2025 Wheaton Arts Parade

By Leif Lesperance

At 10 a.m. on Sept. 28, the ninth annual Wheaton Arts Parade kicked off along Georgia Ave. Residents of the area and surrounding communities flocked to the streets of downtown Wheaton to claim a spot to watch the parade. Artists and organizations spent the morning setting up their tents along the blocked-off roads and preparing to engage with fellow passionate community members.

The parade itself was composed of many local art and performance groups who danced, played music, or carried floats along the Wheaton streets. Once they reached the end of the parade route, some groups stopped and put on a short performance. Many local government officials also attended or marched in the parade, including Jamie Raskin, the House representative for Maryland’s eighth congressional district, Marc Elrich, the Montgomery County Executive, as well as various County Council members.

Einstein’s renowned Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and Visual Art Center (VAC) programs also made appearances in the parade, with students and teachers carrying floats alongside various Einstein performance groups such as the Titan Marching Band, Poms, and the Cheer team. “I love being able to march in this parade because we get to show our band to our community,” said Oliver Mirkes, a senior member of Einstein’s marching band, about his third year performing in the parade. Even without being required to go for their performing groups, artists and musicians are drawn to the event. “I will go in the future,” Mirkes said, “to see all of the local art and music.”

During the bright Sunday morning, Wheaton was united by its rich community and a love for the performing arts. Attendees who watched the parade or were otherwise involved in the festivities had a role to play as well. “I not only met some pretty cool people, I also learned a lot about what marketing my art was like,” said Evyia Makrodimitri, an event vendor and designer of the 2025 Wheaton Arts Parade poster. Makrodimitri entered the poster competition because she thought the idea was “really cool. Making art to capture the essence of the parts of Maryland I frequented a lot? I was so down for that.”

Next year’s event will include much of the same excitement, with more opportunities for student artists and performers to get involved, like Mirkes and Makrodimitri. Wheaton residents and surrounding community members can look forward to experiencing even more joy and connection during the Wheaton Arts Parade’s tenth anniversary festivities on Sept. 27, 2026.