Tenleytown’s annual “Art All Night” festival returns this fall

The first time Sara Curtin performed at the Art All Night Festival two years ago, it was with Maureen Andary, under their folk duo “The Sweater Set.” This year will be a little different, but Curtin’s excitement remains the same.

A Tenleytown-bred musician — Curtin will play on the Middle C Music stage on Sep. 30th with her band for Art All Night. The location doesn’t get old for Curtin, even though she has performed there multiple times. 

“It is also a fun opportunity to see a lot of intergenerational people I know from different areas and different events in my life throughout; from childhood to adulthood,” Curtin said.

Cutin loves performing at Art All Night, specifically in Tenley, because of her roots. A native of Friendship Heights, she loves that the festival brings together longtime businesses and community members.

One of these businesses is the music store “Middle C Music,” which General Manager Nick Cervone said has been a partner of Art All Night for as long as he can remember. This year, just like the others, they expect a big attendance. 

The event, Cervone said, “totally brings a lot of people to the store,” many of them being “people who didn’t know that Middle C was here.”

Middle C Music is one of 12 venues hosting events in Tenleytown during Art All Night. This year, the store will host visual artists in the store, and their wide sidewalk area will welcome a stage and an audience to watch the performers throughout the night.

This year, the newest  addition to the festival is “Dine All Night.” Through the new initiative, five Tenleytown restaurants, including “Guapo’s DC,” offer exclusive meals or deals and will be open overnight on the 30th.  “Dine All Night” started on the 21st and will run until the first of October.

The DC Department of Small & Local Business Development’s Director, Rosemary Suggs-Evans, said that in the past, the festival has been beneficial for local business owners because of the traffic it drove.

“Some businesses would say that this [Art All Night] was one of their best nights,” DSLBD Deputy Director Rosemary Suggs-Evans said about the event.

Over the years, “Art All Night” has become a D.C. signature event. This year, performers such as Curtin prepare for a celebration of art and community.

“I’m most excited to play! I don’t play this material often, and it’s incredibly close to my heart,” Curtin said.

For more details, visit www.dcartallnight.org or www.tenleytownmainstreet.org.