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Music | WGIT | Washington DC

WGIT’s Guidebook to DC

Your Guide to D.C.’s Live Music Scene

Grab the mic or join the crowd!

From established venues to cozy bars serving up live music and the pulse of local bands, this is your ultimate guide to all things music in the District. Whether you want to test an open mic, find rehearsal rooms and bands, or swing by a local spot playing live music, this guide is for you.

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Resources

There are two apps helpful apps to keep you in the loop with DC music:
1) DCMusic.live – “We are a data company that specializes in event-based data standardization, aggregation, and display. Our flagship product is DC Music Live, a mobile app that offers a comprehensive listing of live music events happening in the Washington DC area.”
2) Resident Advisor & Dice – Handy app to buy tickets straight from the app for shows and live events in DC

If you have an event you’d like to add, submit it to our calendar

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Music | WGIT | Washington DC

WGIT’s Guidebook to DC

Your Guide to D.C.’s Live Music Scene

If you have an event you’d like to add, submit it to our calendar

Expand all locations
  • Capital One Arena (Penn Quarter)
    • Location: 601 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004
    • About: Largest concert venue in town. Biggest names tend to come through here. See their events and tickets for upcoming shows.
  • The Anthem (Wharf)
    • Location: 901 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024
    • About: Run by I.M.P Concerts, an independent concert promotion and production company, The Anthem probably rocks as the second largest concert venue in DC proper. Major headlines roll through here along with comedians.
  • 9:30 Club (Shaw)
    • Location: 815 V St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: Also run by the IMP crew, the 9:30 slots in as another major concert venue just not as large and hosts less mainstream artists than the Anthem and most definitely Capital One Arena.
  • DC 9 Club (Shaw)
    • Location: 1940 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: Dance parties, concerts, comedy shows, trivia, drag, this venue has it all.
  • The Lincoln DC (U Street)
    • Location: 1215 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
    • About: Also run by the IMP crew, the Lincoln Theatre hosts moderate sized concerts and shows in its theatre
  • The Atlantis (Shaw)
    • Location: 2047 9th St, NW Washington, D.C. 20001
    • About: The Atlantis recently opened on May 30, 2023. The venue was designed to evoke the original 9:30 Club at 930 F Street NW, which itself was first called The Atlantis. The new venue opened exactly 43 years after the original 9:30 Club. Despite its smaller capacity, large names still tour through this venue.
  • Howard Theatre (Shaw)
    • Location: 620 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “An iconic cultural institution with groundbreaking beginnings. Step into the remarkable history of The Howard Theatre, an iconic cultural institution nestled in the heart of Washington, DC. Since its grand opening in 1910, The Howard Theatre has been a cherished cornerstone of African American entertainment and a vibrant hub for artistic expression.” Historic venue with
  • Black Cat (14th Street)
    • Location: 1811 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009.
    • About: “Black Cat is a music venue featuring the best in local, national, and international independent and alternative music.” Moderately sized concert venue featuring indie bands and special themed events / parties.
  • Union Stage (Wharf)
    • Location: 740 Water St SW, Washington, DC 20024
    • About: “More intimate concert venue with a tap room and hosting comedy shows and other themed events.
  • Songbyrd Music House (Union Market)
    • Location: 540 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: “Songbyrd Music House (aka “Songbyrd”) is a 200-capacity live music venue, bar and restaurant in Washington, DC’s Union Market neighborhood and member of the National Independent Venue Association (“NIVA”). Songbyrd was named Washington D.C.’s Best New Venue in 2016 and Best Place for Dinner and Live Music by the Washington City Paper in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and is rapidly growing market share and building interest from music-forward Washingtonians and beyond.”
      • See more about their sister store, Byrdland Records on our Vinyl page
  • Flash (Shaw)
    • Location: 645 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “Flash opened its doors in June of 2013 as a collaboration between long-time lovers of music, former DJ’s, and music industry vets. Their goal was to present an intimate space where artists can express themselves clearly and fans can hear their favorite artists in an ideal setting.”
  • Echostage & Soundcheck (Langdon / Downtown)
    • Location: 2135 Queens Chapel Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018
    • About: Versatile music venue hosting mostly electronic dance music as well as other large live acts.
  • The Pocket (Truxton Circle)
    • Location: 1508 North Capitol St NW, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: Open mic, karaoke, jazz jams, DJs and small up and coming local bands are up for show at this intimate venue at one of DC’s best music center and hub.
  • JoJo’s Restaurant and Bar (U Street)
    • Location: 1518 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
    • About: “JoJo Restaurant and Bar is easy to spot–just look for the beautiful banner out front. Inside, small lit candles adorn the tables. Crowds of people who have braved the steamy Washington D.C. air all day settle in for a relaxing evening. As night descends upon the U Street Corridor, locals and visitors alike come to JoJo’s, anticipating live jazz music as the first sweet strains reach the sidewalk and street beyond.”
  • Blues Alley Club (Georgetown)
    • Location: 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
    • About: Pristine jazz club with super talented artists rotating in and out of this dining club. There is a food and drink minimum on top of your ticket. Intimate venue and everyone’s seated tightly together right in front of the music.
  • Pearl Street Warehouse (Wharf)
    • Location: 33 Pearl St SW, Washington, DC 20024
    • About: “At Pearl Street Warehouse, rock, country, folk, soul, bluegrass, rhythm and blues acts from around the country take the stage nightly, offering every seat in the house a front-row music experience. Pearl Street Warehouse was developed by Nicholas Fontana, Bruce Gates and Henry Gandy, principals and founders of Cantina Marina, a DC waterfront dock bar and restaurant that’s been a fixture on the Southwest Waterfront for over 14 years. Beyond their longtime Southwest Waterfront tenure, the founders bring their love of live music and classic American food to Pearl Street Warehouse.”
  • Madams Organ (Adams Morgan)
    • Location: 2461 18th Street NW, Washington DC, 20009
    • About: Yes, its a ‘nightclub’ with dance floors above the main floor and an airy rooftop with food fare during the day but a bustling blues bar upon its entrance seven nights a week. Occasional blues, country, blue grass, R&B, and latin shows too.
  • Bossa Bistro (Adams Morgan)
    • Location: 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
    • About: “Bossa Bistro + Lounge is an Adams Morgan institution bringing you the best in live music, Brazilian tapas, cutting edge art, spoken word events, and the finest cocktails on the strip. With two stories of intimate, candlelit nooks and generous dance floors, Bossa is one of those rare sexy spots in the city where you can feel equally at home with a date, your posse, or your grandpa.
  • Carlyle Room (Metro Center)
    • Location: 1350 I Street NW Washington DC 20005
    • About: “Carlyle Room is the embodiment of the perfect night out. Whether with your special someone, or a group of friends, there is no place in DC that provides a night out like this! As soon as you enter, you immediately experience the glamour of the stunning art deco design, the dining tables covered in white table cloths and a real flame candle lamp on each table, and you know that this is going to be a different experience.”
  • The Hamilton DC Live (Metro Center)
    • Location: 600 14th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20005
    • About: More restaurant with music but ticketed shows are frequent here along with cover bands.
  • Zebbie’s Garden (Dupont)
    • Location: 1223 Connecticut Ave NW 3rd floor, Washington, DC 20036
    • “In 1933, In the waning days of prohibition, police raided the speakeasy, seizing large quantities of illegal alcohol and arresting proprietor, Zachariah ” Zebbie” Goldsmith. Today, 1223 Connecticut Avenue, is home to Zebbie’s Garden, an upscale Nightclub and Garden.”
  • Comet Ping Pong (Chevy Chase)
    • Location: 5037 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
    • About: Ping pong and pizza joint that puts on live concerts for small and up and coming bands.
  • Pie Shop DC (H Street)
    • Location: 1339 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: This pie shop serves the sweets and the sounds with low cost concerts and live music.
Expand all locations

Music Organizations & Community Groups

Expand all organizations
  • Words Beats & Life
    • Location: 1525 Newton St. NW, Washington DC 20010
    • About: “We are Words, Beats & Life (WBL), DC’s longest running, dopest Hip-Hop based arts educational non profit.We are here to break down those barriers that keep our cities’ outstanding young creatives from taking full advantage of the opportunities that come along with living in the Nation’s Capital. Our goal is to invest in Washington, DC’s creative eco system to employ our extensive list of artists and creators to be living examples of what our city’s creative youth can accomplish with the right tools and the best role models. We achieve this goal through our many workshops, after school programs, concerts and festivals. We are Unapologetic advocates for the transformative power of hip-hop culture in all its forms. We empower artists, aspiring artists and lovers of expression to relentlessly create, refine and define systems that demonstrate positive change through our individual and collective brilliance.”
  • Nu Androids
    • About: “Nü Androids is a Washington, D.C. based community of music enthusiasts. We are constantly seeking artists that are pushing the boundaries of electronic dance music to come perform at our events.”
    • The hosts of Sundown, AI popup events, and now partners of Culture, this group has got the pulse on edm music in the district.
  • Home Rule Music & Film
    • About: “The Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) multi-media arts and education organization. We were founded in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Michael Bernstein and Charvis Campbell, its current Executive Director. We are committed to preserving and documenting the stories about DC’s rich music culture.
  • Distrik Kollective
    • About: “At Distrik Kollective, we are more than just a platform for music and content distribution. We are a community of artists and creatives who value connection and collaboration as a means to shift the current business and creative paradigm. Our mission is to cultivate the development and growth of talented young artists, writers, musicians, producers, and engineers in the Washington DC metropolitan area. We are dedicated to organizing events and collaborative projects that help our associated artists reach new audiences and better promote their music and content.”
  • District Soul
    • About: “A collection of djs, music producers, and artists dedicated to highlighting, sharing, and preserving the SOUL of the District of Columbia.”
  • Opera on Tap (DMV)
    • About: “Opera on Tap (OOT) was born in 2005 at Freddy’s Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn and incorporated in 2007 to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive. What began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically trained singers looking for more performance opportunities, has grown into a producing organization that has gained a loyal audience base and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through its Chapter program, which now has over twenty vibrant national (and international!) chapters, OOT has created a large network of performers, creators, and supporters. Our mission is to expose new audiences to opera and classical music by taking opera and classical music out of the concert hall and performing it in alternative venues, to aid young performers in their development by giving them the opportunity to perform and to promote and support them through our organization and to help promote new classical works of contemporary classical and operatic composers. Learn more about our programs here.”
  • Extended Play
    • About: “A mindful + DIYish dance music party”
  • Black Techno Matters
    • About: “Our mission is to reclaim techno as a manifestation of Black expression in a society that has oppressed it by creating spaces, both virtual and IRL, that celebrate the black roots of techno. An assertion and a reminder that Techno IS Black.”
  • Eaton Radio
    • About: “Eaton Radio empowers grassroots storytelling and supports emerging, contemporary, and historic underground music. We’ve produced over 2000+ shows of talk radio and music through a rich and varied rotation of DJ mixes, interviews, and regular shows.”
  • Amapiano DMV (Georgetown)
    • About: “AmapianoDMV is the Amapiano and Afrohouse refuge for the African diaspora. Our journey of curating unique experiences for Amapiano and Afrohouse veterans and those new to the sound began in 2021. We have since grown to provide international agent services, intermediary artist management, and promoter services to some of the biggest Amapiano and Afrohouse talents such as Major League DJs, DBN Gogo, Focalistic, DJ Maporisa, Prince Kaybee, and counting. We are trendy and all about dance music—that’s what we do as a company”
  • DC Blues Society
    • About: “The DC Blues Society (DCBS) was founded in 1987 and is dedicated to keeping the Blues alive through outreach and education. Its mission is to celebrate, preserve, and promote the Blues as an original American art form. DCBS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on membership, contributions, and volunteers to operate. The DC Blues Society is an all-volunteer organization.”
  • BloomBars (Columbia Heights)
    • Location: 3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “BloomBars is not something you can easily describe. Some have called it an artist and non-profit incubator, performance space, art gallery, theater, dance studio, screening room, youth academy, and center for health, wellness, and community engagement-They were all correct. Both innovative and old-school wisdom, BloomBars is turning a concept to unite communities through the arts into a model for energizing and inspiring communities to strive for personal and collective progress. Established in 2008 in Washington, DC’s burgeoning Columbia Heights neighborhood, BloomBars is driven by a volunteer team of artists, educators, and community and business leaders. Redefining the perception of a bar, BloomBars does not serve or allow alcohol on its premises fostering a safe and family-friendly environment.”
  • Rhizome (Takoma)
    • Location: 6950 Maple St NW, Washington, DC 20012
    • About: “Rhizome DC is a nonprofit community arts space located at 6950 Maple St NW, in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington DC. We are dedicated to promoting creativity as a force for personal empowerment and community engagement. We also strive to provide a home for non-mainstream programming in the DC area. We host programs that promote creativity in all its forms. These include concerts, workshops, performances, talks, exhibitions, and demonstration projects in areas such as art, music, technology, theater, local food, poetry, as well as in more esoteric fields of knowledge.”

Disclaimer: Information provided is subject to change. WGIT DC recommends that readers verify details before visiting any establishment.

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