The Anthem is a modern concert hall built into the Southwest Waterfront redevelopment known as The Wharf in Washington, D.C. Opened on October 12, 2017, the 57,000-square-foot venue made an immediate statement by hosting the Foo Fighters for its inaugural show, with The Struts opening the night.
What sets The Anthem apart is its movable stage and backdrop system, which lets the room physically reconfigure to hold anywhere from about 2,500 to 6,000 people. That flexibility, paired with balconies set unusually close to the stage, has made it a favorite stop for touring acts who outgrow clubs but aren’t quite ready for arenas.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 901 Wharf Street SW, Washington, D.C.
- Type: Concert hall / music venue
- Opened: October 12, 2017
- Capacity: About 2,500 to 6,000 (variable)
- Size: About 57,000 square feet
- Operator: I.M.P.
- Famous for: Flexible capacity and the 2017 opening-night Foo Fighters concert
A Venue Built to Flex
Unlike most concert halls locked into a single floor plan, The Anthem was engineered with a movable stage and retractable backdrop so operators can shrink or expand the room to match the show. That system lets the venue run intimate sub-3,000-capacity seated shows one night and open up to roughly 6,000 standing fans the next, a rare trick for a space this size.
The result is a booking calendar that spans arena-adjacent headliners down to acts who’d otherwise be stuck choosing between a small club and a much larger hall.
Part of a Waterfront Transformation
The Anthem anchors the entertainment side of The Wharf, the large-scale redevelopment of DC’s Southwest Waterfront. Costing around $60 million to build, the venue is operated by I.M.P., the same promoter behind DC’s long-running 9:30 Club and Lincoln Theatre, and Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Since opening, the hall has hosted touring musicians, comedians, and conventions, and even filmed Jack White’s first solo concert movie there in 2018, cementing its place as one of the city’s go-to stages.
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The Anthem FAQs
Where is The Anthem located?
The Anthem sits at 901 Wharf Street SW in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C., as part of The Wharf development.
What is The Anthem’s capacity?
Thanks to a movable stage and backdrop, capacity flexes from roughly 2,500 up to about 6,000 depending on the configuration.
When did The Anthem open?
It opened on October 12, 2017, with the Foo Fighters headlining and The Struts opening the show.
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Photo: Aheilner / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.