Seventeen artists will fan out along the Metropolitan Branch Trail in NoMa on Friday, Sept. 11, to paint 16 new murals as part of the annual NoMa in Color festival.

The weeklong event, organized by the NoMa Business Improvement District, wraps up with Color Jam, a free celebration on Friday, Sept. 18, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Alethia Tanner Park, 227 Harry Thomas Way NE. The lineup includes live entertainment, an artisan market featuring more than 20 local makers, a pop-up beer garden, hands-on art activities and chances to meet the muralists, according to Capital Community News.

The artists were chosen from more than 150 applicants. Among them: Astro the Artist, Real Dee, Davide Prete working alongside University of the District of Columbia graduate students, Donavon Brutus, Gray, Heather Jones, Jaswant Pakki HKS181, Jessica Elder, Julienne Kaleta, Brocha, Tim Cunningham, Rosy Sunshine, Tia Wilson, Jahru, Maspaz, Patrick Owens, Cory Bernat and Marc Pekala. The source lists Prete and the UDC students as a single collaborative entry.

The NoMa BID says more than 200 murals have gone up across the neighborhood over the past decade, a tally it uses to brand NoMa as D.C.'s "Mural Capital," according to the organization's event page.

Maura Brophy, president of the NoMa BID, has championed the neighborhood's public art push. In a December 2024 statement announcing separate holiday art installations, Brophy said those works "embody our commitment to creating a neighborhood where art and community flourish."

Admission is free.

Residents can watch the muralists at work along the trail all week. At Color Jam, attendees can enter a giveaway for a one-night stay in the "NoMa in Color Suite" at the Morrow Hotel, two artist mural prints and other prizes. Visitors must stop by the NoMa BID tent before 7 p.m. to enter; winners must be present and at least 21 years old.

Upcoming community events

  • Friday, Sept. 11: NoMa in Color mural painting begins along the Metropolitan Branch Trail
  • Friday, Sept. 18, 4–8 p.m.: Color Jam at Alethia Tanner Park, 227 Harry Thomas Way NE (free)