District of Punk: Exploring DC's Historic Punk Scene

Washington

Uncover the rebellious spirit of DC’s historic punk scene on a tour exploring the city’s unique culture, major contributors, and lasting impact on the local music scene. Book now!

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

The Lansburgh - The former location of the Lansburgh Center, a popular venue for punk shows in the 1980s.
9:30 Club - This tour visits the former location of the first 9:30 Club, now one of DC’s most iconic performance venues.

What's Included

1.5 hours immersed in DC’s vibrant punk scene

What's Not Included

Private transportation

Additional Information

*Starting in March 2024, the tour is available on the 4th Saturday of each month at 2pm.
Discover DC’s often overlooked but influential punk scene. During the 1980s, as the Reagan Administration reinstated the Selective Service, and hippies were becoming yuppies, the punk movement emerged as a response to what was seen as a soulless government. While…

Location

Gallery Place Chinatown Station

The meeting point is at the F and 7th Street Exit of the Gallery Place Metro Station

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

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(5 Ratings)

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Annasmurphy

Apr 28, 2024

Fun, Unique, & Accessible - This was an amazing and unique tour that gives a side of DC you won’t get elsewhere. Katie is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. Highly recommend for visitors and people local to DC. Tour is also 100% accessible for people in wheelchairs.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Chriss_h

Mar 31, 2024

District of Punk - We did the "District of Punk" tour with Katie from Off The Mall Tours. We toured the locations that informed the DC punk scene of the 70s, the DC hardcore scene of the 80s, and the DC post punk of the 90s - including the defunct DC Space (now a Gregory's Coffee), The Lansburg Cultural Center (now a multi-purpose building/Shakespeare Theatre) and the original 9:30 Club (now a recently vacated J Crew store). While touching on the seminal DC bands of the time like The Teen Idles, Void, Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Rites of Spring, Katie also told the story of how important (yet often ignored or mistreated) the women of the DC punk scene were, like the bands Chalk Circle and Fire Party. We also went to the DC Punk Archive at the Washington DC Public Library and we were given access to leaf through their collection of zines that documented the DC scene, donated by activist and author Mark Andersen. Katie was a knowledgeable guide and I recommend this tour to any punk rock fan.

Review provided by Viator

Jonathanfa1847zw

Jul 2, 2023

Downtown DC Punk Tour - So when I signed up for the tour, I thought it was going to be elsewhere in DC, like in Adams Morgan or somewhere uptown. Instead, Katie took us on a tour in downtown DC and took us back in time to before the new development overtook the neighborhood. I learned so much about locations and buildings I walked past without batting an eye, not even realizing that those locations are important locations in the history of DC punk. Loved the experience and highly recommend this tour if you are a punk rock fan and want to learn about what DC was like in that era.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Monikacoyote

Aug 19, 2022

Punktastic! - I loved the multi-sensory approach to this Tour-- music, historical buildings, personal stories, and we even had a Punk Band musician join us for his lived experiences to share!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Mddeblois

Aug 18, 2022

An Interesting and Entertaining Trip Back in Time - I loved learning about an important, grassroots movement from our city's rich musical history. Washington DC had a rich and influential punk culture during the late 70s and early 80s and Katie took us back to a time when the city wasn't quite as gentrified and the musical experience was incredibly authentic.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $30

up to 15 guests

1 Adult