FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2009

Stay and Save this Summer in Washington, DC
Free activities, family foodies fun and DC on the big screen come into focus this summer;
Visitors can save 30% on a three-night weekend stay at Washington.org

With value-packed hotel deals, inspiring free festivals and a new First Family in the White House, Washington, DC is the place to be this summer, from celebrations on America’s front yard to eclectic events and insider hotspots in the city’s backyard.

STAYING POWER HOTEL PACKAGES
To help travelers capitalize on summer savings, Destination DC has brought back its popular Staying Power package promotion, which encourages travelers to stretch their dollars further by taking advantage of hotel rates starting as low as $107 per night. Travelers can also increase their "staying power" by scoring an additional savings of 30% off their total stay when they book a three-night stay including a Thursday or Sunday night. Packages can be booked online at Washington.org or by calling 1-800-422-8644.

Participating hotels include the boutique Beacon Hotel (starting at $119/night), the family-friendly L’Enfant Plaza Hotel (starting at $129/night), the luxe Fairmont Washington, D.C. (starting at $189/night) and dozens more.

POWERFUL SUMMER WEEKENDS
Summer is packed with special events perfect for the weekend traveler. Consider the holiday weekends below, each with their own line-up of performances, festivals and events fit for the whole family:

Memorial Day Weekend (May 22-25) – Create powerful memories by visiting the city’s memorials and monuments in honor of America’s veterans.

• Memorial Day festivities begin with the 22nd anniversary of Rolling Thunder, the annual motorcycle rally honoring veterans and advocating for their rights and benefits. Watch tens of thousands of supporters hop on their Harleys and ride from the Pentagon to the Capitol in the annual “Ride for Freedom,” beginning Sunday at noon.
• On Sunday evening, pack a picnic and head to the National Mall for PBS' star-studded National Memorial Day Concert, featuring Katie Holmes, Gary Sinise, Joe Montegna, Laurence Fishburne & Katharine McPhee.
• Pay homage to veterans on Monday with wreath-laying ceremonies at DC’s war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery.
• The National Memorial Day Parade steps off on Monday at 2pm, showcasing marching bands and veteran units from all 50 states.

Flag Day (June 12-15) – What better place is there than DC to celebrate the American flag?

• Foodie families can also join in the national kickoff event for Cookie + Gourmet Kids’ Restaurant Week™, which takes place Saturday, June 13, at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. The kickoff event will feature kid-friendly foodie events and activities throughout the market, whose historic building reopens later this summer after a major renovation. Throughout Kids’ Restaurant Week, June 13-21, select DC restaurants will offer prix fixe menus for adults, while kids 11 and under will pay their age during early dinner seatings (5-7 pm). Food-minded families can also look for kid-friendly cooking classes and demonstrations, museum and gallery programs and other events and programs.
• Visit the newly renovated National Museum of American History to see the real Star-Spangled Banner on permanent display then join in the museum’s Flag Day Family Festival on June 14. During the free day-long event, festival-goers will hear the winner of the museum’s YouTube “Star-Spangled Banner”-singing contest perform, plus live fife and drum music and more.

Fourth of July (July 3-6) – Celebrate independence with a three-day weekend in DC.

• A summer tradition, this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival explores the culture of Wales, Latin music and the power of words in African American culture. Look for performances, demonstrations when the National Mall becomes a global village, June 26-30 and July 1-5.
• On July 4, catch the National Independence Day Parade, with more than 100 marching bands and floats, which steps out at noon along Constitution Avenue. Special events also take place at the National Archives, Washington National Cathedral and other notable places.
• In the evening, watch notable screen and stage stars perform patriotic classics in “A Capitol Fourth,” a live PBS concert featuring the National Symphony Orchestra. It’s followed by the spectacular fireworks display on the National Mall. 

Labor Day (Sept. 4-7) – Wind down your summer with Labor Day fun.

• On Sunday, check out the free Labor Day Capitol Concert, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. It starts at 8pm and kicks-off the Kennedy Center Prelude Festival, which includes two weeks of special performances to celebrate the beginning of DC’s performing arts season.

FUN & FUNKY FESTIVALS
Beyond the parades and fireworks, get to know the off-beat festivals and events that shape the arts scene in DC’s backyard. 

• At Artomatic, May 29-July 5, hundreds of professional and amateur artists and performers showcase paintings, sculpture, photography, music, theater, poetry and dance in a free public exhibition. The nomadic festival finds its home in DC’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood this year. 
  
• Catch cutting-edge films from leading directors and rising filmmakers and learn why DC is known as DocuWood at SilverDOCs, June 15-22. The festival brings the latest and greatest documentaries to the DC area, showcasing approximately 100 films, with directors talks, discussions and more. 
  
• Named for a homegrown music legend, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival draws thousands of music-lovers to hear local, national and world-renowned jazz artists in venues throughout the city.  Running June 5-15, this year’s festival honors another great jazz capital, New Orleans, and includes performances by the Marsalis brothers, Harry Connick, Jr., Buckwheat Zydeco, Terence Blanchard and other notable artists, plus two free all-day jazz celebrations and a free sunset concert on the National Mall.
  
• The Source Theater Festival (June 20-July 12) is a staging ground for exclusively new works in theater, dance, music, visual art, film, puppetry, spoken word, poetry and hip-hop. Including eighteen 10-Minute Plays, four one act plays, eight “Mash-Ups,” Project 24/7, three staged readings and a one-of-a-kind opening night event. 
  
• The Hip-Hop Theater Festival (July 6-12) showcases artists who stretch, invent and combine a variety of theatrical forms, including theater, dance, spoken word and live music sampling in a citywide festival.
  
• Watch sparks of theatrical creativity fly at the bargain-priced Capital Fringe Festival (July 9-26), with more than 500 audacious and inventive performances of one act plays, comedies, dramas, musicals, dance, puppetry, improvisation, clowns, hip-hop, jazz, poetry, mime and more, performed by local, national and international artists at more than 30 venues.

INSPIRING SAVINGS
While you’re in DC, you’ll quickly learn that not only is it a city of powerful moments and rich history, but it’s also a city of monumental savings. It’s the capital of FREEdom, and DC’s many free and affordable cultural offerings and attractions are sure to keep you busy. Consider seeing the giant pandas in action at the National Zoo, taking in breathtaking views of the city at the Old Post Office Pavilion or checking out DC’s longest running Salsa night at Lucky Bar in Dupont Circle. Destination DC’s online list of “100 Free (and Almost Free) Things to Do in DC,” outlines these options, as well as many others and can be found here.

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About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Washington.org/pressroom