Meet the man who invites 1,000 people to his house every month

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

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🗓️ 27 September 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

David Weiner is washing dishes. It’s the 21st of the month, which means his D.C. rowhouse is full of people. Some are friends he’s known for decades, others are people he’s never met. There’s a jazz band playing standards downstairs, and the music is floating up through the house. Some of the musicians are professionals, others are amateurs who showed up with an instrument and enough courage — liquid or otherwise — to join in.

The price of admission is a $21 suggested donation to cover costs and pay the house band. A bottle of wine or food to share is welcome, too. Weiner always makes salmon and provides a big salad, as well as some snacks. Nearly everything else on the crowded table of food is brought by guests.

The monthly party happens rain or shine, whether the 21st falls on a Monday or a Tuesday or a Friday. There was a hiatus during the pandemic, but otherwise it’s happened almost every month for 15 years, drawing anywhere from 40 to a hundred people of all ages each time.

The question I had for Weiner is: How does he keep this going?

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Today’s show was reported and produced by Maggie Penman and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. The Optimist’s editor is Allison Klein.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	At Constellation, we bring the energy powering America's growing economy, every minute, every day.
0:07.4	As the nation's largest producer of clean and reliable American-made energy,
0:12.4	Constellation is wherever you are.
0:24.6	David Weiner is washing dishes. I'm David Weiner and welcome to the 21st of 21.
0:29.6	It's the 21st of the month, so his D.C. Rowhouse is full of people.
0:35.1	Some of them are friends he's known for decades.
0:38.2	Some of them are people he's never met.
0:40.4	It's a party basically for the community here,
0:44.1	but the invitation is open.
0:46.8	It was created with the idea of a big jam session.
0:50.9	There's a jazz band playing downstairs,
0:53.4	and the music is floating up through the house.
0:56.0	A few of the musicians are professionals, but others are amateurs, people who showed up with an instrument and enough courage, liquid or otherwise, to join in.
1:05.8	I did play the French horn, which doesn't work very well at one of these events.
1:09.9	The price of admission is a $21 suggested donation.
1:14.1	That just about covers costs and pays the house band.
1:16.9	A bottle of wine or food to share is always welcome.
1:22.1	And this party has happened basically every month for 15 years. It draws anywhere from 40 to 100 people of all ages
1:33.0	every month. And the question I had for David is how does he keep this going? I'm Maggie Penman.
1:42.2	This is Post Reports weekend. It's Saturday, September 27th.
1:47.0	I'm a reporter for The Optimist, a section here at the Post where we write about the best of humanity, things that are going right in the world.
1:55.0	Today, I'm bringing you along for some reporting I did about one person who is building community with an open-door policy.
	...

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