Park After Dark

This signature C&O Canal Trust event, held under the stars beside the canal, is the largest annual fundraising event in support of the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Guests will enjoy a lively evening celebrating this national treasure and hearing directly from Trust and National Park Service leadership about current initiatives and plans for the future.
The evening offers one of the most influential gatherings of the canal community and includes music of the canal by the Seneca Creek Bluegrass Band, a seated farm-to-table dinner catered by Foodies Farms and Friends, and a silent auction featuring canal-inspired art and weekend getaways showcasing the unique history, small businesses and recreational activities of C&O Canal Towns. Following the evening’s program, guests will enjoy a variety of activities, including country dancing, a guided nighttime hike to Olmsted Island, and a fireside chat with an NPS Ranger about Night Life in the park.

Proceeds from the event support the mission of the C&O Canal Trust, the official nonprofit partner of the C&O Canal National Historical Park, and directly fund priority preservation initiatives and programs of the park, which hosts millions of visitors each year and provides economic stimulus to the various Canal Towns along the towpath. This year, the evening’s program will shine a spotlight on historic culverts throughout the park that are an integral structural component of the foundation for the canal’s 184.5-mile-long towpath from the port of Cumberland in western Maryland to the harbor in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.