Mayor Bowser and Events DC Announce ESA Grand Opening Lineup

Mayor Muriel Bowser, in collaboration with Events DC and Monumental Sports and Entertainment, announced today the events that will mark the grand opening for the new Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA). The 4,200-seat venue will be a hub for entertainment, sporting events, esports, community celebrations and much more. The Arena will also serve as the practice facility for the NBA Washington Wizards and home court of the WNBA Washington Mystics, as well as the new NBA G-League team, the Capital City Go-Go.

“On September 22, we celebrate not just the opening of a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility, but the promise and opportunity that this project brings to the St. Elizabeths East campus,” said Mayor Bowser. “The Entertainment and Sports Arena is the home our Mystics deserve. But it’s even more than that – this project is bigger than basketball. The ESA is about jobs, opportunity, and community; it’s about ensuring that every neighborhood, in every corner of our city has world-class housing and amenities.”

Michael Marshall Design is the architect for the project, in a joint venture with Detroit-based ROSSETTI (forming Washington Arena Design Group).

“As we approach the grand opening of the Entertainment and Sports Arena, I am particularly proud of our work with our client, Events DC, our joint venture with ROSSETTI for the design of the project, and partners Smoot/Gilbane Sports, Brailsford & Dunlavey and Setty & Associates,” said Michael Marshall.  “Most importantly, I am grateful for our collaboration with the Congress Heights community, which has helped to make this a very special addition to the St. Elizabeths East campus.”

The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, September 22.

Click here to read the entire line up of events in the press release.

Read Curbed DC’s coverage on the project here.