Shaw Main Streets

04/24/2026

Another of the outstanding restaurants featured at The Howard Theatre on 04/30/26. Get your tickets today!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eatdrinkshaw-2026-savor-the-flavor-tickets-1983381925731?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

04/15/2026

Shaw Landmarks Featured in New Virtual Tour of DC Launching 04/16/26, 8:30 AM

A new augmented reality tour of Washington, DC featuring Shaw history debuts

Shaw is home to many landmarks associated with African American heroes and sheroes, including the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, the Carter G. Woodson Home, the A. Philip Randolph Home, the Howard Theatre, Lee’s Flower Shop, the Addison Scurlock Studio, the Blanche Kelso and Josephine Bruce Home, Chuck Brown Way, the site of the former Bohemian Caverns nightclub and the former site of Griffiths Stadium. These landmarks and others in the Greater Shaw area are included in 51 Steps of Freedom, an immersive augmented reality citywide web-based trail that combines storytelling with landmarks throughout the city.

The 51 Steps to Freedom Trail launches on April 16, 2026, DC Emancipation Day, the 164th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act. The Go Live Ceremony at the African American Civil War Memorial at U Street and Vermont Avenue, NW begins at 8:30 AM. The event is free and open to the public, and no tickets or reservations are required.

The ceremony will feature remarks from Shaw Main Streets Board of Directors Chair Gretchen Wharton; Frank Smith, African American Civil War Memorial Museum Executive Director; and H.H. Leonards and Tracy Halliday, 51 Steps to Freedom Co-founders.

Following the ceremony, everyone is encouraged to begin exploring 51 Steps to Freedom by visiting some of the Shaw stops on the trail, learning about some of the trail’s 300 stories and patronizing some of our neighborhood’s businesses along the way. Then continue to explore Washington, DC as a destination for cultural, educational, and experiential tourism during the nation’s 250th year.

For more information on 51 Steps to Freedom and free virtual tour tickets, visit www.51stepstofreedom.org

04/01/2026

Help Keep Shaw Beautiful!

Join Ward 2 DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Shaw Main Streets and District Cleanups for an Earth Day Clean Up in Shaw on Saturday, April 11, 2026, starting at 10 AM in front of the Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th Street, NW.

Trash bags, trash pickers and gloves will be provided.

To register for the clean up, go to https://www.brookepintodc.com/events/2026-earth-day-cleanup

03/31/2026

Another standout restaurant featured at on 04/30/26: . Get your Early Bird discount tickets before the half-price offer expires!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eatdrinkshaw-2026-savor-the-flavor-tickets-1983381925731?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

03/18/2026

SHAW MAIN STREETS ANNUAL MEETING, 03/25/26, 7 PM

Hear from DC leaders, see what SMS accomplished in 2025 and plans for 2026, and elect Board of Directors members. And you may win dinner for two at a Shaw restaurant!

You are invited to attend the Shaw Main Streets Annual Meeting, to be held via Zoom on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM.

The meeting will begin with a welcome from Executive Director Alexander M. Padro and Board of Directors Chair Gretchen Wharton. Next we’ll hear from Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder, and Department of Small and Local Business Development Director Rosemary Suggs-Evans.

A PowerPoint presentation will review 2025 program highlights, followed by plans for the balance of 2026. The winners of the Best New Shaw Business of 2025 Awards will be announced. The election of a slate of Board of Directors members will be conducted as a Zoom poll, while members on the slate offer brief remarks. The meeting will be adjourned following the announcement of the election results.

And one lucky attendee will win dinner for two at a Shaw restaurant, compliments of the restaurant. The winner will be drawn at random from the email addresses of attendees logged into Zoom.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85238948385?pwd=mMM540WijWJZB6vSW1XeqNi82Ox1xQ.1
Passcode:309891

Phone one-tap:
+13017158592,,85238948385 #,,,,*309891 # US (Washington DC)
+13052241968,,85238948385 #,,,,*309891 # US

Join via audio:
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Webinar ID: 852 3894 8385
Passcode: 309891

International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcTrp3q1VU

Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets local program, funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bower, Mayor.

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03/16/2026

EAT.DRINK.SHAW. 2026: SAVOR THE FLAVOR
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7-9:30 PM, The Howard Theatre

Another of our featured restaurants: , home of Balkan cuisine and cocktails.

GET YOUR 50% OFF EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT TICKETS TODAY! Offer expires 03/26/26, when full $100 price will go into effect. Tickets include complimentary valet parking.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eatdrinkshaw-2026-savor-the-flavor-tickets-1983381925731?aff=oddtdtcreator

03/07/2026

One of our fantastic Host Committee members is Unconventional Diner where chef/owner David Deshaies and his team turn comfort food into MICHELIN Guide delights.

SAVE $50! Get your Early Bird discount tickets to Eat.Drink.Shaw. 2026: Savor the Flavor and get ready to enjoy unlimited food and drink from 20+ restaurants, bars, cafes, bakeries and breweries.

https://eventbrite.com/e/eatdrinkshaw-2026-savor-the-flavor-tickets-1983381925731?aff=oddtdtcreator

http://EatDrinkShaw.com

Shaw Main Streets is a DC Main Streets local program, funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.

02/27/2026

Vote for 2025’s Best New Shaw Businesses!

Show your appreciation to your favorite new Shaw business: Vote in Shaw Main Streets’ Best New Shaw Business of the Year contest!

New businesses that opened in 2025 are eligible. Businesses that are not located within the Shaw Main Streets service area or are not located in retail locations are not eligible.

The three businesses that receive the most votes will be recognized as the Best New Shaw Businesses of 2025 at the Shaw Main Streets Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM via Zoom.

Here is the list of eligible businesses:

CAFÉ JOY, 906 P Street, NW
CORINTO GALLERY, 1707 7th Street, NW
COTTI COFFEE X WUU TEA STUDIO, 900 M Street, NW
DASHEN ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE, 1608 7th Street, NW
DRAGON HERO, 2016 9th Street, NW
EEBEE’S CORNER BAR, 1840 6th Street, NW
EVERYDAY PEOPLE DC, 1013 U Street, NW
GLOSS BAR NAILS & HEADSPA, 1340 8th Street, NW
HYATT HOUSE, 899 O Street, NW
MELANGE FOODS, 2108 8th Street, NW
REALM ROOFTOP BAR LOUNGE, 899 O Street, NW
SANDLOT UPTOWN, 1900 7th Street, NW
STARBUCKS, 801 Allen Y. Lew Way, NW

To cast your vote, send an email to [email protected] with the name of your favorite new business of 2025 in the subject line and your name in the message no later than 12:00 PM on Monday, March 23, 2026, in order for your vote to be counted. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.

Be sure to let your favorite business know you voted for them. And then plan to attend the Shaw Main Streets Annual Meeting to see which new businesses won the awards.

Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.

02/20/2026

EAT.DRINK.SHAW.: SAVOR THE FLAVOR
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7-9:30 PM
The Howard Theatre, 620 T Street, NW

Come join us at The Howard Theatre for a night of delicious food and drinks at EAT.DRINK.SHAW. 2026: SAVOR THE FLAVOR. Don't miss out on this opportunity to tantalize your taste buds and have a great time with friends and family. Get ready to savor the flavor!
Shaw is home to over 100 of DC's finest restaurants and bars, drawing foodies and cocktail lovers from around the world.

Eat.Drink.Shaw. is an in-person food and beverage showcase event at the historic Howard Theatre, with ticket holders enjoying complimentary food and beverage items from 20+ participating restaurants and bars for two-and-one-half hours on Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 7-9:30 PM.

Enjoy unlimited food or beverage items from all participating restaurants and bars during the event. Ticket holders get to meet our chefs, mixologists and brewers. The estimated value of the food and beverages offered is $300.

Participating businesses include 801 Restaurant & Bar, All Purpose Shaw, Ambar Shaw, Baan Mae, Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant, Dolci Gelati Cafe, Everyday People DC, Minya's Pizza, Nina May, Shaw's Tavern, Unconventional Diner and Urban Garden Brewing.

BUY TICKETS TODAY. Early Bird Discount tickets are $50. Full price tickets are $100. Discount expires 03/26/26. Proceeds support Shaw Main Streets' economic revitalization and historic preservation activities in central Shaw. Tickets include complimentary valet parking at the Howard Theatre, provided by U Street Parking.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eatdrinkshaw-2026-savor-the-flavor-tickets-1983381925731?aff=oddtdtcreator

EATDRINKSHAW.COM

Shaw Main Streets is a DC Main Streets local program, funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.

02/20/2026

FREE Shaw Black History Month Tour: Walking with Woodson, 02/21/26, 10 AM!

Woodson Reenactor Helps Tell Story of Father of Black History in Neighborhood

Walk with Woodson
When: Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, 1318 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005
Cost: Free

A Shaw tradition presented during Black History Month, visitors will literally “walk” with “Dr. Woodson,” creator of Black History month, through the same neighborhood that inspired him 100 years ago. This tour features a professional actor, Dexter Hamlett, playing the role of the Father of Black History. Together with the reenactor, Shaw historian Alexander Padro and National Park Service Rangers will regale visitors with stories and first-person accounts from the neighborhood that both Dr. Woodson and Mary McLeod Bethune called home.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Dr. Carter G. Woodson establishing Negro History Week and the 50th anniversary of the observance becoming Black History Month.

The tour will discuss national heroes and sheroes that were Dr. Woodson’s neighbors, living and working in Shaw and with whom Dr. Woodson collaborated, like A. Philip Randolph, Langston Hughes, and Elijah Muhammad. The tour will include a visit to the Woodson Memorial and a stop at the Woodson Home National Historic Site, scheduled to open this year. The tour concludes with refreshments at Shiloh Baptist Church’s Henry C. Gregory III Family Life Center.

“Walking with Woodson” is presented by the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior.

Photo by Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets