Latest news with #DupontCircle
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Dupont Circle Park Will Close Amid Pride Event After All, Park Service Says
The authorities in Washington, D.C., said a park in Dupont Circle would be closed during Pride celebrations this weekend after all, after days of back-and-forth among city leaders over the longstanding gathering spot for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The National Park Service, which administers the site, said it would be closed from Thursday until 6 p.m. Sunday 'for the maintenance of public health and safety and protection of natural and cultural resources.' In a document dated Wednesday and shared on Friday, it said the closure had been requested by the U.S. Park Police, a unit of the Park Service. Crews near the park appeared to be unloading fencing early Friday at the park, according to WUSA, a CBS-affiliated local broadcaster. The Park Service announced earlier this week that it would close the site, which sits inside a traffic circle, on a request by Washington, D.C., police. The police cited concerns about potential vandalism and disorderly behavior over the weekend during WorldPride, an international celebration of the L.G.B.T.Q. community that the city is hosting this year. There were no official WorldPride events set to be held in the park, although the event's parade on Saturday is expected to pass a few blocks away. The decision to close an area with a long history as a hub for the city's L.G.B.T.Q. community — at a time when the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity programs has left Pride events nationwide facing financial pressures — met with an outcry. City Council members and residents complained to the Metropolitan Police Department, the city's police force, prompting the police chief, Pamela A. Smith, to rescind the department's request for the Park Service to close the park. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Crews close off Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride festivities this weekend
Authorities began fencing off a park Friday morning at the heart of D.C.'s historic LGBTQ neighborhood as the District prepares for Pride celebrations this weekend. In an order issued Wednesday, the National Park Service imposed 'a temporary closure of Dupont Circle Park from approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2025, through approximately 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, 2025.' The closure, the order notes, 'comes at the request of the United States Park Police,' which has called the closure 'necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety and protection of natural and cultural resources in Dupont Circle Park.' Neither the National Park Service nor the U.S. Park Police issued any public statement on the park closure as of Friday morning. The move comes after uncertainty about the closure of the park during WorldPride. Federal officials had declined earlier this week to publicly say whether they will install a tall no-climb fence around the perimeter of Dupont Circle Park on Friday and assign U.S. Park Police officers in and around the park to keep the public out, despite days of pressure from city leaders and LGBTQ advocates to keep the historic park open during this week's WorldPride festivities. This story is developing and will be updated.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Uncertainty remains over Dupont Circle Park closure during WorldPride
Just a day before Pride weekend was set to kick off in the District, uncertainty loomed over the park at the heart of D.C.'s historic LGBTQ neighborhood. Federal officials have declined to publicly say whether they will install a tall no-climb fence around the perimeter of Dupont Circle Park on Friday and assign U.S. Park Police officers in and around the park to keep the public out, despite days of pressure from city leaders and LGBTQ advocates to keep the historic park open during this week's WorldPride festivities.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Onggi adds a regal touch to the Korean scene in D.C.
Of all the dining rooms to open in Washington in recent months, the one that best exemplifies the origin of the word 'restaurant,' which comes from the French term for 'restore,' is Onggi in Dupont Circle. With its stone-colored walls, recessed lighting and spare, black and white art, the Korean newcomer could almost pass for a spa. Onggi is the only restaurant I know where you can sit on, as well as consume, Himalayan sea salt. Behold the benches, illuminated pink bricks that are sometimes gently heated, tempting some of us to stretch out and catch a few winks before reading the menu.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Dupont Circle park to close during World Pride, Park Service says
The historic Dupont Circle park at the center of Washington's historic LGBTQ neighborhood will be closed off by the federal government during next weekend's WorldPride parade and parties, another blow to a celebration that has gotten off to a rocky start. Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said in a statement that the decision was made at the request of D.C. police 'to keep the community and visitors safe and protect one of D.C.'s most treasured public spaces.' Mayor Muriel Bowser's office and D.C. police referred all questions to the National Park Service.
