I started as City Paper’s new publisher in January, just as both our sales and editorial teams were ramping up for our annual Best Of D.C. issue. I knew coming in to the position that this is one of the paper’s signature issues and events. 

To us, Best Of D.C. means just that—a celebration of this city and all it has to offer, and of the work our residents, businesses, and institutions do to make D.C. the best it can be.  

Two months in to my new job, we see an opportunity to build on the Best Of tradition at City Paper by going beyond our annual party. 

So our print copy will come out on May 9 rather than April 11, and we want to hear your ideas for a new event.

This year we want to bring our city together to learn from our nominees and celebrate with our winners while also convening conversations that are essential to understanding life in the District. We want to create an opportunity for City Paper readers to talk with our nominees and winners, and also to talk about some of the issues our reporters cover year round. Things like housing, local politics, local music, visual art, dining, sports, and sandwiches. 

What should a new Best of D.C. event—we’re calling it a Best Fest—look like? Do you want to take a deep dive into any Best Of categories—have a conversation beyond a simple list of three winners? Which elements of our Best Of party have you most enjoyed? If you could convene your dream panel of speakers for Best Fest, who would you invite? 

Submit your ideas via this form and we’ll print select responses on a page in this year’s Best Of D.C. issue. Perhaps more important, we’ll use your ideas to produce Best Fest this summer.