Revolutionary Germantown Festival

by Walt Maguire
Posted 10/1/21

The 2021 Revolutionary Germantown Festival will continue its  forty-plus  year  tradition of commemorating  Germantown's  Revolutionary  history on October 2, 2021. 

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Revolutionary Germantown Festival

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The 2021 Revolutionary Germantown Festival will continue its  forty-plus  year  tradition of commemorating  Germantown's  Revolutionary  history on Saturday, October 2.  Visitors  will  be  able to engage with the sites in Historic Germantown through family-friendly  activities  that highlight the diverse experiences of the men, women and children who lived in 1777 Germantown.

The Battle of Germantown in 1777 was a key moment in the Revolutionary War, a loss for the Americans, which sent them in retreat to Valley Forge. But it set the stage for Washington’s eventual success. The reenactment started as part of the Bicentennial in 1976.

There will be one re-enactment of  the  Battle  of  Germantown, from 12 to 1 p.m. The re-enactment  portrays  a  historic  battle that  displays  some  violent  content  including  black  powder demonstrations. 

Over the past year, Cliveden has listened to ideas about how the festival and the reenactment could change. There were concerns in the community about the use of guns for the reenactment at at time when gun violence was escalating. Many neighbors, even knowing it was an historic show, found it traumatizing.  In 2020, six fatalities and 11 non-fatal shootings occurred in the blocks surrounding Cliveden alone.  After several meetings since the 2020 event, the community and the event organizers seem to have reached an understanding, but this Saturday will be the first test.

The Revolutionary Festival is more than a recreation of the battle, however. Cliveden's events are in coordination with other Historic Germantown sites, staging their own tours and history reenactors. Additionally, at 2, Historic Germantown and the Black Writers Museum will conduct the Black Lives in Germantown Walking Tour. The tour will take approximately 90 minutes, starting at Germantown High School (5900 block of Germantown Avenue), and concludes at Market Square Park (5500 black of Germantown Avenue). Refreshments, post-tour at Germantown Historic Society. 

Cliveden House,  6401  Germantown Avenue and other locations along the avenue.  Saturday  October  2, 2021,  10  a.m.-4  p.m.  Free,  outdoors,  but  masks  required. 
cliveden.org/revolutionary-germantown-festival/