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Thousands are expected at Glen Echo Park’s Carousel Day festival on Saturday.
Not only is this opening day for the carousel, it’s a kind of homecoming. It’s the first time the public is seeing the five animal figures that recently returned after damage incurred due to a 2023 storm.
Over 50,000 people ride the historic carousel every year.
Emily Rogers, chief operating officer of Glen Echo Park, told WTOP the carousel is fun for the young and the young at heart.
“You’re never too old to ride the carousel,” Rogers said. “We’ve had newborns here as young as two-weeks-old, and we’ve had people celebrating their 100th birthday here, too.”
Rogers jokingly pointed out children are not required to ride it as well, but was not kidding when she spoke of the beauty of the carousel.
“It’s a piece of art you ride,” Rogers said.
There are 52 animals on the carousel, including 40 horses, 4 rabbits, 4 ostriches, a giraffe, a deer, a lion and a tiger, along with two circus chariots.
Jenni Cloud, with Glen Echo Park, told WTOP the company that made their carousel was from Germantown, Pennsylvania.
“The carousel was made by the cream of the crop of carousel companies, Dentzel Carousel Company,” Cloud said.
Nearly 40 years after the carousel was installed, it became a landmark for civil rights.
“Howard University students rode the carousel. They were arrested, the court case went to the Supreme Court. The following year, 1961, the Glen Echo Amusement Park was open to everyone,” Cloud said.
During the festival, there will be arts and crafts for kids, food trucks and a special percussive dance showcase headlined by the world’s leading authority on the art form of stepping, Step Afrika. Also performing will be Furia Flamenca, an award-winning dance company, Rhythmaya Dance and the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance.
Glen Echo Park is free. It’s $2 to ride the carousel or you get an all-day wristband for $5.
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