BBQ Battle, Caribbean Festival Set for Weekend

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STREET FESTIVALS — they're great for revelers, but not so great for drivers. With two major annual festivals scheduled for this weekend, street closures will likely slow downtown traffic to a crawl on Saturday and Sunday. After a woman drove her car through a crowd at last month's Unifest in Anacostia, don't be surprised to find police being extra cautious when cordoning off streets. Here's your guide for weekend festivities — and the traffic bedlam they will likely cause.

» NATIONAL CAPITAL BARBECUE BATTLE: The annual gathering satisfies two great American passions: the love of eating and the love of eating things that are free. The festival, now celebrating its 15th year, is sponsored by Safeway and food companies eager to hand out free samples.

Oh yes, there's also a barbecue contest. Dozens of competitors set up booths to compete for supremacy in several BBQ categories. You don't get to taste their offerings, but many local restaurants line Pennsylvania Avenue to sell samples of their delicious wares. For best results, buy a rib sampler from every restaurant.

The festival has two music stages: one for rock and jazz, the other for blues and soul. Headlining on Saturday night is D.C. go-go legend Chuck Brown.

Most of the Federal Triangle area will be closed to traffic from 8 p.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Sunday. Here are the closures:

» Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th streets NW
» 10th and 12th streets NW between Constitution Avenue and E Street NW.
» 11th and 13th streets NW between Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street NW.

» D.C. CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL: Prefer skiffle and jerk pork to ribs and blues? Head over to the D.C. Caribbean Carnival, which will start with a parade down Georgia Avenue on Saturday.

The Caribbean-themed parade will travel from Missouri Avenue down to Banneker Recreation Park, where the De Savannah festival will be held. The festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, will include Caribbean food, music and crafts on sale. Musicians range from Trinidadian ragga soca artist Bunji Garlin, who headlines on Saturday, to Columbia, Md.-based Rafrechi, which will play its Haitian konpa music on Sunday.

A large swath of Georgia Avenue NW (from Peabody Street NW to Florida Avenue) will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday for the parade. And the streets surrounding Banneker Park — Georgia Avenue, Euclid Street, 9th Street NW and Barry Place — will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

» National Capital Barbecue Battle, Sat. 11-9, Sun. 11-7:30, $5-10; 301-860-0630. (Federal Triangle)
» D.C. Caribbean Carnival, parade Sat. 11 a.m., free; festival Sat. and Sun. noon-7 p.m., $10; 202-726-2204. (U St.-Cardozo)

Written by Express contributor Gabe Nelson
Photo from The Washington Post archives