Fort Reno keeps up tradition of free concerts

WASHINGTON - If it's Monday in the summer, there's free music to be heard at the District's Fort Reno park in upper Northwest.

More than 1,000 bands have already played for free in the park's Summer Concert series.

A 40-year tradition, the Fort Reno series predates Washington's rise to becoming an important music city.

"There were concerts at Fort Reno when I was in (Woodrow Wilson) high school," remembers punk founding father Ian MacKaye. "And then at some point bands that I was involved with, punk bands, started playing up there as well."

Shows are Mondays and Thursdays at 7:15 p.m. and end by 9:30 p.m.

MacKaye believes part of the success of the series is the vibe at the shows.

"It's completely relaxed. There's no drugs, and no alcohol. There's people watching the bands and kids running around throwing balls and Frisbees. It's this bucolic scene."

The park, across from Woodrow Wilson High School in Northwest, is two blocks away from the Tenleytown-AU Red Line Metro stop.

MacKaye has seen people he went to school with return to see Fort Reno shows years later.

"Now they're going with their kids, who are now grown up and having kids. It's incredibly multi-generational at this point."

Bands playing Monday, June 29 include Cigarbox Planetarium, Small Doses, and Batala.

"This comes from Washington, it's of Washington. I actually think this is an incredibly important, sort of organic institution."

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