District of Punk
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
*For Fall 2025, Tour will be the 3rd Saturday of the month at 2pm.
Learn about DC's under-recognized, but impactful, punk scene. In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration was reinstating the Selective Service, hippies were turning in yuppies, and the punk scene rose as a reaction to what was received as a souless government. While punk is often associated with London, New York, and LA, there was a substantial scene in DC that had anchors in the Gallery Place neighborhood and elsewhere. On this tour you'll discover what made the DC punk culture distinct from others, the major contributors to the scene, and it's lasting impact on the local music scene today. Tour ends at the MLK Jr. Library, which holds DC's Punk Archive.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Former d.c. space, the first club to host the Unheard Of Music Festival
The former location of the Lansburgh Center, a popular venue for punk shows in the 1980s.
What‘s Included
1.5 Hours of Cool Information about DC's Punk Scene
Private transportation
Options
District of Punk
Reviews
7 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Banned in DC!
M5186JRjoshc,May 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great to see the real locations of these places I've only read about. So many good stories and historys. Very informative and very fun.
Great
244pedrov,May 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a fantastic time. Katie is super knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun. She has stories to share and clearly loves what she does. Thank you for a great experience.
Fun, Unique, & Accessible
AnnaSMurphy,Apr 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This 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.
District of Punk
Chriss H,Mar 31, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00We 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.
Downtown DC Punk Tour
jonathanfA1847ZW,Jul 2, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00So 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.
Punktastic!
MonikaCoyote,Aug 19, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I 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!
An Interesting and Entertaining Trip Back in Time
mddeblois,Aug 18, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I 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.
From US$30.00
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Operated by Off the Mall Tours