Project GLOW 2026: The Outfit Guide for DC’s Dance Festival

Once the sun goes down at RFK Festival Grounds, Project GLOW’s stage lighting, strobes, and LED rigs take over and play with your outfit.

Unlike standard fabrics, materials like rhinestones and sequins interact with LED and strobe lighting to create a glow visible from across a crowd. Rhinestones, which are small faceted crystals sewn onto fabric, scatter light in multiple directions every time a beam hits them.

Meanwhile, sequins, which are flat or slightly curved metallic discs stitched onto a base fabric, catch and flash light as you move.

If you want strangers across the crowd turning their heads, a mirror dress is how you do it.

Mirror pieces feature tiled reflective panels (small mirrored pieces stitched onto a dress) that catch light and reflect as you move. Every time a strobe hits those panels, you're basically a disco ball (something you can't fake with regular fabric).

Our personal pick is the Alessa reflective mirror party dress, which delivers that effect in gold, while the IZA mirror party outfit has a slightly different silhouette. Aside from silver and gold, mirror dresses also come in black, pink, and holographic options, so you can choose how bold and how moody your look reads from a distance.

Go holographic if you want to cover all the bases. It catches every color the stage throws at it.

Like mirror dresses, mirror jumpsuits (one-pieceoutfits that combine a top and bottom) also have reflective panels, but they follow your silhouette. Jumpsuits are convenient and comfortable for a large outdoor venue like RFK Festival Grounds: no untucked tops, shifting waistband, and second outfits to worry about.

The Perla luxury reflective mirror jumpsuit comes in nude, as if the mirrors are stitched directly onto your body. Those who want a brighter outfit can go for our Allegra mirror futuristic jumpsuit, which comes in pink.

Rhinestone bodysuits (fitted one-piece top fastened at the bottom) catch light at more angles than a looser top would because of their fitted form. Pair a bodysuit with shorts, a skirt, or wide-leg pants, and you’ve got an outfit that works from afternoon to evening sets.

The Taylor rhinestone bodysuit in pink is a strong starting point if you want something fitted, light-reactive, and easy to build around.

Go with a rhinestone jumpsuit if you don't want to worry about pairing a bodysuit with bottoms. It creates a light-scattering effect across your full body rather than just the top half. You'll notice it as you step under the stage rigs and LED lighting at RFK Festival Grounds.

Our Luna rhinestone fringe jumpsuit adds movement through fringe detailing, while the Kasbah rhinestone jumpsuit keeps things sleek and pink for a cleaner overall look. These outfits photograph exceptionally well, which matters when you’re surrounded by interactive art installations and production setups.

Sequin and metallic pieces are lighter to wear than mirror pieces, which you’ll find more comfortable when you’re on your feet for 10 hours at RFK Festival Grounds. Metallic fabrics catch and reflect light like sequins, but with a smoother surface that creates a more diffused glow.

The Melanie metallic party dress in gold offers full-body coverage and a fluid silhouette that moves well on the dance floor. You’ll also love this Amelia rainbow sequin set for a 2-day festival because you can mix and match the top and bottom on day two without looking like you repeat an outfit. Enjoy the flexibility with how you style each day.

For afternoon sets, prioritize breathability. Something fitted, breathable, and light, such as mesh, keeps you comfortable dancing in a 70-degree afternoon heat.

Mesh is an open-weave material that allows airflow much better than solid fabrics. The Kaia Diamond rhinestone dodysuit in mesh keeps air moving while the rhinestone details keep you fully in the Project GLOW aesthetic from the very first set.

Add a faux fur jacket (a short, fluffy outerwear piece made from synthetic materials rather than real fur) once the temperature drops at night. It adds warmth without weighing you down or completely hiding your outfit.

The Larissa faux fur jacket in hot pink photographs well under stage lighting and matches the visual energy of Project GLOW while keeping you warm during the late-night sets.

At Project GLOW, headpieces like this festival mirror cap with rhinestones add to the reflective vibe without being heavy, fragile, or hard to manage while dancing. Stage lighting is angled toward eye level, which means pieces worn on your head catch light directly.

For your waist, a rhinestone belt adds definition to looser silhouettes while adding a light-scattering effect. The Jela waist rhinestone belt works well over jumpsuits and dresses, or paired directly with a bodysuit-and-bottoms combination.