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The annual Dupont Circle High Heel Race, first held in 1985, takes place on the Tuesday before Halloween (October 31). For several hours before 9 p.m., more than 100 drag queens stroll up and down 17th Street, often referred to as “The Runway”. The race itself, which lasts about one minute, begins at 9:00 p.m. Spectators and participants begin the festivities hours earlier. The “racecourse” extends north from 17th and P Street NW up to Riggs Place, a distance of about two short blocks.

Northwest contains many college campuses, including American University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, and the University of the District of Columbia. The Verizon Center, home of the Washington Wizards, the Washington Capitals, and the Georgetown Hoyas as well as the venue for many concerts and other events, is located in Northwest, as are the National Cathedral, the White House, and Rock Creek Park.

In the 2000s, the area has become gentrified and housing costs have soared (albeit from a depressed base, due to the overt drug and prostitution markets that existed in the neighborhood through the 1980s and 1990s).[citation needed] The commercial corridor along 14th Street NW is undergoing significant revitalization, and is known for its art galleries, live theater, and nightlife spots such as Halo. A watershed event in the development of the neighborhood was the opening of a busy Whole Foods Market two blocks from Logan Circle in 1999, on a site previously occupied by an abandoned parking garage.