If you’re heading down to DC for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington on Saturday, August 24, there are few things you need to know. Events actually begin on the 22nd and are spread throughout the city. The actual anniversary date of the 1963 March is August 28th and on that day, there will be a worldwide “Let Freedom Ring” celebration featuring a speech by President Barack Obama.
You can find the official schedule and information about the March at their website or via their Facebook page Twitter or Instagram. Elliot Ferguson, the CEO of Destination DC, the convention and visitors bureau handling the Washington, D.C., area joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show to talk about transportation, accommodations and the schedule of events.
TJMS: When does it actually start?
Elliot Ferguson: It starts on the 24th, this Saturday and technically it starts on the 22nd, with events and activities at various museums around the city. TJMS: And how about the hotels? Are you booked? Elliot: Well, we’ve got availability in the city. I think that what usually happens is people start making reservations. We’ve seen an uptick in terms of rooms being sold out in various hotels but we still have a lot of availability.
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TJMS: The last we heard from Rev. Al, there were over 700 buses coming into the city. Have you heard another number?
Elliot: We’ve heard a lot of numbers. The process with buses coming into the city is that they have to actually register through the DC Department of Transportation, which makes it easier for us to track and the Department of Transportation gives them a place to stage during any event in the city. And one of the major staging places is RFK Stadium, which has been sold out, at least one of the major parking lots. We have seen a lot of buses being registered, and we anticipate this week especially and us trying to find places to stage in the city.
TJMS: So how many people do you think are actually coming?
Elliot: That’s the question of the year. We anticipate thousands of people coming to the city. It’s kind of hard to tell, because hotels aren’t necessarily sold out quite yet. More than likely, people will come in for the 24, the actual date (the anniversary date of the original March) is the 28th, so we anticipate people coming in for this weekend and then returning for the 28th as well. We think a lot of people will be in the city but we don’t know an actual number yet. For information on hotels, activities, national historic sites and more in the Washington, D.C. area, click here. http://washington.org/
