Security ramped up ahead of big weekend of events in DC

WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington, D.C., is no stranger to weekends filled with activities, but high-profile events over the next few days means security will be ramped up.

In addition to games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, as well as concerts at the RFK Stadium campus festival grounds, there will be World Cup watch parties on the National Mall.

But the main event is the UFC fight at the White House.

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“I can’t wait, I’m looking forward to it! This is my birthday present,” said Amanda Craig, who is visiting from Ireland.

With an event of this scale comes security in full force.

Most roads around the White House and National Mall will be shut down for the weekend.

“We’ve seen a lot of them around. We’ve seen the military police and everything. You definitely feel very secure,” said Ciaron Barr, who traveled from Ireland for the UFC fights.

Officers from city and federal agencies are working together to secure the area around the White House.

“We’re at a full activation. So what that means is that all MPD officers are working. They’ll be on 12-hour shifts to make sure we have adequate staffing across the District for these events and to be inside our patrol districts,” said Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll at a press conference earlier in the week.

However, people in town for the events told 7News the inconvenience of the road closures actually provides peace of mind.

“Security feels good. The road closures are a little bit of a hassle, but we’ve been able to work around it just fine. I feel pretty good. I feel pretty safe,” said Rendi Crabb, who is in town for the UFC events.

Jacob Mishler, also in town for the fight, added: “If we came here and didn’t see a lot of security, we were going to be a little bit cautious about how we went about the event. It seems like they’ve got things taken care of. I feel pretty comfortable.”

Security is not the only aspect of public safety top of mind.

The heat and humidity is expected to be unrelenting this weekend.

MPD posted a video on X providing safety tips, including how to avoid heat illness.

“We’ve been very diligent on keeping bottles of water on us. There’s been plenty of water to fill up the bottles. But yes, the heat and temperatures have been a concern,” said Robert Fowler, who is in town to go to UFC events.

Storms are also a possibility.

One group of friends told 7News they are not worried about this.

“If there’s a thunderstorm at home, we’re in our front yard watching it, so we keep our eyes on the thunderstorms,” said Carly Mishler, who is in town for UFC. “We have four sets of eyes on the thunderstorms, so we’ve got a lot of people looking out for us.”

Public safety leaders are also urging visitors to make a plan in the event of an emergency.

“The more information you can give as a caller to the 911 call takers, the better they’re going to be able to both identify the location that you’re in and help first responders get to you, whether that’s cross streets, identifying the nearest cross streets you’re at, or identifying easily recognizable monuments,” said D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Osborn at a press conference earlier in the week.