Washington DC Punk Scene History Walking Tour

*Starting in March 2025, tour is offered the 2nd Saturday of the month at 1pm.
Learn about DC's under-recognized, but impactful, punk scene. In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration was reinstating the Selective Service, hippies were turning in yuppies, and the punk scene rose as a reaction to what was received as a souless government. While punk is often associated with London, New York, and LA, there was a substantial scene in DC that had anchors in the Gallery Place neighborhood and elsewhere. On this tour you'll discover what made the DC punk culture distinct from others, the major contributors to the scene, and it's lasting impact on the local music scene today. Tour ends at the MLK Jr. Library, which holds DC's Punk Archive.

Meeting Point

Gallery Place Chinatown Station

Washington, DC 20001, USA

The meeting point is at the F and 7th Street Exit of the Gallery Place Metro Station

What's included:

• 1.5 Hours of Cool Information about DC's Punk Scene

What to expect:

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

443 7th St NW

443 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA

Former d.c. space, the first club to host the Unheard Of Music Festival

15 minutes

The Lansburgh

425 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA

The former location of the Lansburgh Center, a popular venue for punk shows in the 1980s.

15 minutes

9:30 Club

815 V St NW, Washington DC, 20001-3020, District of Columbia

This tour visits the former location of the first 9:30 Club, now one of DC's most iconic performance venues.

15 minutes

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

901 G St NW, Northwest, Washington DC, 20001-4531, District of Columbia

The MLK Memorial Library is the location of the D.C. Punk Archive, the only collection of Punk ephemera documenting the DC scene.

10 minutes