WASHINGTON (HUNS) – More than 100 artists transformed several neighborhoods into free public art galleries on Sept. 12 and 13, 2025, at the “Art All Night” festival, hosted by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The concept was loosely inspired by “Night of the Arts,” an annual nighttime festival that began in Helsinki, Finland, in the late 1980s.
Since then, many European cities have created their own versions, and the tradition eventually went international. Washington has hosted its “Art All Night” since 2011, and the event has grown significantly.
For local creatives, the event is an effective way for people to see their work and expand their clientele.
Diego Montoya, a 27-year-old graffiti artist known as Dieglo, spray-painted T-shirts as a jazz quartet performed beside him Saturday night at 14th and U streets.
Montoya has been painting since he was a child, using his bold cartoony caricatures that he calls “gorditos” to show off his creative side.
“I express myself through my characters,” Montoya said. “They are an extension of me.”
Montoya, who is from Rockville, Maryland, also emphasized the importance of the festival to artists within the city.
“The fact that there’s a designated day for artists like me to show off their work is cool,” he said. “My next client might be walking on this strip.”
“As artists, we must put our backs up against each other to shine. ‘Art All Night’ wraps us all together in one day, which is awesome.”
Later in the night, crowds gathered downtown at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library for the “Block Party @ MLK” event. The block party featured performances from go-go bands and spoken-word poets; it even held a silent disco on the first floor of the library.
A few blocks away, Usan Usan, an art organization, hosted a gallery that featured 1-by-1-foot pieces from more than 50 DMV-based artists.
At the Smithsonian Art and Industries Building, the “European Union State of the Arts Night” showcased artists from Finland, Germany, Greece and Sweden, such as Anna U. Davis.
Davis says her work is inspired by the relationship with her husband. She uses abstract faces, bright colors and patterns to express her style and empower women.
“It’s nice to have this opportunity,” she said. “We’re representing Sweden and America, because we’re multicultural, multitiered people who lived in both countries.”
Kevin Vaughn is a reporter for HUNewsService.com. He also covers environmental, energy and transportation stories.
