When does a garden GLOW? When it’s run by famed local gay DJ Ed Bailey.

This weekend, music festival Project GLOW at RFK Festival Grounds will feature Bailey’s brainchild the Secret Garden, a unique space just for the LGBTQ community that he launched in 2023.

While Project GLOW, running April 27-28, is a stage for massive electronic DJ sets in a large outdoor space, Secret Garden is more intimate, though no less adrenaline-forward. He’s bringing the nightclub to the festival. The garden is a dance area that complements the larger stages, but also stands on its own as a draw for festival-goers. Its focus is on DJs that have a presence and following in the LGBTQ audience world.

“The Secret Garden is a showcase for what LGBTQ nightlife, and nightclubs in general, are all about,” he says. “True club DJs playing club music for people that want to dance in a fun environment that is high energy and low stress. It’s the cool party inside the bigger party.”

Project GLOW launched in 2022. Bailey connected with the operators after the first event, and they discussed Bailey curating his own space for 2023. “They were very clear that they wanted me to lean into the vibrant LGBTQ nightlife of D.C. and allow that community to be very visibly a part of this area.”

Last year, club icon Kevin Aviance headlined the Secret Garden. The GLOW festival organizers loved the its energy from last year, and so asked Bailey to bring it back again, with an entire year to plan.

This year, Bailey says, he is “bringing in more D.C. nightlife legends.” Among those are DJ Sedrick, “a DJ and entertainer legend. He was a pivotal part of Tracks nightclub and is such a dynamic force of entertainment,” says Bailey. “I am excited for a whole new audience to be able to experience his very special brand of DJing!”

Also, this year brings in Illustrious Blacks, a worldwide DJ duo with roots in D.C.; and “house music legends” DJs Derrick Carter and DJ Spen.

Bailey is focusing on D.C.’s local talent, with a lineup including Diyanna Monet, Strikestone!, Dvonne, Baronhawk Poitier, THABLACKGOD, Get Face, Franxx, Baby Weight, and Flower Factory DJs KS, Joann Fabrixx, and PWRPUFF. 

 Secret Garden also brings in performers who meld music with dance, theater, and audience interactions for a multi-sensory experience.

Bailey is an owner of Trade and Number Nine, and was previously an owner of Town Danceboutique. Over the last 35 years, Bailey owned and operated more than 10 bars and clubs in D.C. He has an impressive resume, too. Since starting in 1987, he’s DJ’d across the world for parties and nightclubs large and intimate. He says that he opened “in concert for Kylie Minogue, DJed with Junior Vasquez, played giant 10,000-person events, and small underground parties.” He’s also held residencies at clubs in Atlanta, Miami, and here in D.C. at Tracks, Nation, and Town. 

With Secret Garden, Bailey and GLOW aim to bring queer performers into the space not just for LGBTQ audiences, but for the entire music community to meet, learn about, and enjoy. While they might enjoy fandom among queer nightlife, this Garden is a platform for them to meet the entirety of GLOW festival goers.

Weekend-long Project GLOW brings in headliners and artists from EDM and electronic music, with big names like ILLENIUM, Zedd, and  Rezz. In all, more than 50 artists will take the three stages at the third edition of Project GLOW, presented by Insomniac (Electric Daisy Carnival) and Club Glow (Echostage, Soundcheck).

Get ready for an unforgettable evening as SMYAL, in collaboration with Culture Caucus, presents a vibrant event celebrating LGBTQ culture and expression. 

Join them on Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at the REACH at the Kennedy Center for an enlightening Drag Story Hour with Tara Hoot, followed by performances from local drag sensations Pretty Rik E and Bombshell Monroe.

This inclusive gathering welcomes LGBTQ youth under 18 and their parents/caregivers to delve into the rich history of drag while enjoying the mesmerizing talents of these beloved performers. Costumes are not just welcomed but encouraged, promising an atmosphere filled with creativity and self-expression.

Mark your calendars and secure your spot by registering on the event’s website through the Program Culture Caucus. This is an opportunity to come together, learn and celebrate the vibrant world of drag at the REACH at the Kennedy Center with SMYAL and its fantastic lineup of performers.

D.C.’s nightlife and dining scene continued its post-COVID rebound in 2023. Here are our picks for the top five developments in dining and nightlife for the year.

#5 Gay Bar Renaissance

As the dual losses of Town Danceboutique and Cobalt fade, LGBTQ nightlife is experiencing an exciting expansion. The city celebrated the opening of several new gay bars this year. Back in February, co-owner Zach Renovates (of KINETIC parties) kicked off 2023 with a high-energy bang in his fallout shelter-themed subterranean club space, Bunker. Not far behind, longtime gay bar industry fixtures Dito Sevilla, Dusty Martinez, and Ben Gander partnered to open Little Gay Pub. This upscale indoor/outdoor cocktail lounge in Logan Circle is now infamous for its glitter-bedecked cocktails and a visit by Nancy Pelosi. 

Over the summer, owners Justin Parker and Daniel Honeycutt of Dirty Goose opened Shakers, a relaxed bar located near the 9:30 Club and known for its indoor/outdoor patio and bright-red Imperial Shaker to make cocktails. Finally, in December, owners Brandon Burke and Shaun Mykals opened Thurst just off U Street, N.W., that centers Black LGBTQ experiences; they say that this bar will help fill a gap for Black-owned-and-operated business for the gay community. As D.C. gets ready to host World Pride in 2025 (a mere 18 months away), these openings point to optimism and creativity for the local LGBTQ community and signs of preparedness for the crowds that will arrive.

H Street Hardships

The H Street Corridor suffered in 2023. Lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a toll across the industry and city, but have been especially hard on this strip. In addition, business owners and residents have reported an increase in crime. Restaurateurs also mentioned unsustainable cost increases and inflationary pressures as reasons for closure. Just in the past couple months, Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen and Brine Oyster and Seafood House both closed. Earlier this year, mainstay and H Street classic H Street Country Club also shut it doors; it opened in 2009 and was one of the first of a new wave of bars and restaurants to open on the rapidly changing strip. Nevertheless, H Street is still a cradle of innovative restaurants, like the Afrofuturist Bronze and the combo retail-restaurant-cafe Maketto.

Breakfast Bonanza

Breakfast meetings may have taken a hit with the increase in remote work, but trendy breakfasts are having a moment. Both of the city’s new Michelin Bib Gourmand nods, which highlight “good quality, good value restaurants” went to La Tejana (Mount Pleasant) and Yellow (Georgetown and Navy Yard). La Tejana, a tiny Tex-Mex taqueria, was already making headlines with its long lines by early birds eager to get their hands on Ana-Maria Jaramillo and Gus May’s flour tortilla-wrapped packages. Yellow is a bakery helmed by Michael Rafidi, who brings his Middle Eastern background to his sweet-and-savory offerings like a za’atar egg croissant. His sit-down restaurant Albi won a Michelin star. Meanwhile, celebrated D.C. chefs Scott Drewno and Danny Lee’s pop-up I Egg You selling sandwiches and tots (and eggs) opened a brick-and-mortar spot in Capitol Hill, with a bigger menu, all-day hours, and a liquor license. Finally, longtime LGBTQ community ally Perry’s, famous for its drag brunch (more than 30 years old!), kicked off Japanese breakfast service from its new chef, Masako Morishita.

Union market continues to expand

While H Street grapples with closings, Union Market is hotter than ever. Retail, hotels, galleries, bars, and restaurants are opening at a dizzying pace, and the mixed-use area hosts everything from fitness classes to drive-in movies. Most recently, atop the new Union Market Hotel is Treehouse, a bar/restaurant/club with inspiration provided by Tulum’s nightlife. Philly-based restaurateur Stephen Starr (Le Diplomate) opened buzzy El Presidente, a Mexican restaurant spread over several lushly decorated rooms. Starr’s French restaurant Pastis is set to open nearby next year. Plus, FreshFarm, one of the bigger farmers’ market programs in the city, began operations in September on Sundays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. New vendors in and around Union Market itself continue to sprout; this year includes ice cream import Van Leeuwen and bakery Maman, among many others. The area is not losing steam: several big-name openings are in the works for 2024.

Food Halls Flourish

Perhaps with Union Market as the driving force (and historic Eastern Market going strong), 2023 was the Year of the Food Hall in D.C. Food halls offer benefits to the small-biz restaurateur (sharing resources and utilities) and to the customer (diverse options, one roof). Food halls are casual, well-priced, and social spaces. This year, we saw a bounty of new openings. One of the splashier ones was The Square, run by local hospitality veterans Richie Brandenburg and Rubén García, which opened in September on K Street. More than 25,000 square feet, the Square is an indoor/outdoor Spanish-inspired collection with more than 15 vendors and a sit-down restaurant. The long-awaited Love, Makoto also opened this year. The 20,000-square-foot “culinary love letter” to Japan offers a sushi spot, steakhouse, bar, and fast-casual café. Most recently, The Heights Food Hall, slightly smaller at 10,000 square feet in Chevy Chase, started serving in December. At least 10 vendors and a sit-down restaurant share space here. Finally, out in Vienna, The Kitchen Collective straddles the food hall as patrons can pick up from a window or order delivery from the several vendors.