A glimmer of hope for the once-iconic Fort Dupont concert series
For decades, the Fort Dupont Park free concert series was legendary for its roster of nationally known R&B and jazz acts, performing all summer long, sometimes on both Fridays and Saturdays. This year’s 46th annual season, with just six Saturday events, began quietly on Aug. 4 with a barely publicized showing of the movie Black Panther. The National Park Service, which runs the events, didn’t announce specifics of the full remaining schedule for this Southeast DC locale until 11 days later.
While the Park Service seemingly struggled with getting this year’s program started on time for the summer — and getting the word out about it — the quality of this year’s musical offerings and the agency’s proposed new financial commitment to the mainstay outdoor venue offer some hope.
Fort Dupont’s program, along with the 50-year-old Fort Reno Park series, are the only survivors of a once-citywide schedule of free music in parks that was initially created to provide entertainment outlets for the nation’s capital in the post-riot era following the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
Fort Dupont — an oasis in Ward 7 that once hosted the likes of The Dramatics, Gil Scott-Heron and Sun Ra, often with local opening acts — on occasion drew audiences of up to 25,000 to its sloping lawn. Over time, the roster has thinned along with audiences and budgets. This summer, photos of the crowds — as documented by the Park Service — show plenty of empty space, and the program is now down to two concerts with national acts, two local music nights and two movie nights.
The remaining lineup for the season features a tribute to DC music (Sept. 1) with all-female DC go-go band Bela Dona, and a funk night (Sept. 8) with the band Cameo, known for the 1987 hit Word Up! Earlier offerings included a “World Music Night” of salsa, blues and reggae acts, and a showing of the 2017 film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
The Fort Dupont series is again booked in association with Isom Global Strategies, a DC marketing and management firm that has worked with the Park Service on these events since 2014. Isom Global has federal contracts but is not well-known for working in the music scene. Critics may take note of the lack of rap offerings at Fort Dupont, which could draw a younger audience. Nevertheless, Isom’s booking with the Park Service of well-loved, old-school acts After 7 and Cameo, plus a diverse roster of local bands, shows a commitment to the venue’s R&B roots, as well as a noteworthy outreach to some different cultural sounds.
National Park Service Capital Region spokesperson Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles said the agency works as “expeditiously as possible on contracting the series each year.” But it remains unclear why this year’s full program could not be planned, contracted and announced sooner.
In 2012, Park Service officials boasted to The Washington Post that they had a legacy audience that would come week after week, and that an email blast and distribution of fliers to local Southeast neighborhoods were enough to spread the word. This year, the WPFW radio station, specializing in non-commercial jazz, and Southeast internet-only station We Act Radio both posted online fliers for World Music Night, and the Free in DC blog tweeted about the shows. But there were no ads or mentions of Fort Dupont’s program on the DCist news site or in The Post, Washington City Paper, Afro-American or Washington Informer.
Anzelmo-Sarles said the 2018 contract for all expenses of the program is $330,000, which includes booking and paying the acts, security, lighting and sound. It is not clear whether any of that money goes to advertising; neither the Park Service nor Isom Global responded by publication time to questions on this subject.
That contract amount for 2018 is at least an upgrade from 2012, when the Park Service told The Post the Fort Dupont budget was $205,000 for a schedule of six evenings with national acts.
Looking forward, Anzelmo-Sarles said the Park Service has “the option to extend up to three years on the same contract” the agency has now, adding that “if we do this we would provide additional funding each year.”
Fans of the Fort Dupont series will find out next year whether the extended and larger contract allows the National Park Service and its contractor to finalize the schedule earlier, get the word out, and give the park’s stage more glory days.
Keep the summer concert series alive.My parents brought us to Ft.Dupont park every Saturday nite during the series for years.Its been something to do for as long as I can remember but the sparse crowds are a disappointment because of the lack of promotion.I want to avoid the knuckleheads as well but I missed all 2018 events assuming the series was cancelled. I’m looking forward to 2019 summer series!
Will there be concerts this summer