizHelp.com
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DCSmallBizHelp
is the one-stop hub for Washington, D.C. small business and entrepreneurs looking for valuable resources, support organizations, lenders, events and trainings. DCSmallBizHelp is owned and maintained by
The Coalition
(formerly CNHED) as part of their Small Business Ecosystem Building work.
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Small Business Resource Center
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DC APEX Accelerators help businesses
DC APEX Accelerator
offers personalized business counseling and competitive insights for navigating the government contracting process successfully.
If you already have experience working on government contracts and are looking for help to secure other contracts, we are available to help. At the DC APEX Accelerator, businesses get help with strategies to pursue state, local, and federal government contracts.
The full calendar of upcoming events can be found
here
.
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Coffee, Connect & Business Diagnostic Check In-Person Mondays at DLCP – Let’s Talk Business!
Where Are You in Your Entrepreneurship Journey? Join us for Coffee, Connect & Business Diagnostic Check, a relaxed and informative in-person session designed to help you move forward with confidence.
Enjoy a cup of coffee while connecting with experts from the DLCP Business Resource Center (BRC) and the Department of Buildings (DOB). Whether you're just starting out or already in business, we’ll help you:
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Understand the steps to register your business (LLC, Corporation, Nonprofit, etc.)
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Navigate the business licensing process
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Get guidance on building permits and Certificates of Occupancy
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Receive one-on-one support tailored to your business needs
Monday, October 27, 2025; 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (EDT)
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection 1100 4th Street SW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20024
Contact: Aurice Long – (202) 258-2901
Register Here
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💸Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Application
Amount: Free Business Training
Deadline: Rolling
Learn more here
We look for applicants who are passionate about growing their business and creating jobs in their communities who generally meet these criteria: - Small business owner or co-owner - Business revenues over $75,000 in the most recent fiscal year - Business in operation for 2+ years -Business with 2+ employees (including the owner).
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Additional Funding Opportunities:
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsor one of our community events! Partner with our community while reaching some of the city's most desirable demographics. For details, contact
Kristen Barden
at
202-997-0783.
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BOARD MEETINGS
The Board of Directors of the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District meets on the second Tuesday of every month (except August, October, and December).
Meetings are currently being held online and begin at 5pm.
Our Annual Meeting is held in March. Contact
Brian Barrie
for information about attending board meetings.
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©
Adams Morgan Partnership
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