Hey beauties! Here’s my curated calendar for the summer. Lots happening in Old Town ALX! Sending y’all lots of love and wishing you many happy summertime moments. See ya around town.
xxx • Jennifer-Marie
p.s. If you’re just seeing this post and the event has already passed. Have no fear! It will probably happen again next year.
Summertime Memory Making
Old Town Arts & Crafts Fair — Presented by Volunteer Alexandria
I tend to like more art fairs than crafts. And this sounds like it has a diverse mix. Especially if you’re going with girlfriends or folks with different tastes.
Saturday 3 June 2023, 10am – 6pm • Admission: Free
Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Local and regional artists and crafters showcase pieces across various mediums. Merchandise will include pottery, stationery, fabrics, paintings, jewelry, photography and more.
Portside in Old Town Summer Festival sponsored by Ting
This sounds nice. I’ve got high hopes for this one. Especially with the Jazz on Friday. I really hope they can keep the busking far enough away so the musical acts don’t compete with one another — can’t stand it when you’re hearing more than one act at once down there!
Friday & Saturday, 16 & 17 June 2023
Time: Friday 16 June 6 to 9 pm • Saturday 17 June 1 to 9 pm• Admission: Free
Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314
More info at -> PortsideFestival.com
Portside in Old Town Summer Festival (now sponsored by Ting) returns to Waterfront Park. There will be an array of live music, local craft beer from Port City Brewing Company, and family fun on the Potomac’s edge. Friday evening features jazz performances and poetry readings by Alexandria poets. On Saturday, there will be more of eclectic musical lineup, local food, plus hands-on art and history activities.
Lots of folks behind this one. Portside in Old Town Festival props go to: Visit Alexandria, Ting, ALX Jazz Fest, City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts (a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities).
Juneteenth African American History Bus Tour with Manumission Tour Company
We really like John Chapman. This is his company, Manumission, doing the tour. Manumission also has additional African American History tours that you can check out here.
Saturday 17 June 2023 • 11 am & 1 pm • Admission: $35 per person
Meets at The Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Manumission Tour Company has an annual Juneteenth African American History Bus Tour. The tour is 90 minutes and visits various historic sites — telling the story of African Americans in early Alexandria. Some of the historic sites include several African American churches in the city (such as Alfred Street Baptist Church), Barrett Library (site of the 1939 Library Sit-In), as well as Freedom House and more.
Father’s Day
Sunday, 18 June 2023
Juneteenth
Monday, 19 June 2023
USA / Alexandria Birthday Celebration
This one is personal for us. It’s our anniversary weekend! So we always appreciate the fireworks!
Saturday, 8 July 2023 • 6 to 9:45 p.m. (Rain date: Sunday 9 July) • Admission: Free
Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St, Alexandria, VA 22314
More info here -> alexandriava.gov
It’s Alexandria’s 274th birthday and the USA’s 247th! The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will preform and the fireworks act as a finale to the ASO at half passed 9 o’clock. Enjoy the big birthday experience including cupcakes, local vendors and live music.
10th Annual Old Town Pub Crawl hosted by Port City Brewing Company
A pub crawl is not my thing. But I’m sharing it because it’s a way to support so many small and local business.
Saturday 15 July 2023, 1:30 to 6 pm • Admission: Free
Various locations throughout Old Town, Alexandria, VA 22314
portcitybrewing.com 703-797-2739
“The Port City Brewing Company team will be at local restaurants and bars near the Alexandria waterfront, stamping pub crawl passes (available at participating locations) and handing out swag from 1:30 to 6 p.m. If you complete your Pub Crawl Pass, you will get a limited-edition pint glass. Participating restaurants include Blackwall Hitch, Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar, Chadwicks, Daniel O’Connell’s, The Fish Market, Union Street Public House, Virtue Feed and Grain and Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge.” – Visit Alex
Beats, Bites and Brews in Old Town Alexandria
Doggies are welcome! We love that!
29 July 2023, from 11 am to 6 pm
Admission: Free
John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St., Alexandria, VA 22314
thecarlylecommunity.com
John Carlyle Square is hosting a day of outdoor entertainment, with music, shopping, food, and cold beves. Visit Alx says, “local bands, food vendors, wineries and breweries, as well as other local small businesses will be on site. Tasting will be provided by the wineries and breweries, and you can purchase the tickets onsite from them directly.” And most importantly this event is pet friendly and will happen rain or shine.
Around the World Cultural Food Festival
August 26, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. // Admission: Free
Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Take an afternoon trip around the world! The Around the World Cultural Food Festival showcases the culture, traditions and cuisine of dozens of countries. This festival is pet-friendly event will occur rain or shine.
Ongoing Exhibits
Floriography in the Victorian Era at Lee Fendall
I love stuff like this! We’ll definitely walk over and see this a few times.
Now through 30 August • Daytime // Admission: Free
Lee Fendall House Museum & Gardens • 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
The Victorians used flowers to send messages of love, empathy, and even disinterest. Learn how they did it by wandering through the Lee Fendall garden. They’ve put signs next to the planted flowers that explain more about this “secret” intriguing language.
Art Night in Old Town ALX
I’m excited about this! We happened upon a night like this in chichi Bozeman, Montana — note, this western town earned the nickname Bozeangelous due to their glittery costal guests. Anyhow, while on our Western roadtrip we spent a little time there and happened upon the art night on their Main Street. It was fun! We didn’t purchase any art on the spot, but we did take some artists cards, and got some chic westernware. lol.
Third Thursday Each Month • May to October • 5 – 8 pm // Admission: Free
Various locations throughout Old Town Alexandria, 22314
You can get more info at -> oldtownbusiness.org
Explore fine art and studio crafts found in the boutiques and galleries of Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.
Trivia Nights at the Historic Sites
Oh this sounds like fun! We won’t do it. lol. But it sounds fun! And it’s a 21 and up activity.
Tuesdays, 9 June – 18 August (bi-weekly) / 7 o’clock / $10 includes snack & beverage (additional drinks available for purchase at the bar)
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Gardens • 614 Oronoco Street • Alexandria, VA 22314
Limited capacity so register early! Registration must be done in advance. Age 21+ only. And teams are limited to 6 people.
Trivia Nights at the Historic Sites
Carlyle House Historic Park and the Lee-Fendall House Museum team up for some fun Tuesday nights. Every other week throughout the summertime the Carlyle House and Lee-Fendall staffs host trivia night in the beautiful gardens of the Lee-Fendall House. Everything from pop culture to history is on the table.
Dates & Themes -> June 9th: British Royal History / June 23rd: Presidential History / July 7th: Alexandria History / July 21st: Mythology / Aug 4th: Pets / Aug 18th: 1980s
Each trivia night is themed with weekly prizes for the winning team and a grand prize for the team that wins the most points over the entire summer!
Two Boxes of Oranges and Admonia Jackson — Temporary Waterfront Public Art Installation
Every year, there is different public art at the foot of King Street, by water’s edge, to be enjoyed by the tourist and locals alike. This piece is inspired by pieces discovered in 2015 & 2018 on Old Town’s own Potomac waterfront. I have a greater respect for the piece after learning of the inspiration leading to it’s creation, versus just the aesthetic alone.
Late March to November 2023 // Admission: Free
Waterfront Park, 1A Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
visitalexandriava.com/public-art
“In late March, Two Boxes of Oranges and Admonia Jackson will be unveiled as the fifth temporary public art installation on Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront, part of the City of Alexandria’s Site See: New Views in Old Town series. Created by Jamaican-born, New York-based award-winning artist Nina Cooke John of Studio Cooke John, the installation is inspired by the ships uncovered on Alexandria’s waterfront in 2015 and 2018 and the many layers of history that are not readily seen. The installation forms an abstracted ship’s hull with steel vertical elements that rise and bend, referencing the curve of the hull’s frame. Visitors can stand within the space and imagine a time in Alexandria’s history when the ships carried not only cargo like tobacco, molasses, rum and limes, but also enslaved people who were traded as part of the transatlantic and domestic slave trades. The outer blue of the installation is contrasted with an orange inner surface depicting text pulled from ships’ manifests listing items like herring, coconuts and gin, alongside names and descriptions of enslaved people, such as “Jane Tailor, female, 5’ 2”.” Also listed are “two boxes of oranges” and “Admonia Jackson.”” – Visit Alex
Tiki Bar – Throughout Boating Season • Old Dominion Boat Club (Private Club)
The Friday night tiki bar tradition has migrated from the luscious lawn and docks of One King to the swanky rooftop of Zero Prince. Old clubhouse. New clubhouse. Doesn’t matter. It’s been proven the club’s tiki nights are filled with good times, good people, good drinks, and good music!
Fridays throughout the Summer — 6 – 11pm — 6pm Bar Opens / 7-11pm Musical Entertainment
The Rooftop Tiki Bar has musical entertainment every Friday evening throughout boating season. Please see the Club’s website for specifics.
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