Join us and Off the Mall Tours on a walking tour to learn about the history of punk music in DC. This paid tour ends at the Library for their free rooftop show!
In the 1980s, punks reacted to issues they diagnosed in Reagan-era Washington: a city where hippies were turning into yuppies and an increasingly conformist, soulless government and society was taking over. But as JR Rhine writes in the Fall 2021 Washington History article “The Free Space: Ian MacKaye and DC’s hardcore, Straight Edge Scene,” DC was primed to be a hotspot for punk:
“DC proved to be the ideal place to incubate a punk scene. ‘You can have very powerful, creative forces in this town. It’s a petri dish for great ideas. They may not be sustainable, but you can always grow something here because—nobody’s looking.’”
On this DC History Center/Off the Mall Tours walking tour, explore Downtown, where the original 9:30 Club and other venues hosted bands Minor Threat and Bad Brains. Discover the major contributors to the DC punk scene, what made it distinct, and its lasting impact on local music today.
The one-hour tour begins at the Gallery Place Metro Station exit at F and 7th Streets and ends at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, just in time for the DC Punk Archive’s FREE rooftop show at the library at 6:00 pm. Check out the DC Punk Archive on the DC Public Library website.
RESERVATIONS: Required and limited to twenty-five (25) participants. If cost is a barrier to this program, please email us at programs@dchistory.org to discuss alternative options.
LOCATION: Gallery Place Metro Station exit at F and 7th Streets, ending at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
DURATION: Approximately one hour covering 0.5 miles in downtown DC.
REFUNDS: If you are no longer able to attend this tour, refunds are available on a case-by-case basis via email to programs@dchistory.org. You will be responsible for the fees.