WASHINGTON — Capital Pride Weekend kicks off on June 10 and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) expects more than 600,000 people to converge on the region, which may cause more traffic than usual around Downtown D.C.
According to a release from WMATA, Metro trains will be arriving every 4-5 minutes at stations in the area between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines; and between L’Enfant Plaza and Mt Vernon Square on the Green and Yellow lines. Red Line trains will run every 8 minutes. Trains across all lines will run on a normal weekend schedule, largely free of any track work. The only exception will be major construction between Vienna and Ballston.
WMATA says many trains will have eight cars, which is the longest possible length for the maximum capacity.
"We’ll also have extra trains available to relieve crowding or to fill in the gap should an unexpected operational issue occur," the release reads. "Ridership at some stations is expected to double compared to a normal weekend."
Some riders may be able to ride WMATA's Metro Pride train, which is "wrapped in the colors of the rainbow flag with a nod to the event theme – peace, love, and Metro – written on it." The six-car train will be decorated on the inside and out to commemorate Pride Month.
Additionally, two rainbow-wrapped Pride buses will be making their debut in the coming days. The special buses and train can be tracked using the WMATA website and selecting the "special edition" tab. The location of special buses and trains will only appear when the vehicles are in service.
The Capital Pride Parade will be held on Saturday, June 10. The parade's 1.5-mile route will make its way through Dupont Circle and Logan Circle, with the busiest stations expected to be Dupont Circle, Farragut North, and Farragut West.
The celebration continues Sunday with the Capital Pride Block Party in Dupont Circle and the Pride Festival along Pennsylvania Avenue. Customers may experience large crowds at Dupont Circle, Archives, Federal Triangle, L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, and Gallery Place-Chinatown stations.
Metrobus customers should be aware of road closures due to the Capital Pride Block Party & Parade, June 10 resulting in detours on the 42, 43, 52, 54, D2, D6, G2, N6, L2, and S2 routes; and for the Capital Pride Festival, June 11 with detours to the 32, 36 and P6 routes.
For those coming from out of town, parking is free on weekends at all Metro-owned parking lots and garages. Fares are a flat $2 for any one-way trip anywhere in the system, no matter how far you travel, according to WMATA.
The agency released a list of travel tips ahead of the busy weekend:
- Use Metro mobile pay for Apple iOS or Android for the quickest, easiest way to pay. Simply purchase a virtual SmarTrip card in your Apple or Google wallet before starting your trip to skip long lines at the fare vending machines. Learn more at wmata.com/mobilepay.
- Expect crowds due to events downtown and allow extra travel time.
- Please spread out along the platform. The last two cars are often the least crowded.
- Be aware of Major Construction on the Orange and Silver lines between Vienna and Ballston. Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, and East Falls Church will be closed. Free shuttle buses will be provided. Customers should use the free Express shuttle from Vienna if traveling downtown.
- If you normally park at Orange Line stations west of Ballston, consider using Franconia-Springfield on the Blue Line instead.
- Plan your trip to avoid transferring between rail lines, if possible. For example, if attending the Pride Parade, riders on the Green Line should consider using Shaw-Howard or U Street stations, rather than transferring to the Red Line.
- Following the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, participants are encouraged to walk to a station on the same line as their destination. Red Line customers should use Metro Center, Gallery Place or Judiciary Square. Green or Yellow line customers should use Gallery Place or Archives. Orange, Blue or Silver line customers should use Metro Center or Federal Triangle.
- Taking Metrobus may be good alternative for some customers. To see if Metrobus is an option, use Metro's online trip planner and select the "bus only" option.
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