The DC Funk Parade is The MusicianShip’s annual celebration of Washington DC’s iconic U Street Corridor, also known as, “Black Broadway.“ Music like Funk and go-go are key elements of DC culture, and the DC Funk Parade has highlighted them since its inception in 2013. If you conceive of Washington as that place your legislators go to make laws, DC is the place where the artists, musicians, and small business owners thrive.

“The Magic of Music,” the official Funk Parade beer, will debut Saturday, Apr 30, 2022 at Right Proper Brewing Company – Shaw, next to the historic Howard Theater. The Funk Parade Beer Release with DJ Bri Mafia kicks off the celebrations for the 2022 Festival–alas, no actual parade this year–between 12 and 4 PM. Proceeds from the sale will benefit The Musicianship music education Summer Programs.

DC culture, like the funk we hold so dear, is a living, breathing thing. So it is of the utmost importance that Right Proper has brought beer to life with the District’s first all Black-owned beer company, Sankofa Beer Company, and its premier Black female-owned company, Urban Garden Brewing (UGB).

One of the most important pieces of news coming out over the last two years is the addition of UGB, DC’s first Black woman-owned beer company, to the city’s brewing scene. Co-founder Eamoni Tate-Collier’s track record speaks for itself, but as a musician it’s no surprise that she rose to the occasion. Teaming up with the District’s first entirely Black-owned beer company, Sankofa, The Magic of Music is a Blonde Ale with Cara Cara oranges, 5.2% alcohol by volume.

Why Does it Matter?

Sponsorship

The Funk Parade is an unequivocally important piece of DC culture and history. For the last two years The Funk Parade was on hold. And while the pandemic didn’t kill the culture, it made a festival nearly impossible. Like a stuck fermentation halting a batch of beer, the fate of the parade hung in the balance.

This year the celebration bubbles for days: the beer release on April 30 kicks off the celebration with “The Magic of Music,” then a Mural Walk on May 4, and the Festival on May 7.

In 2019, The Funk Parade had a beer called “Keepin The Funk Alive” and in 2015, both DC Brau Brewing Company and Atlas Brew Works were beer sponsors of the parade.

So what can funky imbibers expect in 2022? We asked Lily Schulz, Lead Brewer at the Right Proper Brewpub, who described it as akin to a mimosa style beer. A blonde ale with orange puree, featuring an enjoyable fruit-forward flavored beer. Funk on.