Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Friday, Sept. 26, the 269th day of 2025. There are 96 days left in the year.
☀️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny, with a high near 82°F. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. Mostly cloudy tonight, with a low around 66°F. Calm wind.
🚨 You need to know
The Alexandria Police Department will close a section of John Carlyle Street on Saturday to accommodate the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebration, which promises a full day of German culture, music and traditional festivities.
John Carlyle Street from Duke Street to Ballenger Avenue, encompassing the 300-500 blocks around the circle, will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to approximately 8 p.m. Saturday. The closure will accommodate the free Alexandria Oktoberfest event running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at John Carlyle Square.
The family-friendly celebration will feature live German music and traditional dance performances, a beer garden with German brews, and authentic German cuisine including bratwurst, pretzels and strudels. Attendees can browse handmade arts and crafts by local artisans and participate in competitions including a beer stein holding contest and a Mr. and Mrs. Oktoberfest costume competition.
Organizers describe the event as capturing “the unmistakable spirit of Bavarian merriment” and emphasize its appeal to families and community members of all ages. The event will proceed rain or shine, with parking available in nearby garages.
Alexandria Police are advising drivers to plan alternate routes to avoid the John Carlyle area during the extended closure period, which begins more than three hours before the festivities to allow for setup and concludes two hours after the event ends.
🚧 Traffic Alert: John Carlyle St. (Duke St → Ballenger Ave, 300–500 blocks) will be closed Sat, Sept 27, 7:30am–8pm for Oktoberfest. Plan alternate routes & join the fun! 🥨 🎉 #OneAlexandria #OneAPD #TrafficAlert pic.twitter.com/QkV8h8my6S
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) September 26, 2025
Here’s what else to know
Library book sales continue today – The Duncan Library Fall Book Sale continues today from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., featuring hardcovers for $4 and paperbacks for $2. The Burke Branch Library will hold its annual sale Oct. 2-5, ending with a $10 bag sale Sunday.
Ex-FBI Director James Comey indicted in Alexandria federal court – James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.
City’s tallest building proposed for Carlyle – A 365-foot-tall residential building with up to 775 units and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail is heading to the Planning Commission in November. If approved, it would be Alexandria’s tallest at-grade building.
City Council to review human services grants – The Alexandria City Council will consider a new framework for distributing human services grants and finalize agreements tied to a major defense contractor’s expansion at Tuesday’s legislative session.
Visit Alexandria annual meeting recap coming – ALXnow will have a full recap from Visit Alexandria’s exciting 2025 Annual Meeting, which took place last night, plus a complete roundup of weekend events, live music and entertainment up on ALXnow.com later today.
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following were the most-read ALXnow articles on Sept. 25, 2025:
- Federal downsizing hits Alexandria hardest among Virginia suburbs, study shows (Ryan Belmore)
- Alexandria woman dies in Hybla Valley after being struck by hit-and-run driver, police officer (Ryan Belmore)
- Widespread Xfinity outage affects Alexandria Thursday (Ryan Belmore)
- Alexandria ranks 2nd on ‘Best Places to Live on the East Coast’ list (Ryan Belmore)
- Developer donates Potomac Yard land for 88-unit affordable housing project (Ryan Belmore)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 10:00 am Friday: Duncan Library Fall Book Sale
- 👉 12:01 pm Friday: THE BLACKSTAR FESTIVAL
- 7:30 pm Friday: U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note 75th Anniversary Concert
- 9:00 am Saturday: Alexandria Kiwanis Hosts Annual Kids Fishing Day at Lake Cook
- 10:00 am Saturday: Duncan Library Book Sale
- 10:00 am Saturday: Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive and Showcase
- 11:00 am Saturday: Alexandria OKTOBERFEST @ JOHN CARLYLE SQUARE
- 1:00 pm Saturday: Rosemont Citizens Association Oktoberfest
- 2:00 pm Saturday: Powerful, Not Perfect: Releasing Shame in Motherhood
- 7:00 pm Saturday: Bruce Holsinger – Author Talk and Book Signing
- 7:30 pm Saturday: Gershwin & Tchaikovsky
Friday, Sept. 26
Things To Do
- 10 a.m. – Duncan Library Fall Book Sale at Duncan Branch Library
- 11 a.m. – DIY: Make Your Own Accordion Book at Burke Branch Library
- 6:30 p.m. – Friday Night O’Connell’s Run at Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant
- 7 p.m. – Beethoven + Haydn at George Washington Masonic National Memorial
- 7:30 p.m. – U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note 75th Anniversary Concert at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center
- All day – The Order Of The Zine (T.O.O.T.Z.) – Week #1 at Beatley Central Library (ages 7-14)
- All day – “Determined” – The 400 Year Struggle for Black Equality Traveling Exhibit at Local History/Special Collections
- Sept. 25 – Oct. 5 – Old Town Cocktail Week at various locations throughout Old Town
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
Live Music & Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant – Sol Roots at 9 p.m.
- Alexandria Bier Garden – Rebel Rose at 9:30 p.m.
- Aslin ALX – Comedy showcase at 7:30 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House & Beer Garden – Live music at 5 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch – Timmie Metz Band at 9 p.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant – Rook Richards at 9:30 p.m.
- Del Ray Pizzeria – Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Galactic Panther Art Gallery – Soda Pop, Tapioca, Taming In Chess at 7 p.m.
- Hops N Shine – Live music at 6 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant – The Satin Doll Quartet at 7:30 p.m.
- Makeda Restaurant – Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub – Pat Garvey at 9 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub – The Moondaddies at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill – Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere – The Wallflowers with Brother Elsey at 7:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse – Lloyd Braun Band at 9 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House – Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
City Information & Meetings
- City Government: OPEN
- Flag Status: FULL STAFF
- Trash Collection: ON TIME
- Recycling Collection: ON TIME Yard Waste Collection: ON TIME
City Meetings & Events
- 6 a.m. – Chinquapin Open
- 8:30 a.m. – Health and Safety Coordinating Committee
- 9 a.m. – Industrial Development Authority at 1940 Duke St First Floor Conference Room
- 6 p.m. – Tavern Games Night: The Alexandria Canal at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
ACPS Meetings & Events
- 8 a.m. – Governance Committee via Zoom
Alexandria City High School Sports
- 7 p.m. – Football: Boys Varsity at C. G. Woodson High School at C.G. Woodson (Fairfax, VA)
