The Go-Go Museum and Cafe will have its ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 18 after several years in development. The 8,000-square-foot space in Washington D.C.‘s Anacostia neighborhood will highlight the history of Go-Go music and culture – the city’s signature style of funk.
The forthcoming spot will reportedly have holograms and memorabilia of iconic Go-Go musicians including DJ Kool, Anwan Glover, Sugar Bear, and the band Rare Essence. Sources note that the community space will host live performances and boast a recording studio, an outdoor space, and a graffiti exhibit.
“We wanted to create a space where the community could come together to celebrate and experience go-go in all its glory,” creator Ronald Moten said, according to Essence.
What Can Visitors Expect At The Go-Go Museum And Cafe In Washington D.C.?
The museum anticipates its official opening in early 2025. Eater stated that ticketed guests will be able to visit “on the first and third Saturdays of each month.”
A 2023 report via the Washingtonian noted that the cafe will offer “a blend of African, Caribbean, Latin, and mumbo-sauced dishes.” The combo of cuisines is said to be a nod to go-go’s cultural roots. Chef Angela Rose Bethea, spearheading the cafe, shared on Instagram that the museum will provide “mentorship programs of all sorts.”
Often attributed to “the Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown, the funk subgenre blends R&B, Afro-Latin rhythms, and hip-hop. In 2020, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser designated the distinctive sound as the city’s “official music.”
The Go-Go Museum and Cafe has been a longtime project of Moten. He and Dr. Natalie Hopkinson co-founded 2019’s #DontMuteDC movement. The latter is an ongoing organization that battles Black displacement and cultural erasure in the nation’s capital, also known as Chocolate City. Public discourse and the hashtag rose after the presence of go-go music on “an iconic street corner” was threatened.
Notably, Hopkinson serves as The Go-Go Museum and Cafe’s chief curator. The new D.C. landmark broke ground in November 2023. The celebration of the museum’s construction was attended by Sugar Bear, Mayor Bowser, and filmmaker Spike Lee.
