Booking a conference venue in Washington
Everything an organizer needs before committing a date in Washington, District of Columbia — 128 mapped venues, capacity where it is published, airport distance and local time.
New Stadium at RFK Campus states a capacity of 65,000. The dots show what event67 would bill at that head count, and where the price stops.
What Washington has to put people in
Washington has a recorded population of 702,250 (2024), inside the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area of about 6.4 million people.
As the national capital it draws association and public-sector programmes that would not otherwise pick a city this size, which is why the venue list runs deeper than the population suggests.
Counted by what they are for, that is 2 exhibition or convention halls, 8 dedicated conference and function spaces, 19 arenas and stadiums, 31 theatres and concert halls and 68 independent event spaces.
That is roughly 18 venues per hundred thousand residents, which is a dense field for a city this size — you will usually have a second choice at the same capacity.
By type that is 68 event spaces, 18 theatres, 10 stadiums and 9 arenas, plus a longer tail below.
Exhibition and convention halls (2)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention Center / 7th and M St NW | convention centre | 19 | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Walter E. Washington Convention Center | convention centre | not published | 1.6 km (1 mi) |
Conference and function space (6)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motel 6 Washington, DC - Convention Center | hotel with function space | not published | 3.7 km (2.3 mi) |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton | hotel with function space | not published | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) |
| Homewood Suites by Hilton | hotel with function space | not published | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Spates Community Club and Conference Center Annex | conference centre | not published | 4.3 km (2.7 mi) |
| White House Conference Center | conference centre | not published | 0.5 km (0.3 mi) |
| Prince George's Ballroom | banquet hall | not published | 13 km (7.9 mi) |
Arenas and stadiums (18)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Stadium at RFK Campus | stadium | 65,000 | 5.6 km (3.5 mi) |
| Northwest Stadium | stadium | 64,000 | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
| Nationals Park | stadium | 41,888 | 3.5 km (2.2 mi) |
| Brookland Stadium | stadium | 30,000 | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) |
| Audi Field | stadium | 24,000 | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) |
| Capital One Arena | arena | 20,674 | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
| D.C. Armory | arena | 10,000 | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) |
| William H. Greene Stadium | stadium | 10,000 | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) |
| Charles E. Smith Athletic Center | arena | 5,000 | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) |
| Bender Arena | arena | 4,500 | 6.6 km (4.1 mi) |
| CareFirst Arena | arena | 4,200 | 6.6 km (4.1 mi) |
| Cooper Field | stadium | 3,750 | 3.7 km (2.3 mi) |
| Cardinal Stadium | stadium | 3,500 | 6.2 km (3.9 mi) |
| John H. Burr Gymnasium | arena | 2,700 | 3.7 km (2.3 mi) |
| McDonough Memorial Gymnasium | arena | 2,500 | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
| Arena Stage (Mead Center for American Theater) | arena | not published | 2.4 km (1.5 mi) |
| William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium | stadium | 7,500 | 6.6 km (4.1 mi) |
| Riverside Stadium | stadium | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
Theatres and concert halls (26)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAR Constitution Hall | concert hall | 3,702 | 0.4 km (0.2 mi) |
| Warner Theatre | theatre | 1,847 | 0.6 km (0.4 mi) |
| National Theatre | theatre | 1,705 | 0.5 km (0.3 mi) |
| Lisner Auditorium | theatre | 1,490 | 1 km (0.6 mi) |
| Lincoln Theatre | theatre | 1,225 | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Ford's Theatre | theatre | 665 | 0.9 km (0.6 mi) |
| The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts | performing-arts centre | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Glen Echo Park | performing-arts centre | not published | 12 km (7.4 mi) |
| The Anthem | theatre | not published | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre | theatre | not published | 6.5 km (4 mi) |
| Katzen Arts Center | performing-arts centre | not published | 6.6 km (4.1 mi) |
| Arlington Memorial Amphitheater | concert hall | not published | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
| Atlas Performing Arts Center | performing-arts centre | not published | 4.3 km (2.7 mi) |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | performing-arts centre | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Signature Theatre | theatre | not published | 7.6 km (4.7 mi) |
| Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium | theatre | not published | 0.6 km (0.4 mi) |
| Howard Theatre | theatre | not published | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Smithsonian Institute Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture | performing-arts centre | not published | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) |
| James Tanner Amphitheater | concert hall | not published | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) |
| Tivoli Theatre | theatre | not published | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Birchmere | theatre | not published | 6.5 km (4 mi) |
| Dance Place | theatre | not published | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) |
| BloomBars | performing-arts centre | not published | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Studio Theater | theatre | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Ryan Gymnasium | performing-arts centre | not published | 3.5 km (2.2 mi) |
| Rhizome | performing-arts centre | not published | 9 km (5.6 mi) |
Independent event spaces (48)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sesquicentennial Amphitheatre | event space | 4,200 | 6.2 km (3.9 mi) |
| 9:30 Club | event space | 1,200 | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) |
| Uptown Theater | event space | 850 | 4.8 km (3 mi) |
| U Street Music Hall | event space | 500 | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Songbyrd Music House | event space | 200 | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
| Fort Davis Recreation Center | event space | not published | 8.4 km (5.2 mi) |
| Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center | event space | not published | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Lamond Recreation Center | event space | not published | 8.4 km (5.2 mi) |
| Banneker Recreation Center | event space | not published | 3.3 km (2.1 mi) |
| Mary Pickford Theater | event space | not published | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
| Ben's Chili Bowl | event space | not published | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Black Cat | event space | not published | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) |
| Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. | event space | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| House of the Temple | event space | not published | 2.1 km (1.3 mi) |
| Museum of the Bible | event space | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Masonic Temple | event space | not published | 0.8 km (0.5 mi) |
| Dockmaster Building | event space | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Sidney Harman Hall | event space | not published | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
| The Spot | event space | not published | 11 km (6.6 mi) |
| Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse | event space | not published | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) |
| Avalon Theatre | event space | not published | 8.6 km (5.3 mi) |
| Carver Theater | event space | not published | 5.2 km (3.2 mi) |
| Gaston Hall | event space | 740 | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) |
| The Atlantis | event space | 450 | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) |
| Meadowbrook Recreation Building | event space | not published | 10 km (6.5 mi) |
| Florence Hollis Hand Chapel | event space | not published | 5.5 km (3.4 mi) |
| Alfred House | event space | not published | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) |
| Culture | event space | not published | 4.9 km (3 mi) |
| Sandlot Southeast | event space | not published | 3.7 km (2.3 mi) |
| Skyline 609 | event space | not published | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) |
| Swartzell, Rheem and Hensey Company Building | event space | not published | 0.6 km (0.4 mi) |
| The VIP Room | event space | not published | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Top of the Town | event space | not published | 3.2 km (2 mi) |
| Josephine Butler Parks Center | event space | not published | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Bohemian Caverns | event space | not published | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Cosmos Club | event space | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| DC9 Nightclub | event space | not published | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Washington National Opera | event space | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Ambassador Theater | event space | not published | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Apollo Theatre | event space | not published | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) |
| HQ DC House | event space | not published | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
| Newton Theater | event space | not published | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Southern Aid Society-Dunbar Theater Building | event space | not published | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Strand Theater | event space | not published | 9.5 km (5.9 mi) |
| The 507 | event space | not published | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
| Blues Alley | event space | not published | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Karma DC Live Music Venue | event space | not published | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Madam's Organ Blues Bar | event space | not published | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
Also mapped in Washington (28)
- Potomac Boat Club
- Washington Canoe Club
- Washington Coliseum
- Chase's Theater and Riggs Building
- H Street Playhouse
- Harman Center for the Arts
- National Sylvan Theater
- Phase 1
- Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater
- Carter Barron Amphitheatre
- Rosslyn Spectrum
- Senator Theater
- Sylvan Theatre
- Alibi Club
- Barcroft Community House
- Columbia Theater
- Convene
- Copley Formal Lounge
- Krazy Kat Klub
- Nation
- Opulent Society
- Prince Hall Masonic Temple
- Republic Gardens
- Scattergood-Thorne Conference Center
- The Biograph
- Ziegfeld's
- Cuddle Up Pavilion
- North Hall
Every venue mapped in Washington appears above. The ones with enough published detail to be worth reading have their own guide and are linked; the rest are named here, which is honest about what the record holds without giving each of them a page made of three facts.
Convention and exhibition space
2 venues in Washington are classified as exhibition or convention space. They are the only rooms here designed around a floor plan rather than a seating plan.
- Convention Center / 7th and M St NW19 seats
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center2,300,000 sq ft footprint
Capacities are the figure the venue or an encyclopaedia entry published. They are usually the seated maximum, and the same room in banquet or reception layout can differ by half. Confirm the layout you want before you plan around a number.
Travel, time zone and arrival
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) sits 5 km (3.1 mi) from the centre, close enough that a same-day arrival is realistic for most of your speakers.
Local time is New York time (America/New_York) — set every session time in the app to that zone and let attendees' phones do the conversion.
At about 11,489 residents per square mile the city is compact enough that a venue and its hotel block are usually walkable, which removes a shuttle line from your budget.
Arlington, Alexandria and Silver Spring are close enough to draw from for a day rate, and to fall back on if Washington has nothing free on your dates.
- Nearest major airport
- DCA
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, 5 km (3.1 mi)
- Local time
- UTC−4
- America/New_York, in September
- City population, 2024
- 702,250
- 6.4 million across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area
Shows that return every year
DC Jazz Festival, GOSCON, Funk Parade and America First Political Action Conference come back to Washington. A returning show is the best evidence a place has the rooms, the hotel stock and the airlift to carry one.
- DC Jazz Festivalmusic festival, since 2004
- GOSCONconvention, since 2005
- Funk Parademusic festival, since 2014
- America First Political Action Conferenceconvention, since 2020
- Arcadia Conferenceconvention
- International Meridian Conferenceconvention
- Washington Conferenceconvention
- First Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Allianceconvention
- Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assetsconvention
- 17th Families in Global Transition Conferenceconvention
Recorded in Wikidata, which covers event series with an encyclopaedia entry. It is a floor rather than a full calendar for Washington, and it is not a listing service — check dates with the organiser.
The local constraints
The city is smaller than the market
702,250 people live in Washington itself, but about 6.4 million live in the wider Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Your local audience is far bigger than the city line suggests, and so is the commute your day-rate attendees will make.
Choice is not the constraint here
With 128 venues mapped, availability rarely fails. What fails is comparison: shortlist on capacity and distance from the airport first, and only then start touring.
Check the city calendar first
Washington carries recurring shows including DC Jazz Festival, GOSCON and Funk Parade. Hotel rates and venue availability move sharply around them, so pick your dates against that calendar rather than against your own.
What event67 costs for a Washington event
A Washington programme at 950 activated attendees — sized to New Stadium at RFK Campus, the largest stated capacity in the Washington dataset — prices like this. Nothing is charged for the first 50, and nothing at all is charged past 1,000.
- activated attendees
- 950activated attendees
- billable, after the first 50 are free
- 900billable, after the first 50 are free
- for the whole event, at $5 each
- $4,500for the whole event, at $5 each
You are billed for people, not for the venue, so the room you choose in Washington does not change this figure. Nothing is charged for an attendee who registers and never opens the app.
By event type
With a stated ceiling of 65,000 seats, Washington can carry a full trade show or a multi-track annual meeting without splitting the audience across buildings.
- trade shows and exhibitions
2 exhibition or convention halls mean a booth plan is possible in Washington without renting a marquee.
- multi-track conferences
A 65,000-seat room carries a plenary with breakouts running alongside it.
- association annual meetings
An association meeting needs one big room, several small ones and a hotel block, which is the combination Washington is set up for.
- festivals
An arena or stadium floor at 65,000 takes an audience no conference venue in Washington can.
- sports tournaments
The same rooms already run fixtures, so load-in and crowd flow are solved.
Where this data comes from
- GeoNames, CC BY 4.0
- US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 estimates
- Wikidata, CC0
- Geographic data © GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Venue data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
- US population figures are US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
- Retrieved 3 September 2026. event67 has no commercial relationship with any venue listed.
Last updated
What it costs
- Free up to 50
- activated attendees, on one live event
- $5
- per activated attendee beyond 50
- $4,750
- the most one event can ever cost, whatever happens past 1,000
Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Questions people actually ask
How much is event67 for a 950-attendee Washington conference?
950 activated attendees means 900 billable after the free 50, so $4,500 for the event. The price is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What is the largest venue in Washington?
Of the 128 venues mapped in Washington, the largest stated capacity belongs to New Stadium at RFK Campus at 65,000. Capacities in open data are the figure the venue itself published, and they are the seated number rather than a standing or exhibition figure, so confirm the layout you actually want before you plan around it.
Does Washington have a convention centre?
Yes — 2 venues are classified as exhibition or convention space in Washington, including Convention Center / 7th and M St NW and Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Exhibition halls are booked by floor area rather than by seat, so ask for the hall sheet with column spacing and load-in access rather than a capacity number.
Which airport do attendees fly into for Washington?
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), about 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city. It is the highest-traffic airport within reach in this dataset. Local time is America/New_York; publish every session in that zone and let attendees' phones convert it.
What happens under 50 attendees?
One live event with up to 50 activated attendees costs nothing. Beyond that it is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What events already happen in Washington?
Recurring shows recorded for Washington include DC Jazz Festival, GOSCON, Funk Parade and America First Political Action Conference. This list comes from Wikidata and covers series with an encyclopaedia entry, so it is a floor rather than a full calendar. Check your dates against it: hotel rates and venue availability both move around a returning show.
Keep reading
Nearby cities
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- Holding an event in Alexandria
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- Holding an event in Silver Spring
3 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Suitland-Silver Hill
2 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Bethesda
5 venues mapped
Up a level
Running something in Washington?
Set the schedule, invite the room and watch who actually turns up. Free for your first 50 activated attendees, on one live event.