The BID plays several roles in this work, acting as a matchmaker between spaces and activators, providing guidance and both direct and indirect support in the planning stages, as well as creating and promoting our own activations.

Progress on this initiative in 2024 included:

• Hosting a full calendar year of in-person events, from small-scale pop-ups to signature celebrations, including place activations, art openings, movie nights, festivals, business socials, board meetings, and the NoMa BID’s annual meeting, with a combined total attendance of more than 25,000 people.
• Expanding and relaunching the Metropolitan Beer Trail, a free digital passport and prize-incentivized marketing program, and inviting thousands of customers to visit 11 NoMa and NoMa-adjacent breweries and bars accessible from the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
• Hosting mural tours to raise the profile and awareness of the neighborhood’s deep stockpile of public wall art, and to raise the profile of local artists.
• Reestablishing and enhancing the Third Street Art Garden, a year-long activation at 1225 Third St. NE that created an outdoor neighborhood gathering space and served as the site of more than 25 BID- and community-supported activations from May–October.
• Expanding the BID’s capacity to deliver events through a partnership with DC Fray, which brought a weekly bocce ball series to the Third Street Art Garden.
• Completing the first phase of the NoMa Meander, a North Capitol-adjacent public plaza space that will create an enhanced experience for pedestrians and attract new businesses.
• Supporting and promoting community activations at Alethia Tanner Park, such as Eckington Day, DC Family Bike Fest, and the Mommy En Blanc event to promote Black motherhood.
• Supporting Eckington Hall, the unique art gallery and flexible creative and event space launched by David Ross, a local Black entrepreneur, through social media promotion and paid sponsorship.
• Working with Diverse Markets Management, which recruits local BIPOC makers, to manage the NoMa Farmers Market, ensuring vendor diversity and expanding the roster of vendors to more than 20.

Targeted work on this initiative for 2025 will include:

• Working with local activators including DC Fray to create a “sports court” at the JBG-owned empty lots at First and N Streets NE with space for pickleball, volleyball, basketball, and more.
• Enhancing activation spaces to accommodate use in all seasons.
• Exploring opportunities to further connect community stakeholders to spaces for independent activation.
• Building stronger relationships with building managers and retailers.
• Bringing back holiday lighting and/or activation to NoMa.
• Exploring the placemaking possibilities for the former site of the Kaiser Permanente building at L Street.