May 18, 2026

How Wonderland’s Oldest Tradition Got a Mission

Discover the origin story of the Empty Bottle Fund and how the iconic Wonderland Ballroom Sundress Festival evolved into a major DC charity event supporting DC Central Kitchen.

The Empty Bottle Fund Origin Story

The Empty Bottle Fund was the brainchild of Matthew Szymanski, long-time Manager and now a Partner at The Wonderland Ballroom. After running the Sundress Festival for the past fifteen years, Matthew wanted to find a way to increase donations to DC Central Kitchen and maximize the charitable footprint of this iconic neighborhood tradition.

For the uninitiated, Wonderland Ballroom’s Annual Sundress Festival is a quintessential community celebration spanning over twenty years in DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. What started as a modest gathering in a neighborhood beer garden has blossomed into a full-scale block party with over 1,500 attendees annually.

The formula is simple but powerful: a fleet of local food trucks, a mainstage featuring local musicians, a legendary sundress competition judged by rotating community leaders, and a community coming together to do some good. All proceeds from the event are donated to the DC Central Kitchen, a beloved nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation.

Over the past two decades, the festival has turned into a beautiful celebration of diversity, generating more than $100,000 to champion the end of hunger in Washington, DC.

A New Chapter: The Launch of the Empty Bottle Fund

To take this impact to the next level, the Empty Bottle Fund was officially born this year. Founded with the help of Rose Donna and Matthew McGovern (the original founders and owners of The Wonderland Ballroom), the new 501(c)(3) organization is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors including Matthew Szymanski, Nick McFarland, Meg Madden, and Emily Mallozzi.

Empty Bottle Fund Board Members (from left to right): Emily Mallozzi (Vice Chair), Matt Szymanski, Nick McFarland (Secretary), Matthew McGovern, and Rose Donna (Chair).

The group began meeting in early 2026 to formalize the venture. But to truly understand why this nonprofit matters, you have to look back at how it all started.

“Matthew [McGovern] and I first came up with the idea for the Sundress Festival in 2004. We had only been open for 6 months and we were so grateful for all the support from our family, friends and the Columbia Heights community. We wanted to find a way to say thank you. That first year, we raised $500 for the Harriet Tubman Elementary School Parent Teacher Association. We had about 25 people who actually participated – it was fabulous!”
Rose Donna, Chair, Empty Bottle Fund Board of Directors

Scaling the Party, Maximizing the Purpose

As annual Sundress Festival participation grew into a massive block party, the logistical costs and liabilities grew too. By creating the Empty Bottle Fund, we can now accept tax-deductible corporate sponsorships, apply for grants, and drastically lower event overhead. This ensures that a much higher percentage of every dollar spent goes directly into the hands of DC Central Kitchen.

Fast forward to today: by forming the Empty Bottle Fund as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit this year, we are unlocking new ways to support our city. We can now partner with corporate sponsors, reduce event costs, and expand our footprint to incredible partner venues like the Dew Drop I nn. Most importantly, it means we can turn the energy of a vibrant, welcoming community into deep, tangible support for deserving nonprofits. Every dollar raised empowers DC Central Kitchen’s vital mission: feeding neighbors experiencing homelessness, providing healthy food to local schools, and offering life-changing culinary job training to DC residents fighting to overcome barriers like incarceration and poverty.

Join Us At Sundress Fest in 3 Weeks!

The tradition continues on Sunday, June 7, 2026 from 3:00 pm to close. Whether you’ve been coming since the beginning or this is your very first block party, grab your finest sundress and come party with a purpose. Here is what we have queued up for you this year: