Get a preview of Main Street’s temporary transformation for the festival on October 19 and 20; organizers are seeking volunteers to help build the designs to life!
Wheaton, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), has released the design concepts for the Damascus Placemaking Festival, a free, two-day community event that will be held on Saturday, October 19 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will take place along one block of Main Street in Damascus (9801 Main St, Damascus, MD 20872).
![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.](https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/240830-Damascus-Birds-Eye-View-Gateway-Sign-Columns.jpg)
The design concepts were created based on input from the community through an online questionnaire and at the project’s kickoff meeting in June. The concepts and a summary of this feedback are available on the project’s website.
“These design concepts demonstrate how Main Street has the potential to be a vibrant community destination in the heart of Damascus,” said project lead Audrey Vogel. “We are excited to bring the community’s ideas to life as part this fun and family-friendly festival that aims to inspire long-term improvements to public spaces while maintaining Damascus’ small-town character.”
Volunteers needed
Planners are seeking the community’s help to bring these concepts to life during the community-led build of the festival in the days leading up to the event. Volunteers may be asked to help paint a temporary mural installation, construct benches or art sculptures, and assist with festival operations, such as set up, clean up, and parking management. Interested parties can sign up for volunteer days using the online form. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be available for students.
About the Damascus Placemaking Festival
The festival is the culmination of a collaborative, short-term special planning initiative to bring together local businesses, residents, visitors, and civic groups to temporarily reimagine a portion of Main Street in Damascus. Community members will work with the project team is working with community members and partners to bring their ideas for Main Street to life. The two-day celebration will include local food, music, arts, and engagement activities in a welcoming place for residents to gather with their community. This initiative will help create a clear vision for a vibrant and welcoming Main Street that embraces and celebrates the community’s small-town charm.
The Damascus Placemaking Festival is modeled on the White Flint Placemaking Festival that took place in 2018, the Burtonsville Placemaking Festival in 2019, and the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival in 2022. These events have each drawn 1,000 to 3,000 people over a weekend.
Stay informed, get involved
To learn more about the Damascus Placemaking Festival please visit the project’s website and sign up for our e-letter to receive updates.
What is placemaking?
Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of the community and strengthen the connection between community and the places they share. Placemaking refers to a collaborative process that shapes our public realm to maximize value. Beyond just promoting better urban design principles, placemaking facilitates creative thinking, capitalizes on community assets, and contributes to the community’s health, happiness, and well-being. More than livable; these places are loved. Put simply, placemaking incorporates community input and sentiment to make people feel good about where they live, work, or play and imagine the possibilities of their neighborhood.