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Damascus Placemaking Festival

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Damascus is a unique area within Montgomery County, with a rural character and a tight-knit “small town” of a community worth preserving. Yet even one of the county’s best places to live has room for improvement—most notably in the Main Street area, where business owners and other local stakeholders have long clamored for revitalization efforts toward making it a more walkable, human-scaled, and easily identifiable town center.

Montgomery Planning led an initiative to reimagine a segment of the Damascus Main Street as a vibrant community space through a festival in October 2024. For 6 months Montgomery Planning worked with Damascus residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to plan a community festival that incorporates cost-effective temporary interventions to improve the Main Street core of Damascus and help strengthen community ties to local businesses. The event cultivated a shared vision for shaping the future of Main Street and Damascus that embraces the community’s agrarian past and small-town character while addressing the needs of the future.

People painting large boards on the ground outside a yellow brick building. Traffic cones and art supplies are scattered around. It's a sunny day, and autumn trees are visible in the background.
A man in a blue shirt and cap holds a yellow paper while speaking into a microphone on an outdoor stage. A young girl stands beside him, partially hidden. A guitar rests on the stage nearby, with decorative panels and greenery in the background.
A smiling woman hands an item to another woman in front of a booth. A young girl with face paint stands nearby, holding a cup. Everyone appears to be enjoying the interaction outdoors.
A man in a gray t-shirt and cap plays an acoustic guitar while singing into a microphone outdoors. He stands in front of decorative cutouts and greenery. Sunglasses hang on his shirt as he performs.
People reading and adding sticky notes to a large display board outdoors. The board is covered with colorful notes, and a gas station can be seen in the background on a sunny day.
Children are energetically jumping on a wooden platform in an outdoor area with adults watching. One child wears a shirt with cartoon characters. Trees and a building are visible in the background, along with several spectators.
Colorful wooden structure with heart-shaped panels in yellow, green, and light blue, set against a clear blue sky. Each panel has a different color and design, creating a playful and artistic look.
People painting benches on a blue tarp outdoors. Orange traffic cones are placed around the area. The scene is under sunny weather, surrounded by trees and a few parked cars.
A lively outdoor street festival with people walking and visiting food trucks and tents. Trees with autumn foliage line the street under a clear blue sky. Families and groups are enjoying the sunny day.
A man lifts a smiling toddler into the air at an outdoor festival. Colorful tents and people are in the background. Tables with seated adults and children are in the foreground, creating a lively family-friendly atmosphere.
A woman in sunglasses speaks into a microphone on an outdoor stage. She stands between two yellow and green sculptures with cutout designs, surrounded by trees and musical instruments.
A bustling outdoor market scene with people walking between stalls under colorful bunting. Tents line both sides of the street, displaying various goods. Trees with autumn leaves are visible under a clear blue sky.
A lively outdoor street festival with people exploring vendor booths under blue and green tents. The entrance is decorated with balloons and signs reading "Damascus" and "Placemaking." Trees with autumn leaves line the street, and pumpkins are displayed.
A martial artist performs a high kick to break a board held by another person outdoors. People watch in the background, and a photographer captures the moment.
A lively outdoor event with people enjoying music and performances. Attendees sit on hay bales under yellow umbrellas, while a group of dancers performs. Tents and colorful letters spelling "ACUS" are in the background, with a clear blue sky above.

Vendors and Entertainment

Food and Beverage 

The Hornets Nest Grille 

Brazil Gourmet Pizzeria & Grill 

That Smoothie Place Smoothie & Juice Bar  

Java Cove Indonesian Kitchen Food Truck  

Gem’s Savory Solutions Caribbean Food Truck  

Neighbors Barista Coffee Bar *Sunday 10/20 Only* 

Or checkout one of the many nearby local restaurants! 

Beer Garden of LOCAL Producers (21+) 

61 Vineyard  

Stone Silo Brewery  

Two Story Chimney Ciderworks 

Activities  

Nature on Wheels Parks RV with Montgomery Parks 

Test-Track Bike Lane 

Pickle Ball  

Cornhole 

Life-Size Chess 

Face Painting and Coloring Contest with the Damascus Lions Club 

Pumpkin Painting Sponsored by Butlers Orchard  

Kids Play Fort 

Fire Truck with the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service  

Fitness Classes

Schedule

Saturday

Craft Vendor Marketplace 

Yoga Class with Fitness 1440 Damascus  

Royal Tiger Academy Marital Arts Performance  

ZamDance Performance with Jackie Zamora and the ZamDancers 

AFRO Latin Fusion Dance Experience with Angela Gonzales  

Sunday

Meet your Neighbors Coffee Social  

Craft Vendor Marketplace 

Martial Arts Class with Han Mi Martial Arts 

Dance and sing along to crowd pleasing classics with Cold Brew 42 

Damascus Studio of Dance Performance 

Zumba Class with Fitness 1440 

Fashion Show by Style Me Sue 

Design concepts

The concepts below are based on input from the community received at the project’s kickoff meeting and through our online questionnaire in June.

3D rendering of an outdoor community space featuring a playground, amphitheater-style seating, trees, and portable restrooms.
A 3D rendering of an aerial view with structured parking, multiple vehicles, and vibrant blue connectivity paths connecting various sections of the soon-to-be Damascus Placemaking Festival.
Overhead 3D rendering of a vibrant public park scene featuring a central flower bed surrounded by benches, with people engaged in various activities like walking and biking. Trees, additional benches, and a swing set are also visible in the area.
Digital rendering of a busy community space with multiple tents, tables, games and activities on the streets and sidewalks visually represented in a stylized, miniature format. Pedestrian traffic flows are highlighted with blue lines running through the scene.
Illustration of an outdoor event entrance with banners reading "Damascus" and "Placemaking" flanked by balloon decorations and flower-filled planters, leading to tents and stalls under a clear sky.
3D rendering of a colorful community space with green, blue and white tents, as well as seating, bike lanes, benches, and vibrant flower pots.

Community feedback

In June, community members were asked to complete a survey to provide input on how to activate Main Street this fall. The survey was open June 3–28, and received 279 responses. Planning staff presented a summary of the community’s feedback to date to the Montgomery County Planning Board on July 18.

Watch video | Download presentation slides

Kickoff meeting, June 3, 2024

Project Timeline

  • Kickoff and Community Questionnaire
    June 2024 
  • Outreach and Planning
    Summer 2024 
  • Community Led Design and Build
    Fall 2024
  • Placemaking Festival
    October 19-20, 2024