Photo Gallery: National Mall Festivals and Recreation
A slideshow of images featuring the People’s Place for festivals and recreation
In the 1920s, the newly completed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was a popular ice skating venue for DC residents and Mall visitors (Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
Children played with sailboats in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial (Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
Uncle Beazley, a life-size fiberglass statue of a triceratops located next to the National Museum of Natural History from the 1970s to 1994, provided fun and recreation for children visiting the museums (Photo courtesy Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress)
On the Fourth of July, Americans come together on the Mall to celebrate our country’s birthday with picnics, musical performances, and fireworks launched against the backdrop of the iconic monuments (Photo courtesy Tom Wachs)
Since the 1970s, the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival held each summer introduces Americans to cultural traditions from different parts of the country and from around the world
A family favorite is the National Book Festival where readers of all ages come to meet beloved authors and share stories about history, art, literature, and poetry
The Solar Decathlon brought college teams to the Mall to demonstrate innovations in solar-powered houses (Photo courtesy James P. Clark)
The wide open spaces of the Mall continue to be an inviting and inspiring location chosen by local residents and visitors alike for recreational activities such as soccer, softball, and Frisbee (Photo courtesy Lisa Benton-Short)
The National Kite Festival continues to draw children of all ages each spring (Photo courtesy Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress)