Democracy Dinners: Toward a DMV Democracy Festival in October

Dance, flowers, marijuana, beer and wine all get festivals. If we want to make democracy more engaging for more people, rather than boring or divisive, why aren’t we investing in democracy festivals? If democracy is so important to Americans, why don’t we have democracy festivals every year in towns and cities across the country? If Washington DC is the capital of our country, and democracy is central to American freedom, why do we have a National Book Festival and a Folklife Festival in DC, but no National Democracy Festival?

Learning Life, a DC-based educational nonprofit, is organizing a DMV Democracy Festival or DemFest in October 2024, before the November elections. We're organizing DemFest in order to (a) help make democracy more fun and social, (b) widen participation, (c) promote civic learning, and (d) strengthen community by fostering collaboration between the DC region's arts, education, business, philanthropic, and democracy sectors.

Learning Life is aiming for a festival with a range of engaging activities for youth and adults, including arts performances, exhibits, game rooms, workshops, discussions, a youth citizen assembly, and a democracy market. We are currently identifying a range of festival partners, including arts performers and exhibitors, student poster presenters, sponsors, tablers, vendors, speakers, moderators, dialogue participants, and more.

We're holding 3 more Democracy Dinners in 2024 before DemFest in October: Saturdays, April 27, June 29, and August 24 in DC.   Full details, including location, parking and menu, to come via email to those who RSVP.  Seating is limited.  

Democracy Dinners schedule:

6-7pm: Reception: mingle freely. Appetizers served.
7-9pm: Dinner + presentation and discussion about DemFest and the wider DMV Democracy Learning Community (DLC) 

9-9:30pm: Further mingling as you please while we clean up.

All interested DMV / DC area residents are welcome. For those of you who can afford it, please contribute financially to support the Dinners and to help build the wider DLC, including DemFest: $100 for individuals, $150 for couples, though you can contribute at whatever level you are comfortable with.  $25/person covers the cost of your food and drink, so any amount above $25 is 100% tax deductible. At the contribution page, in the Note box, enter “Democracy Dinner."  Contribute here: bit.ly/SupportLearningLife

To join the DMV Democracy Learning Community, contribute $100/person, and beyond the Dinner get (a) two tickets to the DMV Democracy Festival (DemFest), and (b) two goodie bags at DemFest.  At the contribution page, enter “DLC member” in the Note box.  All contributors get recognition as a DLC supporter at Learning Life’s website, social media and at DemFest.

Host or Publisher Learning Life