Metro increases service, offers fare-free rides for July 4
To celebrate America's 249th birthday, Metro will be ramping up its services, and fares will be free on the evening of July 4.
The fare-free trips on , Metrobus and MetroAccess will start at 5 p.m. and go until close, according to a news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Meanwhile, Metro will increase service to rush hour levels on all trains in the afternoon to help people get to their Independence Day celebrations.
'What better way to celebrate America's birthday than with free fares on America's Metro System,' said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. 'We are proud to serve residents, families from across the United States, and global guests visiting the National Capital Region.'
Major Metrobus changes rollout begin Sunday
If you're taking Metrorail to festivities on the National Mall, WMATA encourages travelers to avoid using multiple lines or transfers in order to reduce crowding.
Riders should also consider using a station other than Smithsonian, which may become crowded, WMATA noted. The following stations are within short walking distance of Smithsonian:To ring in the celebration, WMATA is also debuting its special July 4-themed buses and trains Monday, decked out in fireworks and the phrase, 'We The People Ride Together.'
Click for more information on ways to ride the Metro.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount.
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Donald Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home. That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House. Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.' The idea of cage fights at the White House would have seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in charge of the fledging fight promotion. White helped steer the company into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before landing owner TKO Group's richest one yet — a seven-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026 worth an average of $1.1 billion a year, with all cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS. ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and other traditional sports broadcast players seemed more in play for UFC rights — White had previously hinted fights could air across different platforms — but Paramount was a serious contender from the start of the negotiating window. The Paramount and UFC deal came just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a new entertainment giant after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the finish line. White said he was impressed with the vision Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the global MMA leader early in contract talks and how those plans should blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount. 'When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they're brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk takers,' White said. 'They're right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.' The $1.1 billion deals marks a notable jump from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid each year for UFC coverage today. But UFC's new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans — with all content set to be available on Paramount+ (which currently costs between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), rather than various pay-per-view fees. Paramount also said it intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. 'as they become available in the future.' UFC matchmakers were set to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night. 'This is a 1-of-1 event,' White said. There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming it has its hands in as the company moves into the Paramount era. White said there are still moving parts to the deal and that includes potentially finding new homes for 'The Ultimate Fighter,' 'Road To UFC,' and 'Dana White's Contender Series.' It's not necessarily a given the traditional 10 p.m. start time for what were the pay-per-view events would stand, especially on nights cards will also air on CBS. 'We haven't figured that out yet but we will,' White said. And what about the sometimes-contentious issue of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that they earn more money the higher the buyrate on their cards. Again, most of those issues are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the fight company's way. 'It will affect fighter pay, big time,' White said. 'From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.' Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV model — which was overpriced for fights as UFC saw a decline in buys because of missing star power in many main events — should give the fighters an increased idea of their worth. 'Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,' Paul wrote. 'Get your worth boys and girls.' White also scoffed at the idea that the traditional PPV model is dead. There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view the rest of the year through the end of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a new boxing venture that starts next year and could use a PPV home. White, though, is part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix. 'It's definitely not run it's course,' White said. 'There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view and there were guys out there that weren't. Wherever we ended up, that's what we're going to roll with.' White said UFC archival footage 'kills it' in repeat views and those classic bouts also needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires. Just when it seems there's little left for UFC to conquer, White says, there's always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in popularity and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports? 'You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,' White said. 'We're coming. We're coming for all of them.'
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Donald Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home. That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on August 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House. Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.' The idea of cage fights at the White House would have seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in charge of the fledging fight promotion. White helped steer the company into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before landing owner TKO Group's richest one yet — a seven-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026 worth an average of $1.1 billion a year, with all cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS. ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and other traditional sports broadcast players seemed more in play for UFC rights — White had previously hinted fights could air across different platforms — but Paramount was a serious contender from the start of the negotiating window. The Paramount and UFC deal came just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a new entertainment giant after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the finish line. White said he was impressed with the vision Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the global MMA leader early in contract talks and how those plans should blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount. 'When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they're brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk takers,' White said. 'They're right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.' The $1.1 billion deals marks a notable jump from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid each year for UFC coverage today. But UFC's new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans — with all content set to be available on Paramount+ (which currently costs between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), rather than various pay-per-view fees. Paramount also said it intends to explore UFC rights outside the US 'as they become available in the future.' UFC matchmakers were set to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night. 'This is a 1-of-1 event,' White said. There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming it has its hands in as the company moves into the Paramount era. White said there are still moving parts to the deal and that includes potentially finding new homes for 'The Ultimate Fighter,' 'Road To UFC,' and 'Dana White's Contender Series.' It's not necessarily a given the traditional 10 p.m. start time for what were the pay-per-view events would stand, especially on nights cards will also air on CBS. 'We haven't figured that out yet but we will,' White said. And what about the sometimes-contentious issue of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that they earn more money the higher the buyrate on their cards. Again, most of those issues are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the fight company's way. 'It will affect fighter pay, big time,' White said. 'From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.' Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV model — which was overpriced for fights as UFC saw a decline in buys because of missing star power in many main events — should give the fighters an increased idea of their worth. 'Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,' Paul wrote. 'Get your worth boys and girls.' White also scoffed at the idea that the traditional PPV model is dead. There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view the rest of the year through the end of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a new boxing venture that starts next year and could use a PPV home. White, though, is part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix. 'It's definitely not run it's course,' White said. 'There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view and there were guys out there that weren't. Wherever we ended up, that's what we're going to roll with.' White said UFC archival footage 'kills it' in repeat views and those classic bouts also needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires. Just when it seems there's little left for UFC to conquer, White says, there's always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in popularity and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports? 'You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,' White said. 'We're coming. We're coming for all of them.'
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hold onto your red Solo cups. This funhouse-style bar is recharging downtown nightlife
Uncle Ollie's Penthouse, the new maximalist downtown L.A. bar that opened in April between Little Tokyo and Skid Row (a region some have dubbed 'Skid Rokyo'), captures the visceral, dopamine-driven alchemy of the best kind of house party every Wednesday to Sunday night. It has wild, color-saturated decor, potent cocktails served in red Solo cups and a killer soundtrack that inspires stomping the floor with pals or singing along with strangers. But can this multisensory home away from home help revive L.A.'s fading nightlife landscape? Beckoning from the second floor of owner Brian Traynam's downstairs restaurant and club, the Escondite — known for its crispy wings, punk-rock bands and DJs — the immersive 'penthouse' was a decade in the making. 'I have an uncle named Ollie and this is his penthouse,' says Traynam of the narrative he conceived for his eye-popping space. 'He had to leave town so he gave me the keys and said three things: I know you're going to have a party here so if anything gets stolen or broken, I break you; if you tell your mother about any of this, we're both finished. Have a good time, kid!' Traynam, whose first dive, Bar 107, closed in 2015, says he always wanted to open what he calls 'Bar 107 2.0' in the vacant space above the Escondite. But nightlife has changed a lot since then and people don't hang out in one downtown bar all night the way they used to. The concept of a neighborhood dive, where the same people come in nightly, build a tab and stay for hours, is practically a pre-pandemic thing of the past. But Traynam hopes to change that and entice a new generation by filling a void with more experiential elements than any other bar in L.A. 'Customer acquisition is more challenging now because we used to get a lot of people walking to the Arts District from the Old Bank District or Little Tokyo,' notes the bar owner. 'No one walks anymore. So we are now a destination.' Walk up an austere flight of white stairs and a hostess greets you at the (keyhole-shaped) entry with party cups, nametag stickers and Sharpie pens to label them with, encouraging intros and interaction with others even before you enter. Once inside, there's a dizzying array of amusements to absorb. 'It's the best of both worlds,' says local musician Taleen Kali, who just celebrated her birthday at Uncle Ollie's, as she had done at Bar 107 a decade earlier. 'You can grab a bite and catch a DIY show at the Escondite downstairs and now, come up to the afterparty…. I've seen so many familiar faces and met cool new people here.' At the crimson-hued, '70s-living-room-style main bar surrounded by kitschy collectibles, vintage nude paintings and neon, Kali snaps photos with a giant lion sculpture before she and her friends take over the retro arcade full of rare '70s and '80s consoles, pinball machines and clown art. Later, she'll dance in another room to DJs under a shimmering disco ball and freshen up in the cartoony Hello Kitty-themed bathroom. 'I can't remember the last time I felt so connected to my hometown as an L.A. native,' Kali says. 'I also love that you get to keep your own party cup all night — it's a total vibe, plus it's less wasteful and more sustainable.' Traynam says that 'every time I've had fun, I've had a red cup in my hand.' Here they're filled with cheap and cheeky drinks like the Shaft (Gordon's vodka, Bailey's Irish Cream and cold brew, served on the rocks with a straw), Grandpa's Ol' Cough Medicine (Woodinville bourbon and root beer) and You're My Boy Blue (Ketel One vodka, Sprite, blueberry syrup), all running $9 to $13. An interactive shot called the Influencer offers a swig of Herradura tequila 'and a selfie with the bartender,' but this funhouse full of knickknacks and playground-like structures begs for photos and videos, regardless. It'll also feel familiar to Angelenos who frequented 107 in its heyday. Known for its chaotic interior and wild energy, Bar 107 closed when Traynam and his former partner, Vee Delgadillo, failed to reach a lease agreement with the building's landlord. Traynam and Delgadillo made local news when they decided not to leave without a fight, promoting the hashtag #Occupy107 on social media and announcing plans to defy eviction. They protested against what they saw as a soulless 'swankification' of the area at the time. Fancy hotspots also brought higher rents and bars like 107 couldn't keep up, nor did they want to. 'I knew what downtown was going to become — super-expensive and not inclusive, just like Baltimore, New York and Chicago, where the rich displace the artists and the students,' Traynam says. Though the 'occupation' didn't last long, it solidified the bar owner's vision for unpretentious and budget-friendly hospitality. Before he was a businessman he was a hard-partying comedian who threw legendary DIY shindigs at his Hollywood apartment and, later, a house in Echo Park. The full circle house-party vibes live on at Uncle Ollie's via the oddball entertainment that became legendary at 107, including its popular 'Gong Show Karaoke' on Wednesdays, which attracts a wacky group of singers and 'D-list celebrities' to judge them. Other nights offer retro dancing and live bands. Irreverent new burlesque nights feature renowned dancers from venues like Jumbo's Clown Room and El Cid. Performer and promoter Vanessa Burgundy has been tasked with putting a new spin on the art of striptease here, and so far her monthly residency, called That Time of the Month, has more than delivered. 'Brian's original idea for my night was kind of like a Beacher's Madhouse style setup, you know, just kind of mayhem,' Burgundy recalls. 'But ultimately his only guidance for me has been, 'make it weird.'' Burgundy's unstructured gatherings, featuring original Bar 107 DJ Morgan Higby Knight, have boasted plenty of rock 'n' roll-fueled debauchery — from an eclectic Easter show featuring male and female dancers disrobing bunny suits and nun garb, respectively, to a spectacle dedicated to the music and mayhem of recently departed icon Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath (the venue was dubbed 'Uncle Ozzy's Penthouse' for the night). There's no shortage of promoters who want the figurative 'keys' to the penthouse, but getting patrons in has had some hurdles Traynam didn't expect. The bar was open for just two months when Mayor Karen Bass implemented curfews downtown because of ICE raids and protests, which he says hurt its momentum. He also notes that businesses are still navigating nightlife shifts post-pandemic as well. 'Everyone has curtailed their spending habits after COVID,' he says. 'Also FOMO [fear of missing out] no longer exists. Now people are used to being at home, watching Netflix, ordering GrubHub and just chilling out. They don't care as much about going out. 'L.A. really needs to have fun again,' Traynam said. 'So we're banking on a reset. We're banking that in these times, people need to get out of their own heads and get out of their apartments. That's why we're offering cheap drinks, a photo booth, dance floor and no cover most nights…. Uncle Ollie's is a blast from the past, but it's also about the future, where the party is about you and your friends, not the people behind the bar.' Lina Lecaro is the author of 'Los Angeles' Best Dive Bars- Drinking & Diving in the City Of Angels.'
