In a city built on politics and power, Adobo is rewriting what unity looks like. The multicultural event series, founded in 2018 by Pedro Night, Walter Alvarado, and Marcus Dowling, has grown from a local D.C. party into a national movement celebrating the rhythm of the diaspora.
What started as a gathering for friends in the DMV area (that’s D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) quickly became a cultural home for communities from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. At every event, the sound is borderless: Latin beats merge with Afro rhythms, Hip-Hop, Go-Go, and house. The crowd is equally expansive: students, creatives, immigrants, and first-gens dancing shoulder to shoulder, no labels, no lines.
This year, Adobo is taking that spirit on the road, hitting six major U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. “We want to show the country the diversity and energy of the DMV,” says Night. “We’re bringing a taste of our hyper-diverse community to each city.”
More than a party, Adobo is a declaration that culture doesn’t exist in silos. It’s an ongoing experiment in connection, a reminder that joy can be political, too. “The culture we’re building looks like the most beautiful coalition of diversity,” says the team, reflecting their mission to represent working-class people across continents and identities.
Their advice for the next wave? Look beyond identity to build community. The founders insist that true progress comes from collaboration across languages, borders, and beliefs. “We have a lot more in common than what separates us,” they say.
