The Best Happy Hour in DC

Last week, I reunited with a friend from high school named Kate. She was a student at AU, and to welcome me to town she wrote a list of all her favorite DC hot spots. Right in the middle of the bars and restaurants was something called "Drum Circle" and next to it she wrote "where everyone goes on Sundays 3-9pm."

It struck me a little odd that Sunday was a bar night in DC. But what do I know about city living? Every night's a "going out," night, I figured, and after another stressful week waiting for a teaching assignment, I decided that a few drinks on a Sunday afternoon couldn't hurt. I texted Kate: "Still going to Drum Circle? Can't wait.. what time should we meet?"

Kate returned my text with a phone call. "Do you want to have a picnic?" She asked. I hesitated. A pre-bar picnic? Well, cheers to Sundays in DC. "Sure," I replied. "What should I bring? Where are we picnicing?"

"At Drum Circle," she answered. I was confused. I never heard of a bring your own food bar. "Um," I said. "Wait, where is this place again?"

"At Malcolm X park, near U street," she replied. "I guess you can bring whatever, people just kind of eat and hang out, do yoga and listen to the drums."

Suddenly, it clicked. "Drum Circle," wasn't the name of a bar. It literally was a DRUM CIRCLE. In a park. Where people sat, and picniced. And did yoga. Ok, so not exactly what I was expecting for the afternoon- but I decided that this sounded even better!

And I was right. I've never seen anything like the Drum Circle. According to Kate, it's the one place where all walks of life in DC get together in peace and love for 5 hours a week. The park itself was beautiful, it reminded me of Parque Guell in Barcelona for any of you Spain travelers. And as I climbed flights of stairs towards the top of the hill and the beat of the drums, I could see exactly what she meant. Blacks, whites, and every color in between sat on the grass. Mothers with babies, small middle school boys, and college kids mingled with food and laughter. There were popped-collar Georgetown types and Patagonia-bearing city hippies, women dancing around with incence and couples doing Yoga in the most incredible positions that I had ever witnessed. There were even people tightrope walking between trees. Elderly people closed their eyes, enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze. Everything about it was relaxed and joyful.


Best of all were the drummers. There must have been 100 people or more with all kinds of drums and instruments. Homeless men and college professors all beat in rhythm. I wanted to know who was in charge of the giant cacaphony making it all work together seamlessly! And behind the huge circle of drummers were 40 or 50 people dancing to the beat. It was such a hodge-podge, it completely blew my mind.

If any of you find yourself wandering Washington DC on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do, or you just feel a need to see what the world at peace might look like, this bizzare break from the real world is a must-see every Sunday afternoon. I look forward to more adventures off the beaten (or is it on the beaten? Drum...pun...) path.

Peace and Love.