Wale performs at the Landmark Festival in D.C. on Saturday, September 26, 2015.
A festival is different than a concert, because, more than a performance, it is a celebration. And the Landmark Music Festival held this past weekend was a celebration of Washington.
Not the D.C. that serves as a platform for huge concerts to commemorate a national event or raise money for some pressing cause from time to time, although this festival kicked off a campaign to raise money for the National Mall. Landmark was all about the part of the city that is often overlooked: the people that actually live in and around it. It was a celebration of the culture and the tradition and the customs of all those different types of people who own a piece of the DMV, an event by and for those who care about D.C. for more than just a term or two.
So many different types of people. Whether they were those who had been in the area all their lives or those who had come to the nation’s capital to make something of themselves and adopted it as their own for a while, they all made up a crowd that appreciated the area and the music. There were Wizards jerseys and Capitals sweaters and Nats hats. There was Terrapins gear worn proudly. Same went for Georgetown, George Washington, American, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Towson and scores of other schools whose students were surely delighted by the short trip. And peppered into those repping a local scene were the people that caught your eye, the ones cloaked in a mishmash of hipster or bizarre garb, each one unique. All of them gathered in the city for a good time.
Onstage, District-based musicians such as Ex Hex, U.S. Royalty and of course Wale savored a chance to entertain on a grand hometown scale for once. For food, attendees had a chance to choose from some of D.C.’s favorites: Ben’s Chili Bowl, PEPE and Oyamel to name a few. For those who had never really been to the city before, really seen some of its charms, it was a briefing of what this town could do.
To begin both days of the festival, I was dropped off a few blocks away from West Potomac Park to avoid the traffic and congestion. This meant that my path to the music crossed right between the Lincoln Memorial and its Reflecting Pool. It was at this moment — day one, even before arrival — that the potential of what Landmark was and what it could be became clear. Landmark is not just the only festival to take place in the shadow of some of the most recognizable buildings in the world, it’s also a concrete piece of evidence that this city could make a cultural mark outside the halls of power. With time, the festival could make its way up onto the quality level of Bonnaroo, Coachella or South by Southwest. And D.C. would be celebrated every year. It could be a beautiful thing.
And it could all be right in our backyard. As students at this university, we hold a small part of the city. Whether you grew up here or not, D.C. sits at your disposal. The Landmark Music Festival was a way to be proud of not just where you’re from, but where you’re at.
As the different performers cycled through, each of them doing their thing, small reminders of the city presented themselves. The Washington Monument often loomed in the background of a stage view. Planes leaving Reagan ascended overhead. An American flag flew on each side of the Jefferson stage. A slight breeze blew off the Potomac River.
For once, D.C. wasn’t a platform for someone or something from somewhere else to stand on. It was at the center of the celebration.
