Everybody loves a funky Arts Parade
You missed it last year, but it will be back on September 27 and you can be part of the celebration! Just make some art and join us.
More than 600 people walked in the 9th annual parade led by the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad Color Guard, the Maryland Youth Pipe Band and the Marching Titans of Albert Einstein High School. The all-woman Batala DC drummers returned with their Brazilian beat, and two new bands joined the parade, Greenbelt Honk! Situation with their tie-dye Mardi Gras brass and Educarte Bateria with their Carnival rhythms. Plus there were three new floats, Larry the Lobster, the Einstein High School Totem, and Lady Liberty.
There were dance groups of all variety including the Wheaton Studio of Dance, the Akhmedova Ballet Academy, Sky's the Limit Dance Company, the Mom-entum Dance Troupe, the Einstein High School and the Wheaton High School Cheer Teams and Pom Teams from Northwood and Wheaton High Schools. One of the most dynamic groups in the parade was the Andean ensemble Tinkus Kay 'Sur that surged and whirled in their colorful costumes to the delight of spectators along the parade route. There were community groups who made art just for the parade, including dozens of Girl Scouts and Brownies wearing masks of ocean creatures, and the Flora Singer Elementary School Community parading masks of the world's endangered species. An exciting new addition to the parade was local artist Mike McMullen and friends on skate boards painting a community mural as it was being pulled in the parade.
It's a festival of visual art
This year the festival expanded to include Parking Lot 13 and more of Grandview Ave with an additional 20x24ft stage and dance floor, more booths for art vendors, more food vendors and a second Kids Zone with free face painting, balloon twisting and art making.
Festival visitors enjoyed participatory activities, from painting the Community Mural, creating chalk art on Grandview Avenue, and playing instruments at Chuck Levin's booth. There were quite a few drum sticks given away to kids of all ages. Special thanks to Adam Levin for providing the back line for all three stages and to Gary King and JHonny Savaria for running the sound.
3 Stages of non-stop entertainment
Thanks to Strathmore, audiences were treated to the Latin piano of Joshua Jenkins and his jazz trio. Making their debut on WAP festival stages were The Slade Band, The Darrows Band, Old Folks Boogie and Los Day Trippers presented by Carpe Diem Arts. One of the highlights of every festival is the showcase of talent from the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Albert Einstein High School. Once again, the dance company, chorus and jazz ensemble did not disappoint. The Plaza and Mural stages had dance floors that hosted performances by local companies like the Wheaton Studio of Dance and Urban Artistry as well as neighboring groups from around Montgomery County, including MOM-entum, Elements Urban Art Collective, Bethesda Dance Center, Dynamix Dance Team, CityDance Studios and Percussion Discussion, to name a few. The costumes of the Indonesian dance company Spotlight Academy were as exquisite as their dance.
by local schools and dance companies galore from ballet to hip hop. The entertainment is as diverse as the Wheaton community, from Latin rhythms to rock and roll.
Frequently Asked Questions.
See photos and details about the 2024 parade and festival here.
Details about past parades and festivals can be found in Archives.