The Second Annual Marketplace of the Future DC!
Greetings!! ✨
After 9 consecutive years during Climate Week NYC, Marketplace of the Future (MOTF) is back for our SECOND annual event in DC — and we’re going even bigger.
First time here? Welcome.
The Marketplace of the Future is inspired by the 1939 New York World’s Fair, which imagined “The World of Tomorrow” through breakthrough innovations like the fluorescent light bulb, air-conditioning, and television.
We're here to show climate solutions in the same light - novel now, normal soon.
The 2026 MOTFxDC Activities Include:
🌱 The Flow of the Day
We’re designing this year’s experience as a full-day journey:
🎬 Opening: Film Festival
We kick off with a curated climate film festival, grounding the day in storytelling, vision, and imagination.
🖼️ Midday: Art, Auction + Exploration
Move through our art gallery + walking exhibition, featuring The Constellation, alongside a silent auction spotlighting artists and makers.
🌇 Golden Hour: Music, Drinks + Energy
We transition into golden hour with an EARTHGANG open bar, live jazz, and local artists — a moment to gather, connect, and celebrate.
✨ What to Expect Throughout the Day
Climate Solution Exhibitors
Panel Discussions
Live Music+ DJs
Open Bar!
Interactive Workshops + Activations
Plant-Based Food + Drinks
Art Installations + Cultural Programming
The 2026 Festival....
🌍 Core Experiences
Exhibition Hall
15+ curated exhibitors showcasing real climate solutions across energy, food, fashion, and beyond, alongside DMV-based makers and wellness brands :)
Panel Discussions
Featuring leaders across climate, culture, and community. Expect conversations on mental health, storytelling, urban design, circular economies, and urban agriculture.
Networking
A room full of creatives, founders, organizers, and future collaborators.
Art + Culture
From The Constellation installation to a walking gallery experience and evening showcase (Future Proof), art is woven throughout the entire day, with various up cycling craft workshops throughout the day (Upcycling Corner).
Food + Drinks
Plant-based offerings + conscious beverages, including a golden hour open bar moment.
Zero-Waste Systems
Designed with circularity in mind — with on-site guidance to help minimize landfill waste.
🎤 Panel Highlights
From Climate Anxiety to Wild Hope
Women of Color Storytelling + Film Screening
DC Urban Design: Is DC a 15-Minute City?
Circular Economies, Communities & Art
From Ground to Table: Urban Agriculture in the DMV
🎨 Activations
Upcycling Corner — hands-on creative reuse (fabric dyeing, denim, and more)
Letter to Earth Workshop — reflective writing experience
Life-Size DC Metro Map — interactive urban design installation
DIY Hydroponics Demo — learn to grow your own food anywhere
Yoga + Sound Bath — grounding wellness moment
Dance Church Session — a free, joyful movement experience open to all
Plant Station + Community Spaces — casual connection, games, and rest
🎬 Film Screenings
We're still onboarding new and exciting films! Check back for the full lineup. The official screening times will be emailed within two days of the event so you can plan your trip :)
-Water Keepers of the Desert
-Architects of the Earth
-Stewards of the Terraces
-Black Soil Rising
-Reclaiming the Earth
More Details and Descriptions....
Panels
1. From Climate Anxiety to Wild Hope (1:30 PM) Explores the intersection of climate change and mental health -- eco-anxiety, grief, resilience, and finding hope in the face of environmental crisis.
2. Women of Color Storytelling + Film Screening (2:30 PM) Centers women of color doing frontline climate storytelling, paired with a short film screening.
3. DC Urban Design: Is DC a 15-Minute City? (3:45 PM) Examines what it really means to design a healthy, climate-resilient city and whether DC is on track -- with a focus on equity, displacement, and who urban planning actually serves.
4. Circular Economies, Communities & Art (5:00 PM) A conversation about who is actually building circular economies on the ground, who benefits, and what it looks like when it's rooted in community rather than just trend.
5. From Ground to Table: Urban Agriculture in the DMV (6:15 PM) Brings together people building DC's urban farming ecosystem -- from vacant lot farms to mutual aid food networks -- to talk about food sovereignty, climate resilience, and community health
Activations
1. Exhibition Hall -- All Day 15+ curated exhibitor booths showcasing real climate solutions across energy, transportation, food and agriculture, buildings, and industry. Also features DMV-based makers, beauty and wellness vendors, and community-rooted businesses.
2. Up-Cycling Corner -- All Day A drop-in, hands-on creative reuse station anchored by Makeba's Muse. Multiple stations where guests can make things, learn things, and engage with circular fashion and material reuse. Includes a fabric dyeing station and denim corner.
3. Life-Size DC Metro Map -- All Day Interactive Installation A walk-on, life-size replica of the DC Metro map used as an interactive activation. Pairs with the Urban Design panel but open all day.
4. The Constellation -- All Day Art Installation A self-guided art installation running throughout the entire event. Visual artists, photographers, illustrators, and mixed-media makers whose work touches on climate, community, ecology, and Black futures. Works are up from doors open through the end of the evening.
5. Letter to Earth Workshop -- Early Afternoon Paired with the Women of Color Storytelling panel. Attendees write their own letters to the earth as a reflective creative exercise.
6. Yoga Session / Sound Bath -- Mid Afternoon A grounding wellness activation led by Alyssa-Jade and Generation Green, running concurrently with the Urban Design panel.
7. DIY Hydroponic Demonstration -- 7:15 PM A live demo of DIY hydroponic growing led by Glenn Hall, showing attendees how to build a simple system with low-cost materials. No outdoor space or gardening experience required.
8. Future Proof -- 7:30 PM The evening cultural programming block where The Constellation art installation comes alive. MC walks guests through the art and designs, introducing artists and designers. Sustainable fashion looks displayed on mannequins throughout the space.
DC Climate Week is not responsible for this event. It is organized by the organizing group, and being listed on the DCCW calendar is not an endorsement of content or partners.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to our top sponsor Washington Area Community Investment Fund!