PHOTOS: Bye bye, Bei Bei celebrations

By Reem Nadeem
November 16, 2019 | 3:23 PM

Bei Bei enjoys a bamboo stalk at his goodbye party.

Bei Bei sits in a hammock.

The Zoo released photos of Bei Bei when he was a baby.

Bei Bei and his celebratory cake on Nov. 16, 2019.

Spectators watch Bei Bei munch on bamboo at his Saturday farewell party on Nov. 16, 2019.

5 OF 5

The Bye Bye, Bei Bei parties continued over the weekend, celebrating the giant panda the D.C. area has come to love before he’s sent to China as part of a partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

On Saturday, visitors watched Bei Bei enjoy a cake, wrote notes for Bei Bei that will travel with him to China, made friendship bracelets and enjoyed dumplings provided by the Embassy of China.

Anyone who missed Saturday’s celebration can still join in the bittersweet fun on Sunday.

WTOP rides shotgun at 140 mph on DC’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix course

By Jimmy Alexander
August 21, 2026 | 9:49 PM

Less than 24 hours before the first checkered flag waves at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C., drivers got a chance Friday to put the 1.7-mile street course through its paces. WTOP got to ride shotgun in a 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, reaching about 140 mph on the streets surrounding the National Mall. Behind the wheel was Ken Morris, General Motors' senior vice president of product programs, product safety and motor sports. “Oh, inspiring!” Morris said after the run. “D.C. is such a phenomenal place. I'm starstruck by it every time I'm here and to be able to have a track in the middle of it is fantastic.”

Read Next Story