The Washington Commanders left Washington, D.C. after their final game at RFK Stadium on December 22, 1996. They have played in Landover, Maryland ever since. A deal struck in April 2025 will bring them back to D.C., with a new stadium on the old RFK site planned to open in 2030.
In brief
The Washington Commanders left Washington, D.C. after their final game at RFK Stadium on December 22, 1996. They have played in Landover, Maryland ever since. A deal struck in April 2025 will bring them back to D.C., with a new stadium on the old RFK site planned to open in 2030. They never actually left the "DMV", just the District itself.
The original move: 1996 to 1997
It has been nearly 30 years since the franchise was last located within D.C. limits. The team played its final game at RFK Stadium on December 22, 1996, then moved to what is now Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, starting in 1997.
The team had called RFK Stadium home, sitting about 2 miles east of the U.S. Capitol, from 1961 through 1996. That's 35 seasons in the District. During that stretch, the franchise won three Super Bowls, in 1983, 1988, and 1992.
The current Landover facility, known as FedExField for much of its lifespan, was widely viewed as one of the NFL's most dated venues under former owner Dan Snyder, who was reportedly hesitant to move the team back to D.C.
Why the question gets confusing
The Commanders never left the greater DMV region. Their training facility sits in Ashburn, Virginia. They currently play approximately 20 miles from D.C. at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. For many fans, especially those in Northern Virginia or Prince George's County, the commute to a Landover game is shorter than a trip downtown would be. But technically, legally, the team has not played an NFL game inside the District in nearly three decades.
The return deal: April 2025
The Washington Commanders announced plans in April 2025 to leave their home in Prince George's County and return to Washington, D.C., where a new stadium would be built on the site of RFK Stadium.
A key piece of groundwork came when Congress passed a bill transferring the RFK Stadium land to D.C., signed by former President Joe Biden in early January 2025, after lobbying on Capitol Hill by owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell late the previous year.
Ownership had been considering sites in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia since buying the team from Dan Snyder in 2022. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he made "a strong effort" to keep the team playing in Prince George's County. It wasn't enough.
The D.C. City Council approved the stadium plan in September 2025. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026.
What the new stadium looks like
The new stadium's address will be 2400 East Capitol Street SE. It is planned with a capacity of 65,000 and a skylight roof, with Metro access at the Stadium-Armory station.
Renderings show a transparent domed stadium that rises on the sides, allowing views of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument. Steel beams on the outside deliberately echo the look of RFK Stadium.
The price tag is substantial. The stadium is expected to cost approximately $4 billion. The franchise is picking up $2.7 billion of the tab, with the city covering the remainder.
At RFK, one section of stands would physically bounce when the crowd got excited. The new stadium will include a section engineered to do the same. Washington team president Mark Clouse said: "Every aspect of the design is intended to amplify the energy and intensity of the crowd."
The project will also add housing and jobs to the area around the Anacostia River.
When did the Commanders move to Maryland? The team played its last D.C. game on December 22, 1996, at RFK Stadium, then moved to what is now Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, in 1997.
Where will the new Commanders stadium be? On the site of the old RFK Stadium, at 2400 East Capitol Street SE in Washington, D.C., along the Anacostia River in the Hill East neighborhood.
When will the new stadium open? The plan calls for a fall 2030 opening, with construction expected to start in late 2026.
How much will the new stadium cost? Approximately $3.8 billion in total. The Commanders are contributing $2.7 billion; District taxpayers are covering roughly $1 billion.
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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.
