You’re invited to our garden gatherings, Harrison happenings, and more!
The U Street Neighborhood Association supports a wide range of programming in Temperance Alley — from ecology classes to music in the garden to writing workshops and more. All are welcome to host a public & non-commercial gathering in our shared backyard. We also co-host and promote various community events across the U Street Corridor, including at Harrison Recreation Center. Signing up for our newsletter is the easiest way to make sure you never miss out on an event.
Upcoming Events
Plant Party + TAG’s 5th Birthday
Come dressed as your favorite plant to celebrate the turn of the seasons and play some plant themed party games! Teach us how to identify your costume or craft some new growth.
hosted by Chloe, Maggie, & Aaron
Garden Volunteer Hours
Come get your hands in the soil with our partners at Farm the District, every Saturday throughout the growing season. Whether you’re a first-timer or returning veteran, all are needed to help tend to our shared backyard.
There’s plenty of projects to keep all hands busy, including weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, repairing, crafting, and ongoing side projects. Find a partner and choose your own adventure. And don’t forget to take home your portion of the harvest.
As always, we’ll also be giving an orientation tour for newcomers. Welcome neighbors!
Hacky Sack Kickback
Come hack the sack at the Hacky Sack Kickback. Hacky sacks will be provided, just bring those feet.
hosted by Jacob
Prayers in the Garden
You are invited to wander, witness, and water your joy in this original theater garden (™) creation!
Prayers in the Garden is Sisi SoulShine’s ritual dance language that weaves together song, poetry, dance, and story sharing as we dialogue with the earth and Temperance Alley Garden. Sisi will be joined by esteemed guest dancer and community elder, Ms. Judith Bauer, for storytelling about the local history of the U St. neighborhood and honoring the ancestors.
Prayers in the Garden is the culmination of Soul Shine Theater Garden’s (™) first season entitled “Wild Faith: Believe. Blossom. Become.” and the 2025 Artist in Residence at Temperance Alley Garden where Sisi has facilitated monthly Embodying the Elements dance workshops. In Prayers in the Garden, Sisi’s Black Queer Woman body is the altar, prayer, and garden as she embodies and calls on the elements of nature.
Accessibility Information: There is NO BATHROOM on site. The nearest public bathroom would be the Brew on U Café or 14th Street Trader Joe’s. The space is outdoors, open air with limited shade structures. Read More Here.
+ Please consider supporting Soul Shine Theater Garden with a donation at the gate.
Garden Death Cafe 💀
Gather in Temperance Alley Garden during the Day of the Dead for our third annual Death Cafe!
Death Cafe is a global movement facilitating thoughts and discussion about the often taboo subject of death. *please note that Death Cafe is not a grief support group*
Join us in a candle-lit, intimate, and informal gathering to discuss death while eating cake and drinking tea! There is not set agenda, objective, or specific theme — we are here to explore death together :)
hosted by Jacob
Movie Night: Over the Garden Wall
Back by popular demand! Come one come all—hop over the (Temperance Alley) garden wall and get cozy for this fall favorite. We'll watch all ten mini-episodes of this charming (family-friendly!) story of adventure, courage, and brotherhood.
Bring a blanket and your favorite snacks! We'll have plenty of seating, but if you have a favorite portable chair, you're welcome to bring that.
hosted by Cory
Yoga in the Garden
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
Gong Bath
Back for Fall!
Join local artist Naoco Wowsugi and Maya Glicksman for an experience like no other. The gong's otherworldly sounds and vibrations open the door to delightful, relaxing meditative states.
Come let it wash over you – please bring a mat to lie down on and water to drink (the more you hydrate, the more you vibrate!)
Naoco Wowsugi is a community-engaged artist who blurs the lines between being an artist and an engaged citizen. As a first-generation immigrant living and working in Washington, DC, Wowsugi's cross-disciplinary projects—including portrait photography, participatory performance, sound healing, and horticulture—explore the nature of belonging and inclusive community building.
IG: Naoco @wowsugi & Maya @m.glicks
Website: wowsugi.com
Garden Gong Baths are supported by the kind people @oppagenda.
Reimagining Work: Monthly Peer Support Group
Have disability, grief, or burnout shifted your ability to keep up with the demands of a full time work schedule? Were you laid off by DOGE? Are you intentionally disengaging from hustle culture? Then this is the group for you!
Join us in the garden for a lightly facilitated peer support circle to share about your experiences, exchange information, and connect together. Community will get us through these hard times!
hosted by Milo and Ray
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Alley Wedding Celebration: Tree Planting Ceremony & Potluck/Grillout
Two beloved Temperance Alley community members, Blaire and Riley, are celebrating their love this weekend with a wedding!
Join us Thursday by 5:30pm for a Tree Planting Unity Ceremony to commemorate their union, to be followed by a potluck and grill-out from 6pm onward.
While some snacks and refreshments will be provided at 5, and we will have limited grilling supplies available, please bring a dish if you intend to eat dinner here.
hosted by Blaire, Riley, and friends
Music in the Garden ft. SIRAN and Los Locos
Go wild for the musical talents of SIRAN and Los Locos!
SIRAN is a dark pop-rock project born out of Prince Georges County Maryland from brother-sister duo Tiara and Greg Byrd. Musicians by trade, they combine their influences being raised by a jazz musician and listening to grunge and indie rock from the 90s and 00s. We want people to let their hearts hang low as layered guitars wash over them in rapture when they hear our music. To give them the space to cry and dance at the same time, because life is f*** up and beautiful like that.
Los Locos is a musicalized poetry project that blends cumbia, rock, and jazz to explore themes of immigration, identity, and latinidad. Using a wide range of Latin American rhythms, Los Locos brings poetry into spaces where it’s rarely found - from bars and street corners to music stages and cultural gatherings. Unapologetic and unfiltered, Los Locos breaks open the space between music and poetry, daring audiences to keep up.
Join the Garden plants and critters for an evening of home-grown music –– somewhere between a house show and barnyard jam. While tipping the bands is encouraged the event is free and open to all. Bring a blanket to sit on and snacks to share :)
produced by Swataa and Lucy
Garden Volunteer Hours
Come get your hands in the soil with our partners at Farm the District, every Saturday throughout the growing season. Whether you’re a first-timer or returning veteran, all are needed to help tend to our shared backyard.
There’s plenty of projects to keep all hands busy, including weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, repairing, crafting, and ongoing side projects. Find a partner and choose your own adventure. And don’t forget to take home your portion of the harvest.
As always, we’ll also be giving an orientation tour for newcomers. Welcome neighbors!
Improv at the Garden
Improvisational theater is an unplanned, spontaneously and collaboratively created experience that exists only in the present moment. A moment that ends as quickly as it starts, like the flame on a match.
Improv at the Garden will be a series of Improv games and warm-ups that help us align with being present in the moment. It will culminate in a 10-minute montage where we can take what we learn in the warm-ups to create an experience that will never be made again.
Temperance Alley Garden is the perfect host; much like Improv Temperance exists in a temporary space, it may not exist forever, but that does not mean the stories it tells or the relationships it fosters are not meaningful. Both Improv and Temperance teach us to truly savor the moment, pay attention, actively listen, and most importantly, engage with each other.
hosted by Kunal
Replenishment Gathering for Collective Struggle
We're so excited to partner with Freedom Healers DC to offer an upcoming healing space on October 25!
Join us in this immaculate garden for an afternoon of rejuvenating community care and connection. We especially encourage you to come if you've been impacted by ICE abductions, or other grief, anxiety, and violence inflicted by the federal occupation of DC.
hosted by Maggie
Seaton St Block Party
On Saturday, October 25, join your neighbors for a block party on Seaton St! Come out from 4-7pm for a potluck and meet each other, learn about local history, get community updates, and enjoy music, food, and artmaking. This event is family-friendly and pet-friendly (on leashes)! If you'd like to contribute to the block party, you can sign up to volunteer or bring a dish/item here. Feel free to invite others, and hope to see you there!
TAG HouseKeeping Circle
Our official calendaring meeting for our final month of the season : NOVEMBER.
Bring any business you may have or partner with at Stump Fellow to program your submitted event ideas. Anyone can join as we discuss garden event planning, budgeting, and partnerships. Your ideas and energy are more than welcome! Come early to mingle and brainstorm your ideas before submitting.
*HouseKeeping Circles happen at the end of each month, they are the functional meetings where we calendar events for the next month of programming, approve any new spending, and can vote to change any Garden policies if needed. These meetings have official minutes that keep a record of our decisions and are shared with the rest of the U Street Neighborhood Association for transparency.
Yoga in the Garden
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
Halloween Gong Bath
No tricks, just the treat of sweet gong sounds!
Join local artist Naoco Wowsugi and Maya Glicksman for an experience like no other. The gong's otherworldly sounds and vibrations open the door to delightful, relaxing meditative states.
Come let it wash over you – please bring a mat to lie down on and water to drink (the more you hydrate, the more you vibrate!)
Naoco Wowsugi is a community-engaged artist who blurs the lines between being an artist and an engaged citizen. As a first-generation immigrant living and working in Washington, DC, Wowsugi's cross-disciplinary projects—including portrait photography, participatory performance, sound healing, and horticulture—explore the nature of belonging and inclusive community building.
IG: Naoco @wowsugi & Maya @m.glicks
Website: wowsugi.com
Garden Gong Baths are supported by the kind people @oppagenda.
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Save a Tree, Plant a Forest
Join us in our ongoing efforts to restore the ecology of the Temperance Alley Sanctuary. This evening we will be planting tree seedlings using the Miyawaki method.
Learn how to rescue plant seedlings around your neighborhood, how to temporarily keep them alive in a pot, and how / where to plant them so they can thrive.
The Temperance Sanctuary is a new extension of the Temperance Alley Garden – a place to quiet down, to observe, and to cultivate reciprocity between ourselves and the land. Come join us in the visioning and stewardship of Temperance Sanctuary: as a time capsule of Indigenous history and stewardship, native food/micro forest to bring back native biodiversity, and an ecological classroom to foster and practice our stewardship. If you’re interested in any of these topics, we welcome you to join us in its design and execution!
Hosted by Chandan and Amy
Creatives Club & Community Jam
Come through for Garden music and muses!
Come gather for some productive artistic time together while the garden is blooming around us. Bring a project you're working on, your instrument of choice, or just come socialize with fellow creatives. Some basic art supplies will be provided.
hosted by Cory & Creatives Club DC
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
TAG StoryKeeping Circle
Our dedicated time for reflective listening to all that’s budding within the Garden ecosystem. The rearview mirror where stories from the previous month can be shared in community. Bring a TAG story to share or discover one based on the evening’s prompts.
StoryKeeping Circles are held on the middle Monday of each month. All are welcome to participate fully.
hosted by Josh & Aaron
Yoga in the Garden
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
National Coming Out Day: Queer Storytelling Circle
In honor of National Coming Out Day, gather with queer folks from across generations to tell our own stories of love, loss, joy, heartbreak, and everything in between.
Share a tale of tragedy or triumph from your latest u-haul experience or friends to lovers situation. Tell us about the one that got away or even your own coming out story.
This isn’t a performance & no storytelling experience is needed. LGBTQ+ friends/allies welcome!
hosted by Sarah
Pumpkin Carving & Painting ~ Families Welcome!
Join us for a fun-filled morning in the garden as we welcome fall with pumpkin carving and painting! Bring the whole family, spend time with neighbors, and get ready to be messy!
We’ll provide the paints and some pumpkins and supplies, but any additions are welcome.
hosted by Shira
Staged Reading in the Garden
Come join us for a cozy night of theater outdoors!
We will be doing a staged reading, which means actors will have scripts in front of them and will remain seated, but will be in character bringing the play to life with their voices. Attendees are welcome to relax, close your eyes, utilize the garden space, or enjoy the show in whatever non distracting way feels best for them.
Tickets are free, and we will be suggesting a $10-$15 donation which will be split evenly between the Public Media Bridge Fund, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the ACLU. Attendees are of course free to just donate to one or none of those if they so wish. Please only donate if you are in a position to do so, and please do not feel like you must donate in order to enjoy the arts.
Presented by Ugly Rhinoceros. Featuring Olivia Cholewczynski, Rui Costa, Imaan Khan, and Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff.
Tech Justice Working Group
Part 2: Break up with Google LLC
Come hang & begin the process of de-googling your tech life. The purpose of this co-working session is to have a source of accountability and to be able to troubleshoot adopting alternative digital/analog services, as a group. If you didn't attend our initial discussion, no worries! Copies of the checklist provided at last month's meeting will be available.
Please bring:
- laptop, phone, and/or journal (no wifi available)
- curiosity!
- a friend :)
Hosted by Shushan
Garden Volunteer Hours
Come get your hands in the soil with our partners at Farm the District, every Saturday throughout the growing season. Whether you’re a first-timer or returning veteran, all are needed to help tend to our shared backyard.
There’s plenty of projects to keep all hands busy, including weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, repairing, crafting, and ongoing side projects. Find a partner and choose your own adventure. And don’t forget to take home your portion of the harvest.
As always, we’ll also be giving an orientation tour for newcomers. Welcome neighbors!
The Vine & The Feast: A Neighborhood Sukkot Celebration
Celebrate the intersection of nature and tradition! We're trading four walls for open skies and gathering in the garden for a Shabbat dinner celebrating the z'man simchateinu (season of our joy in hebrew). From the freshly picked produce to the woven walls of the sukkah, come experience the beauty of Sukkot as we bless the night, share a potluck meal, and appreciate the fall harvest together.
Please RSVP through OneTable so we can get a headcount for food. Feel free to bring any additional dishes, nonalcoholic drinks, or dessert treats to share. All are welcome to join our Garden potluck!
hosted by Gabi
Creatives Club & Community Jam
Harvest your own creative potential!
Come gather for some productive artistic time together while the garden is blooming around us. Bring a project you're working on, your instrument of choice, or just come socialize with fellow creatives. Some basic art supplies will be provided.
hosted by Cory & Creatives Club DC
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
Yoga in the Garden
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
Garden Volunteer Hours
Come get your hands in the soil with our partners at Farm the District, every Saturday throughout the growing season. Whether you’re a first-timer or returning veteran, all are needed to help tend to our shared backyard.
There’s plenty of projects to keep all hands busy, including weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, repairing, crafting, and ongoing side projects. Find a partner and choose your own adventure. And don’t forget to take home your portion of the harvest.
As always, we’ll also be giving an orientation tour for newcomers. Welcome neighbors!
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
Yom Kippur Reflective Event
Gather in the garden for a reflective conversation as we welcome the Jewish new year.
As autumn arrives and we stand at the threshold of a new year, we'll create space for honest reflection and intentional growth. Together, we'll take spiritual inventories — examining where we've been and envisioning who we hope to become in the year ahead.
Our conversation will explore the High Holiday themes of teshuvah (return) and forgiveness: returning to our truest selves, mending our relationship with the earth, and healing the bonds between us.
What to bring: A journal or notebook and pen for personal reflection
Who: Everyone is welcome — Jewish folks, interfaith families, and friends curious about this sacred time of year
hosted by Sarah
Yoga in the Garden
STARTING AT 6pm
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
TAG HouseKeeping Circle
Our official calendaring meeting for the month of October.
Bring any business you may have or partner with at Stump Fellow to program your submitted event ideas. Anyone can join as we discuss garden event planning, budgeting, and partnerships. Your ideas and energy are more than welcome! Come early to mingle and brainstorm your ideas before submitting.
*HouseKeeping Circles happen at the end of each month, they are the functional meetings where we calendar events for the next month of programming, approve any new spending, and can vote to change any Garden policies if needed. These meetings have official minutes that keep a record of our decisions and are shared with the rest of the U Street Neighborhood Association for transparency.
Hobbit Day 🧝
Join your fellow shire folk in the Garden for this year’s annual Hobbit Day party in honor of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthday! 🎂🎉
We’ll enjoy some middle earth delicacies, hobbit dancing, a Lord of the Rings trivia challenge, and other Tolkien-themed activities.
Come dressed in your finest Shire attire! 🧙♂️🧝♀️🦶
If you feel so inclined, you’re welcome to bring a hobbit-y side, treat, or drink to share—but no alcohol please. Bring a blanket to sit on if you like, and plz forward this to all the Tolkienites in your life! Hobbitlings welcome 👶😊
See the Partiful invite to RSVP (optional).
hosted by Joel
Garden Volunteer Hours
Come get your hands in the soil with our partners at Farm the District, every Saturday throughout the growing season. Whether you’re a first-timer or returning veteran, all are needed to help tend to our shared backyard.
There’s plenty of projects to keep all hands busy, including weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, repairing, crafting, and ongoing side projects. Find a partner and choose your own adventure. And don’t forget to take home your portion of the harvest.
As always, we’ll also be giving an orientation tour for newcomers. Welcome neighbors!
Music in the Garden! ft. Jenna Earhart & Veronique
Featuring local musicians Jenna Earhart and Veronique!
Jenna is a poetic singer-songwriter and powerhouse vocalist who is known for her intimate acoustic performances. Based in her home state of Virginia, she’s influenced by the textures and harmonic complexity of the jazz, R&B and folk music she grew up with, and she draws inspiration from artists like Ryan Beatty, Adrianne Lenker, and Eloise. Treating her writing as an opportunity to connect our expansive human experience to the world around us, Jenna delivers introspective lyrics with soulful vocals, all carried by contemplative harmonies on her acoustic guitar, telling the hard truths that come with being human and writing love letters to the tiny beauties of everyday life.
Commanding a three-octave range and a sentimental nature, Veronique is a DC-based singer-songwriter and a lover of reproductive justice. Deeply influenced by Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, she weaves classic jazz vocals with witty, sometimes uncouth, confessional lyrics that will make you laugh right before bringing you to tears.
Join the Garden plants and critters for an evening of home-grown music –– somewhere between a house show and barnyard jam. While tipping the bands is encouraged the event is free and open to all. Bring a blanket to sit on and snacks to share :)
produced by Swataa and Lucy
NEW LOCATION* Creatives Club & Community Jam with Free DC
NOW MEETING AT MLK LIBRARY ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Come gather for some productive artistic time together while the garden is blooming around us. Bring a project you're working on, your instrument of choice, or just come socialize with fellow creatives. Some basic art supplies will be provided.
hosted by Cory & Creatives Club DC
Donation Harvest for Martha’s Table
Our midweek harvest is donated to Martha’s Table through a long-running partnership with Farm the District. Join us every hump day at 7 to beat the heat and give back to the community.
Breathe Easy: Group Meditation
Our meditation community meets weekly to re-center, connect, and cultivate intentions. With a mix of guided, silent, and relational practice, we ground ourselves in presence and compassion. All levels of experience warmly welcomed.
Hosted by regulars and guests alike, bring a practice for the circle to share.
Shamanic Drum Sound Bath
Join us for an evening of rhythm, connection, and relaxation. In this shamanic drum sound bath, the steady pulse of the drum will guide you into a space of calm, helping to release stress, quiet the mind, and invite renewal.
As the drum’s vibrations ripple through the garden, you’re invited to lie back, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the earth beneath you and the people around you.
Bring a blanket or mat to get comfortable.
*Yoga in the Garden*
*NEW START TIME FOR FALL — 6pm
All levels flow in the garden for our community donation-suggested classes with the beautiful greenery and open blue sky. Perfect for grounding and centering. Bring yourself, water, and a mat (we’ll have a few extra on hand).
hosted by a rotating group of local facilitators
R&R in the Garden
Rosh Hashanah Reflective Hang!
Rest & renew in the garden as we ring in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. Whether you’re in that new-year, new-me reflection mode or just want to yap with friends new and old, join us for a loosely structured afternoon hang. All are welcome (Jews and friends alike) to play, lay, journal, meditate, make art, gab, and eat apples and honey (provided) in community.
Drop by anytime between 2:30 and 4:30 pm.
Bring your art project, book, or whatever else suits your fancy.
hosted by Sarah
Stay in the U
Sign up for the U Street Neighborhood Association’s monthly newsletter, and we’ll keep you posted on upcoming events and neighborhood happenings. You can also subscribe to our Instagram, Twitter, Google Calendar, and iCal.