Versatile 12,600 Sq. Ft. Entertainment Venue.
tl;dr
- Space
- A 1,171 sqm (12,600 sq ft) entertainment venue for hire in Ivy City, Northeast Washington DC, built as a column-light event floor with a rooftop deck under a retractable roof. Capacity runs to roughly 1,220 to 1,500 guests, making it one of the largest single-operator brand activation spaces available in the district.
- Best For
- Large-format fashion presentations and runway shows with tiered seating, cocktail receptions and after-parties for 500 plus guests, multi-day sample sale space with fitting rooms already installed, corporate and networking events with staged AV, and content studio or brand shoot production across the indoor and rooftop levels.
- Standout Features
- Rooftop deck with a retractable roof allowing indoor and outdoor programming from the same rental, in-house sound and video equipment plus riggable lighting, and a retail fit-out already in place including fitting rooms, counters, garment racks and a stock room. Also includes a full commercial kitchen for catering setup, on-site parking with elevator access for load-in, and CCTV with a monitored security system across the venue.
- Location
- Ivy City, Northeast Washington DC, roughly 20 minutes on foot or 6 minutes by car from NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro (Red Line), with New York Avenue bus routes 3 minutes away and Union Station 8 minutes by car. The immediate street is a converted industrial block with wide kerbside truck access, and guests arrive past Gravitas, Republic Restoratives Distillery and Ivy City Smokehouse, so the district reads as a destination rather than a back lot.
- Availability
- Day rate is 600 USD (approximately 523 EUR) with a one day minimum, so you can book by the day for a single press day or extend across a production week on request. Our team recommends 6 to 8 weeks lead time in Washington DC, and venues at this scale in Ivy City typically book out first around DC Fashion Week, the spring gala season and the November to December holiday window.
- How to Book
- Submit a brief through Fashion Week Venues and we confirm availability within 24 hours with no charge until confirmed, this listing having been vetted by our team for load-in access and capacity. Permit paperwork, event staffing and fit-out coordination are handled on the brand's behalf, so request availability now to hold your dates.
about this space
This dynamic 12,600 square foot entertainment venue is ideal for social gatherings, live performances, and corporate events. Capable of accommodating up to 1,500 guests, the space features a rooftop deck with a retractable roof, enhancing its flexibility for both indoor and outdoor experiences. Equipped with essential amenities, this venue ensures a well-supported environment for various occasions. Notable facilities include high-speed internet, air conditioning, a security system, and a fully equipped kitchen. Additionally, the space offers a stock room, counters, fitting rooms, garment racks, as well as sound and video equipment. Other conveniences include heating, electricity, parking, an elevator, and CCTV for safety and security. This venue provides everything needed to host diverse events with ease.
the fwv take
Perfect for large-scale brand activations with a focus on live events, this 12,600 sq ft venue leverages its vast capacity and integrated AV systems to create memorable experiences.
A notable feature is the rooftop deck with a retractable roof, allowing for seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor settings, accommodating any weather condition.
Brands specializing in streetwear, activewear, or music-centric fashion, particularly those with an established following of over 1,000 guests, will find their aesthetic and operational needs met here.
In Washington DC, prime booking times are around DC Fashion Week and the bustling spring gala season; we recommend brands utilize our budget calculator and prepare for a 6 to 8-week booking lead time for optimal results.
what's included
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Security System
- Stock Room
- Counters
- Fitting Rooms
- Garment Rack
- Lighting
- Furniture
- Sound & Video Equipment
- Electricity
- Heating
- Parking
- Elevator
- Kitchen
- Wifi
- CCTV
package add-ons
make the space yours.
with our package add-ons you can make your chosen space move-in ready. from furniture and branding, to staffing and marketing — we've got you covered.
how to book this space
- 01
Check the shell and the dates
Review the gallery, 1171 sqm floor plan and amenities for Versatile 12,600 Sq. Ft. Entertainment Venue, then note the window you want in Washington. Fashion week dates book 6–10 weeks out.
- 02
Send the brief
Use the request panel on this page to send your dates, expected footfall and budget. The listed rate is a starting point at €524 per day.
- 03
Get availability and a quote
We confirm availability with the operator and come back within 24 hours with the all-in cost: rent, staffing, permits and fit-out for Washington.
- 04
Lock the contract
Sign the short-term licence, pay the deposit and we register any permit or signage paperwork the address needs.
- 05
Build and open
Fit-out, install and staff the pop-up. Our production team handles delivery, install and the strike at the end of the run in Washington.
activation ideas
Large Scale Brand Activation
This venue's 12,600 sq ft capacity and built-in AV systems make it highly effective for large-scale brand activations that prioritize live performance. With a potential audience up to 1,500 guests, brands running this format in similar spaces typically utilize the retractable roof deck to create a dual-experience environment, managing both sound and weather elements effortlessly. The existing infrastructure reduces setup time significantly, allowing for seamless integration of your brand's identity.
Press Day / Media Preview
The vast and flexible nature of this venue makes it an excellent choice for press days and media previews. Utilizing the rooftop deck for editor appointments allows for a dynamic presentation backdrop, and the secure basement space offers controlled light and sound, crucial for showcasing new collections. Media teams often find the on-site security system and parking facilities indispensable for managing guest flow efficiently.
Networking Event
The full commercial kitchen and expansive guest capacity cater excellently to corporate networking events or industry awards nights. In practice, the available parking and elevator access streamline logistics for larger crowds. The layout supports mingling, dining, and presentation areas, with AV equipment on hand to facilitate speeches and multimedia displays effortlessly. Consider using our ROI estimator to gauge impact.
Sample Sale
The built-in fitting rooms, garments racks, and stock room make this venue a strong choice for a one-day sample sale. Brands interested in short-term commercial spaces will appreciate the existing retail infrastructure, which reduces setup time and logistical concerns. The venue's spaciousness handles high-volume foot traffic efficiently, an imperative when managing large guest lists typical of successful sample sales.
Content Creation Day
With ample space and built-in lighting options, this venue operates well as a content studio. Brands conducting content creation days can utilize different zones creatively, capturing varied scenes without needing additional equipment. The sound and video systems provide essential support for video production, while the distinctive industrial aesthetic can be tailored into brand-specific backdrops. Learn more through our production and build services.
Corporate Event
The venue's extensive amenities, including a fully equipped kitchen and retractable roof deck, make it very suitable for corporate events. Its flexible layout supports presentations, client entertainment, and breakout sessions for up to 1,500 attendees. The combination of indoor and outdoor spaces allows corporates to present in a formal setting during the day with casual networking on the rooftop by evening, making use of natural light transitions.
Buyer Appointments and Collection Preview
Thanks to its large yet adaptable space, this venue works well for buyer appointments combined with collection previews. The venue controls who attends with ease due to its gated guest list environment, and brands often utilize the sound and video equipment to enhance presentation impact. The proximity to other creative tenants in the Ivy City area complements the artistic and professional tone of such events.
Product Launch
The venue's flexible indoor-outdoor setup is particularly effective for dynamic product launches. Brands find that utilizing both the basement and rooftop spaces allows for innovative reveal strategies, and the venue's comprehensive AV infrastructure supports impactful multimedia productions. Its layout gives room for installations, performance areas, and guest interaction zones, crucial for engaging launches.
use cases
location
what's around
1 stores within 600 m, incl. Goodwill, MOM's Organic Market, Petco
brands nearby
- department stores
- 1
- hotels
- 2
- restaurants & bars
- 10
- other retail
- 11
- Vera20 m
- Ivy City Smoke House40 m
- Ari's Diner50 m
- Gravitas60 m
- Republic Restoratives Distillery80 m
- Baker's Daughter80 m
the neighbourhood
Distilleries, production studios, event caterers and independent maker brands make up the working tenant base around this block, and they set the tone for everything that happens here. Republic Restoratives runs a women owned distillery a few doors up, Atlas Brew Works occupies a converted warehouse on Okie Street, and the stretch between Fenwick Street and New York Avenue NE holds a cluster of photo studios, prop houses, furniture warehouses and food production kitchens that serve the wider DC event industry. The Hecht Warehouse conversion anchors the retail side with MOM's Organic Market, Petco and a large format Target, while City Winery and the Ivy City Smokehouse pull evening crowds from across the District. In our experience placing brands in this neighbourhood, the tenants who thrive here are the ones who need volume, ceiling height and loading access rather than window shoppers, which is why our venue sourcing team routinely shortlists Ivy City for large format launches, sample sales and press days that need to control who walks through the door.
Square footage economics are the honest reason brands choose Ivy City over Georgetown, CityCenterDC or 14th Street NW. A 12,600 sq ft floor with a 1,500 guest capacity, a retractable roof deck, a full kitchen and on site parking simply does not exist at this price point on M Street or in the Logan Circle corridor, where you pay a heavy premium for street visibility you may not actually need. Union Market and NoMa sit a short drive west and offer more polish and Metro access, but rates there have climbed steeply and availability during peak event weeks is thin. The tradeoff in Ivy City is genuine. There is no Metro station within walking distance, so guests arrive by rideshare or car, and international press and buyers staying downtown will need a fifteen minute transfer. What you gain is control, capacity, parking, and a budget that stretches into production rather than rent. Run the numbers through our budget calculator before comparing it against a downtown quote.
Arrival here feels industrial and deliberate rather than incidental, which is exactly what an invite led format needs. The immediate block is low rise warehouse stock with wide kerbs, easy truck access and parking that does not require a permit fight, and the basement level of this venue keeps sound and light fully controllable regardless of what the weather is doing outside. Mornings are quiet, mostly delivery vans, food production staff and trades, which makes it a clean window for build, load in and content capture. Foot traffic picks up from late afternoon as the distillery and restaurant crowd arrives, and Thursday through Saturday evenings the area reads busy and social. What we consistently hear from brand teams who activate here is that guests remember the arrival because it does not look like the rest of Washington. Be clear on the limitation though. This is not a location for spontaneous walk in retail, tourist traffic or brands needing high street visibility, and any activation here lives or dies on guest list, transport logistics and production and build quality.
getting here & street life
nearest transit
- Fenwick St NE at Okie St NEbus52 m · 1 min
- Okie St NE at 16th St NEbus341 m · 4 min
- West Virginia Ave NE at Central Pl NEbus353 m · 4 min
- West Virginia Ave NE at 16th St NEbus380 m · 5 min
- Mt Olivet Rd NE at Corcoran St NEbus445 m · 6 min
- Mt Olivet Rd NE at Capitol Ave NEbus460 m · 6 min
street activity
steady footfall.
11 places within 200 m · 12 stores · 10 cafés and restaurants
- within 200 m
- 11
- within 400 m
- 17
- within 600 m
- 24
the neighbourhood
West Virginia Avenue is an avenue in Washington, DC running from K Street NE to New York Avenue NE. It was named after the State of West Virginia which entered the Union in 1863.
- Hecht Company Warehouse · 25 m
- Gravitas (restaurant) · 78 m
- Alexander Crummell School · 151 m
- Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) · 606 m
- Brentwood (Washington, D.C.) · 634 m
frequently asked
Yes — Versatile 12,600 Sq. Ft. Entertainment Venue is a vetted pop-up ready space in Washington, 1171 sqm. Request availability and dates through the inquiry card on the listing.
who it suits
Brand Scale
This space fits established brands with a 20 to 100 person team, five or more years of trading, and a proven ability to fill a room of 1,000 plus guests without relying on passing trade. At 12,600 sq ft with an occupancy estimate above 1,200, the volume only works when a brand already holds a regional mailing list, a DC or Mid Atlantic wholesale base, or a music and culture audience it can mobilise in a single evening. The basement level and Ivy City location mean there is no incidental footfall, so guest numbers come entirely from your own invitation list or paid reach. Where we see mismatches is when a five person label with 3,000 followers books a room built for 1,500 and ends up presenting a collection in a space that reads two thirds empty. Equally, a heritage luxury house seeking Georgetown or CityCenterDC adjacency will find this address wrongly positioned for its clientele.
Aesthetic Fit
Industrial, high energy and performance led brand identities work here: streetwear, sneaker and footwear, denim, activewear, outerwear, and beverage or music adjacent fashion labels that want scale, volume and sound rather than intimacy. The venue arrives with lighting, furniture, and sound and video equipment already installed, and the rooftop deck with retractable roof gives a second visual register for daytime content and evening reception. Brands at this stage typically layer their own set into the shell, which is where production and build earns its keep. What does not work is quiet luxury, fine jewellery, atelier tailoring or any brand whose presentation depends on daylight, white gallery walls and low guest counts. A basement entertainment room in a converted industrial district cannot be made to read as a Parisian salon, and attempting it usually costs more than booking a smaller space that already looks the part.
Best Use Cases
First choice is a large scale launch party or brand activation with live performance, because the sound and video rig, 1,500 capacity and retractable roof rooftop deck are built for exactly that format. Second is a one day sample sale, since the fitting rooms, garment racks, counters and stock room mean the retail infrastructure is already in place and only needs stock, signage and retail staffing. Third is a press day and collection preview combined with an evening influencer moment, using the rooftop for daylight editor appointments and the main floor after dark. Fourth is a corporate or industry networking event, awards night or cocktail reception, supported by the full kitchen, parking and elevator. Fifth is a content studio day, where the raw volume and existing lighting give multiple backdrops in one booking. Wholesale appointment use ranks last, as the single day booking window and scale suit gatherings rather than week long showroom rental.
Budget Signal
On cost per square foot this sits at the accessible end of the Washington DC market and well below anything comparable downtown. A hotel ballroom holding a fraction of these guests will typically cost several times more once food and beverage minimums are applied, and a prime commercial temporary retail space on 14th Street or in Georgetown will not offer this footprint at any comparable rate. Against co-working event rooms and shared pop-up formats, the trade is straightforward: you gain scale, sound infrastructure, kitchen and parking, and you give up organic footfall and a prestige postcode. In our experience the profile that gets the most from this space budgets the saving straight into production, lighting and talent rather than pocketing it, and models the guest acquisition cost honestly before committing. Run the numbers through our budget calculator before you enquire, because the room is affordable and the activation around it is not.
- brand passportpersonalised recs from your homepage
- roi estimatorfootfall & revenue for this space
- budget calcrent · fit-out · staffing · press
free · no credit card · unlocks personalised recommendations