Well Ray, Del Ray’s annual wellness festival, has been canceled this year as its organizers go back to the drawing board.
Previous festivals, which were held in June, closed down a large section of Mount Vernon Avenue and featured dozens of vendors practicing outdoor yoga, boxing, meditation, chiropractic assessments, nutrition counseling and more. This year would have marked the event’s 10-year anniversary.
“Our Wellness [committee] has made the thoughtful decision to pause the Well Ray Festival this year,” the Del Ray Business Association shared in an email. “As a member-driven organization, our priority is creating meaningful opportunities that directly support our Del Ray Business Association wellness members and strengthen our local community.”
DRBA President Lauren Fisher told ALXnow that 80% of the vendors at last year’s festival were wellness-related businesses located outside Alexandria.
“We’re just looking at really defining what the Wellness District members actually need and want, to highlight them,” Fisher said.
While the yearly event goes on pause, DRBA intends to shift to “smaller, more intentional experiences.” These includes free, weekly wellness education events, networking gatherings and continued weekly blogs.
“We know how many of you enjoyed Well Ray, and we truly appreciate that support,” DRBA said in the email. “We’ll continue to listen, evolve, and revisit the possibility of bringing it back in 2027 in a way that feels sustainable and impactful for our members.”
In the meantime, DRBA is hosting a wellness happy hour at Hi/Fi Tex Mex BBQ (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue) from 6-8 p.m. next Wednesday, May 13.
