Street parking in Washington DC is not free during most weekday and Saturday hours. Meters run Monday through Saturday, roughly 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at around $2.30 per hour. But metered parking is free on Sundays and most federal holidays - one of the city's most useful, and most overlooked, rules.
In brief
Street parking in Washington DC is not free during most weekday and Saturday hours. Meters run Monday through Saturday, roughly 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at a standard rate of around $2.30 per hour. The big exception: metered parking is free on Sundays and most federal holidays. That rule saves visitors real money - if they know it exists.
What meters actually cost, and when they run
Meters cost $2.30 per hour and are enforced Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Busier commercial areas extend enforcement to 10 p.m. So a two-hour errand downtown runs you $4.60 at minimum.
There are nearly 17,000 on-street metered parking spots in Washington DC. Street parking is a mix of metered spots, residential permit zones, time limits, and loading areas, and rules can change from block to block - which is exactly how people end up with tickets they didn't expect.
The city uses both single-space meters and newer multi-space meters, where you input your space number and pay. ParkMobile is the main app for DC metered parking. Set it up before you drive in. A broken meter does not mean free parking - you're still expected to pay via ParkMobile or a nearby kiosk.
When parking actually is free
You can count on free street parking in DC on Sundays and national holidays. Most metered street parking throughout the city is also free overnight - in addition to the free general parking on Sundays and national holidays.
The federal holidays DC recognizes for meter suspension include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Inauguration Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If a holiday falls on a weekend, the observed weekday counts.
One caveat worth repeating: Sundays and federal holidays mean most metered parking is free - but not all. Read the sign. Some high-demand spots post their own hours that override the city default.
The residential permit zone trap
A huge chunk of the city's streets aren't metered at all - they're in Residential Permit Parking (RPP) zones. RPP limits street parking on designated residential blocks to people who actually live there, stopping commuters and visitors from taking up all the parking in residential neighborhoods.
RPP is generally enforced 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, throughout most of the District. Georgetown runs a tighter window: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except holidays.
Non-residents can park for a maximum of two hours during enforcement hours. After that, they can be ticketed - every two hours they overstay. The trap most people fall into: moving your car to another spot on the same block does NOT reset the clock. DC's system tracks your license plate in the zone, not just the specific space. To reset the clock you need to leave the RPP zone entirely.
Some blocks also have 'Resident Only' sides - meaning non-residents cannot park there at all during enforcement hours, not even for two hours.
DC residents pay for RPP through vehicle registration. RPP fees in 2026 run $55 per year for the first vehicle, $80 for the second, and $115 for the third.
Rush-hour tow zones: the costliest mistake
Certain DC streets prohibit parking during rush hours - typically 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - to keep traffic moving. Park in one of these zones during restricted hours and your car will be towed, not ticketed. Constitution Avenue meters become rush-hour lanes between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays. Motorcycle officers issue $50 tickets starting exactly at 4 p.m., and if you remain parked there after that, your chance of getting a ticket is 100%.
Street sweeping: a seasonal catch
From March 1 through October 31, street sweeping takes place on a regular schedule in Washington DC, typically between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Getting caught blocking a street sweeper carries a $45 fine. Tickets are issued at the start of the restriction window - not after a grace period. Street sweeping is suspended on federal holidays.
Free parking near the National Mall
Spots near the monuments are scarce. There is extremely limited street parking around the National Mall. The best free option: limited, free all-day parking is available along Ohio Drive SW, along the Potomac River south of the Lincoln Memorial, and in Lots A, B, and C south of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Additional parking can be found in East Potomac Park along Ohio Drive SW between Buckeye Drive and Hains Point.
Ohio Drive SW fills fast on weekends - arrive before 9 a.m. If you miss that window, the nearest garages are in Foggy Bottom. The Ronald Reagan Building garage at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW charges $26 for up to 15 hours on weekdays and $19 all day on weekends in 2026.
Paying for a DC meter
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has launched a number of parking programs to reduce congestion, including pay-by-phone options, residential permits, and visitor permits. DDOT also accepts out-of-state disability permits, unlike many other cities, and has ADA-accessible meters designated by a blue dome.
Standard DC meter rates are often $2.30 per hour, and posted signs list the exact hours you must pay and the maximum time you may remain. Never assume a block follows the city default - the sign on that specific block is the only thing that counts.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
