Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Friday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2025. There are 89 days left in the year.
🌤️ Today’s weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Light and variable wind. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 52. Calm wind.
🚨 You need to know
Del Ray’s beloved Art on the Avenue festival is set to transform Mount Vernon Avenue into a bustling pedestrian paradise this Saturday, Oct. 4, but drivers should prepare for significant traffic disruptions throughout the day as multiple major events converge on Alexandria.
The Alexandria Police Department has announced that road closures will begin as early as 5 a.m. Saturday to accommodate the 30th annual arts festival, which draws thousands of visitors to Del Ray each year. The initial closure, scheduled for 5 a.m., will affect the 2300-2400 blocks of Mount Vernon Avenue and the 200 block of East Oxford Avenue, blocking these areas to non-vendor traffic. By 7 a.m., the entire event area — spanning from the 1900 to 2800 blocks of Mount Vernon Avenue and including East Bellefonte Avenue — will be closed to all non-vendor vehicles.
Running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the milestone 30th edition of the festival will showcase over 350 local and regional artists alongside four stages of live music, food vendors, a pie baking contest, and free children’s craft activities. Organizers are offering free trolley service from the Potomac Yard and Braddock Road Metro stations, as well as a complimentary bike valet at the Truist parking lot at Mount Vernon and Hume avenues.
Adding to Saturday’s traffic considerations, Cameron Run Regional Park will host its first Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Walk/Run from 9 a.m. to noon. The community event, open to participants ages 10 and up, honors survivors and raises awareness for breast cancer research and education.
Alexandria Police will be stationed throughout the Del Ray festival area to manage traffic and ensure pedestrian safety during the day-long celebration. While the road closures are expected to remain in effect until approximately 8 p.m., authorities noted that traffic on nearby Commonwealth Avenue will not be impeded. Police are urging motorists traveling through the area to stay alert, follow posted signs, and expect heavy foot traffic, while encouraging festival attendees to take advantage of free transportation options or walk and bike to events.
For a full rundown of all that’s happening this weekend in Alexandria, visit Things to do this weekend in Alexandria: Oct. 2-5.
What else to know
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia filed a class action lawsuit in Alexandria federal court Thursday, alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is unlawfully detaining young immigrants who have a legal pathway to citizenship — part of what the complaint describes as the Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy.
Alexandria’s unemployment rate rose to 3.8% in August, up from 2.8% a year earlier, as the number of jobless residents increased by 35% to 3,793, according to state data released on Wednesday.
Alexandria recorded 3,738 eviction summonses in 2025 as of Thursday, up 21% from the previous year, according to the city’s eviction trends dashboard.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins cast the lone dissenting vote that blocked the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority from endorsing a proposed extension of express lanes along the southern stretch of I-495, she told the City Council on Tuesday night.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Here’s our full roundup of all the events, entertainment, and live music happening this weekend.
Alexandria headlines from elsewhere
CBS News: DOJ fires 2 key prosecutors in eastern Virginia amid turmoil in office that charged Comey
Virginia Mercury: New poll: Spanberger takes 10-point lead, makes gains with younger voters in Va. governor’s race
WJLA: DMV residents stay up late to purchase CDs, Vinyls of Taylor Swift’s newest album
This Day in Alexandria History: October 3
On October 3, 1859, Bishop William Meade dedicated Aspinwall Hall at the Virginia Theological Seminary on Seminary Road. The Gothic Revival building featured semi-circular arched windows, corner buttresses, and a central tower with a domed cupola, and was named for two benefactors who funded an earlier structure.
In 1910, the Alexandria Elks Lodge opened their new hall at 318 Prince Street with a day-long public celebration. Families toured the building, Congressman C.C. Carlin delivered a lecture entitled “Home,” and musical entertainment and dancing continued into the night.
On this date in 1953, Alexandria City Council appointed a committee to investigate restoring Civil War forts within the recently expanded city limits. The committee’s work led to the preservation of Fort Ward’s northwest bastion, though the project displaced an African American community known as “The Fort,” whose history is now being documented as part of Fort Ward Park’s integrated management plan.
Credit: Historic Alexandria
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Oct. 2, 2025.
- Gaskins’ vote against I-495 express lanes blocks NVTA regional endorsement Ryan Belmore
- Justice Department fires key prosecutor in Eastern District of Virginia office already beset by turmoil, AP sources say Ryan Belmore
- Friends of Dorothy, a neighborhood queer cafe, is fundraising to open in Alexandria James Cullum
- Things to do this weekend in Alexandria: Oct. 2-5 Ryan Belmore
- Sweetside Café and Creamery to hold ribbon-cutting Oct. 11 in Del Ray James Cullum
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s happening today in Alexandria, as per our newsletter and event calendar.
Things To Do
- Sept. 25 – Oct. 5: Old Town Cocktail Week throughout Old Town
- 11 a.m.: Doppelbock returns to Port City Brewing Company
- 6:30 p.m.: Friday Night O’Connell’s Run at Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant
- 7 p.m.: NYT Bestseller Betsy Cornwell at Old Town Books
- 7 p.m.: Del Ray Poetry Reading at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub
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: DJ & Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House & Beer Garden: Live music at 5 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Eric Tubbs at 9 p.m.
- Galactic Panther Art Gallery: Timber Bridges, Jared Knapik, and 2 Dollar Bill 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.
- Lost Boy Cider: Sara Delaney at 6:30 p.m.
- Makeda Restaurant: Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Pat Garvey and Practically Einstein at 9 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Chay Vicious at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: Trae Crowder at 7:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6:30 p.m.
City of Alexandria
Events & Public Meetings
- 6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open
- 8:30 a.m.: Visit Alexandria
Alexandria Library Events
- All day: Banned Book Badness – A Freedom to Read Tourney at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- All day: The Order Of The Zine (T.O.O.T.Z.) Week #2 at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- All day: “Determined” – The 400 Year Struggle for Black Equality Traveling Exhibit at Local History/Special Collections
- 11 a.m.: Burke Branch Friends Book Sale at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 1 p.m.: Low Vision Resource Group at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library (RESCHEDULED to Oct. 10)
- 3:30 p.m.: Fun Friday! at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library Meeting Room
- 3:30 p.m.: Lego Competition at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
Find more library events and details
Alexandria City Public Schools
- No meetings or events are scheduled
Alexandria City High School Events
- No games are scheduled.
