NoMa in Color Returns September 11–18, Bringing 16 New Murals to the Neighborhood

Annual mural festival selects 17 artists from more than 150 applicants; public invited to celebrate new public art at free Color Jam event on September 18

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) today announced the return of NoMa in Color, its annual mural festival, from September 11–18, 2026. During the week-long festival, 17 artists will create 16 new large-scale murals throughout the neighborhood, bringing NoMa's current collection to 73 murals—one of the largest outdoor public art collections in the region. Since NoMa’s mural festival launched more than a decade ago, more than 200 murals have been created, with new works replacing murals lost to redevelopment or refreshed to showcase new artists, cementing NoMa's reputation as the Mural Capital of DC.

More than 150 artists responded to the NoMa in Color Call to Artists issued by the NoMa BID this spring. Following a competitive review process, 17 artists were selected to create 16 murals, including one collaborative work by two artists and a group mural to be painted by graduate students at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The new murals will include 13 works along the
WMATA-owned wall bordering the Metropolitan Branch Trail, replacing murals installed during the 2024 NoMa in Color festival, as well as new murals at additional locations throughout the neighborhood. Together, the works will celebrate creativity, reflect the character of NoMa, and continue transforming everyday public spaces into an outdoor gallery for residents and visitors alike.

The public is invited to watch the murals take shape throughout the week before celebrating their completion at Color Jam on Friday, September 18, from 4:00–8:00 p.m. at Alethia Tanner Park, 227 Harry Thomas Way, NE. The free celebration will feature opportunities to meet the artists, live entertainment, a curated artisan market featuring more than 20 local makers, interactive art activities, food trucks, a pop-up beer garden hosted by Lost Generation Brewing Co., and opportunities to explore NoMa's newest public art installations.

The artists participating in the 2026 NoMa in Color Mural Festival are:

- Astro the Artist
- Tim Cunningham
- Real Dee
- Rosy Sunshine
- Donavon Brutus
- Tia Wilson
- Gray
- Patrick Owens
- Heather Jones and Jaswant Pakki
- Davide Prete with Graduate Students at UDC
- HKS181
- Jahru
- Jessica Elder
- Maspaz
- Julienne Kaleta
- Brocha

The 2026 NoMa in Color Mural Festival is made possible thanks to a partnership with the WMATA Art in Transit Program and the generous support of Events DC and Lime. Muralist coordination is led by local artists Corey Bernat and Marc Pekala, both alumni of previous NoMa in Color mural festivals whose experience as muralists helps shape the program's artistic vision.

For more information and schedule updates, visit www.nomabid.org/nomaincolor and follow us on Instagram (@noma.bid), TikTok (@noma.bid. dc), Twitter (@NoMaBID), LinkedIn (/noma-business-improvement-district) and Facebook (@NoMaBID).

sherri cunningham
NoMa Business Improvement District
+12023641410 ext.
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