Be a Drummer for a Day 2025

Schedule

Sat Sep 20 2025 at 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Hancock Park, C Street Southwest, Washington, DC, USA | Washington, DC

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Join Batalá Washington for our annual community day and fundraiser. Learn to drum with Batalá, try Afro-Brazilian dancing, and more!
About this Event

🎶 Batalá Washington DC’s 8th Annual Be a Drummer for a Day (BaDfaD)!

FREE • Family-Friendly • Open to All

GRÁTIS • Para Toda a Família • Aberto a Todos

GRATIS • Para Toda la Familia • Abierto a Todos


🗓 Date / Data / Fecha: Saturday, September 20 / Sábado, 20 de setembro / Sábado, 20 de septiembre

🕙 Time / Horário / Hora: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET

📍 Location / Local / Lugar: Hancock Park (right by L’Enfant Plaza Metro / ao lado da estação de metrô L’Enfant Plaza / al lado a la estación de metro L’Enfant Plaza)



Have you ever wanted to drum with Batalá Washington? Now’s your chance!

Join us for the 8th Annual Be a Drummer for a Day, a high-energy, family-friendly community celebration of Afro-Brazilian culture, percussion, dance, and local activism.

--

Você já quis tocar com o Batalá Washington? Agora é a sua chance!

Junte-se a nós para uma celebração comunitária cheia de energia, com cultura Afro-Brasileira, percussão, dança e ativismo local.

--

¿Alguna vez ha querido tocar con Batalá Washington? ¡Ahora es su oportunidad!

Nos acompaña en una celebración comunitaria llena de energía, con cultura afro-bahiana, percusión, danza y activismo local.



What to Expect / O que esperar / Qué esperar:
  • ✨ Interactive Drum Workshops – Oficinas de Percussão – Talleres de Percusión
  • 💃 Afro-Brazilian Dance Lesson – Aula de Dança Afro-Brasileira – Clase de Danza Afrobrasileña
  • 🥁 Live Performance – Apresentação ao Vivo – Presentación en Vivo
  • 🌍 Cultural Education – Educação Cultural – Educación Cultural
  • 📸 Photo Booth + Costumes – Cabine de Fotos + Fantasias – Cabina de Fotos + Trajes
  • 🎨 Face Painting – Pintura Facial – Pintura Facial
  • 🎁 Prize Drawings – Sorteios – Rifas
  • 🍛 Afro-Brazilian Food Samples – Degustações Afro-Brasileira – Degustaciones Afrobrasileña…

and more! – … e muito mais! – … ¡y mucho más!




💖 Giving Back / Contribuindo com a Comunidade / Apoyo a la Comunidad

We are supporting / Estamos apoiando / Apoyamos a:

🎸 – A nonprofit that empowers young people, especially girls and nonbinary youth of color, through music education and creative collaboration. We'll be collecting donations on-site via QR code.100% goes directly to them!

Girls Rock! DC empodera jovens negras por meio da música e da colaboração criativa. Aceitamos doações em dinheiro no local via QR code. 100% do valor será destinado a eles.

Girls Rock! DC empodera a jóvenes de color a través de la música y la colaboración creativa. Donaciones monetarias en el lugar vía código QR. 100% para ellos.

🌍 (MSMA)– a collective of community organizations and hundreds of individual volunteers who are committed to supporting migrants arriving in DC.

We’re collecting in-kind donations at the event to support newly arrived migrant families. Please consider bringing any of the following items:

  • Baseball hats
  • New underwear (all sizes)
  • Socks (kids + adults)
  • Belts
  • Tote bags or backpacks

MSMA apoia famílias de migrantes recém-chegadas. Arrecadaremos bonés, roupas íntimas novas (de todos os tamanhos), meias (infantis e adultas), cintos, sacolas e mochilas.

MSMA apoya a familias migrantes recién llegadas. Recolectando: gorras, ropa interior nueva (todas las tallas), calcetines (niños y adultos), cinturones, bolsas, mochilas.



🧡 With Thanks to Our Sponsors / Agradecimentos aos Nossos Patrocinadores / Agradecimientos a Nuestros Patrocinadores:
  • 🇧🇷 – Hosting a table and live Capoeira demo - Live Capoeira Demo – Demonstração de Capoeira – Demostración de Capoeira
  • ☕ – Bringing cold brew to keep us energized - Cold Brew – Café Gelado – Café Frío
  • 💃 Água Doce (Sonia Pessoa) – Leading our Afro-Brazilian dance workshop - Aula de Dança Afro-Brasileira – Taller de Danza Afrobrasileña


✅ What to Bring / O que trazer / Qué traer:
  • Water bottle / Garrafa de água / Botella de agua
  • Earplugs and kneepads if you have them (we’ll have extras to share) / Protetores auriculares e joelheiras, se você tiver (teremos extras para compartilhar) / Tapones para los oídos y rodilleras si los tienen (tendremos algunos extras para compartir).
  • Optional: An item for MSMA and/or a donation for Girls Rock! DC / Opcional: Um item para a MSMA e/ou uma doação para o Girls Rock! DC / Opcional: Un artículo para MSMA y/o una donación para Girls Rock! DC.

🌀 Rain or shine / Faça chuva ou sol / Llueva o haga sol

📣 Share: #DrumWithBatala



🥁 About Us / Sobre nós / Sobre nosotros:

, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is an all-women percussion band whose mission is to empower women through drumming and expose communities to Brazil’s dynamic music and culture. Our band is a part of the Batalá Mundo family, a worldwide project promoting and sharing Afro-Brazilian percussion, specifically samba-reggae which originates from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Over 1500 percussionists perform playing compositions created by Giba Gonçalves, but it’s not just a musical project - the ethos is that of inclusion, equality and joining together to make music and enrich members' lives and communities, including giving back to the original community in Brazil.

uma organização sem fins lucrativos 501(c)3, é uma banda de percussão formada apenas por mulheres, cuja missão é empoderar mulheres através da percussão e apresentar às comunidades a vibrante música e cultura do Brasil. Nossa banda faz parte da família Batalá Mundo, um projeto mundial que promove e compartilha a percussão afro-brasileira, especialmente o samba-reggae, originário de Salvador da Bahia, Brasil. Mais de 1500 percussionistas se apresentam tocando composições criadas por Giba Gonçalves, mas não se trata apenas de um projeto musical; o ethos é de inclusão, igualdade e união para fazer música e enriquecer a vida e as comunidades dos membros. Incluindo retribuir à comunidade de origem no Brasil.

, una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)3, es una banda de percusión compuesta únicamente por mujeres, cuya misión es empoderar a las mujeres a través de la percusión y dar a conocer a las comunidades la vibrante música y cultura de Brasil. Nuestra banda forma parte de la familia Batalá Mundo, un proyecto global que promueve y comparte la percusión afrobrasileña, específicamente el samba-reggae, originario de Salvador de Bahía, Brasil. Más de 1500 percusionistas interpretan composiciones creadas por Giba Gonçalves. Sin embargo, no se trata solo de un proyecto musical; su filosofía es la inclusión, la igualdad y la unión para crear música y enriquecer la vida y las comunidades de sus miembros. Esto incluye la retribución a la comunidad originaria de Brasil.



👇 Register Now! Inscreva-se agora / Se registra ahora
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Where is it happening?

Hancock Park, C Street Southwest, Washington, DC, USA, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

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Host or Publisher Batalá Washington

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