Festivals and other events in celebration of Lunar New Year have started in Alexandria, kicking off the Year of the Horse.
Lunar New Year officially begins on Tuesday, Feb. 17, but some festivities are happening before then. The holiday is celebrated in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and numerous other Asian cultures, marking the start of the 15-day Spring Festival.
A local Indian restaurant founded by an Old Town couple is celebrating the start of a new chapter in Alexandria.
After about 18 months of planning and renovations, Sundara Indian Restaurant & Cafe is reopening in a new space on the ground floor of 1320 Braddock Place in Suite 105. It’s a hard-earned milestone for the business, which grappled with unexpected delays and rising renovation costs to reopen after departing from an Arlington VFW post in summer 2024, following a zoning dispute.
Whiskey from a new distillery in the West End will soon be sold at ABC stores in the city, the company’s owner tells ALXnow.
Motherwell Distilling Co. launched operations at 877 S. Pickett Street in December, led by business partners Vince and Marcy Crisler and Andrea and Adam Bennett. The new distillery, which is the first of its kind in Alexandria since the Prohibition era, now has its sights set on distribution.
A lovely Valentine’s Day weekend is coming to Alexandria.
There’s still time to make reservations or sign up for events at venues across the city. It all starts on Friday, Jan. 13, otherwise known as Galentine’s Day, followed by events on Valentine’s Day this Saturday.
Barnes & Noble is planning a new bookstore in the Shoppes at Foxchase.
The national book retailer hopes to open in Walgreens’ former space at 4515 Duke Street toward “the end of this year,” a spokesperson told ALXnow. The plans come as the company seeks to open at least 60 stores across the country in 2026, including a new multilevel bookstore that opened last month in D.C.
Frigid temperatures over the past few days have prompted the Alexandria Warehouse Sale to extend through Presidents Day weekend.
The annual sale featuring dozens of independent Old Town shops and boutiques has extended until Monday, Feb. 16, after the sale’s initial weekend was hit with extreme cold and a High Wind Warning. Discounts at participating retailers range from 60-80% off on goods like clothing and shoes, home decor, toys, books and more.
A new dive bar concept is coming to Del Ray’s pop-up bar at the end of this month.
Fresh from its Christmas-themed concept Joy on the Avenue, owner Bill Blackburn and the Homegrown Restaurant Group are in the midst of outfitting the company’s seasonal pop-up bar. An exact date for the opening hasn’t been set, but Blackburn told ALXnow the plan is to open by the end of February.
King Arthur Baking Company is eyeing Old Town to open a new retail store and baking school.
The Vermont-based company selling flour, bakeware and other baking supplies is planning to open a new store in Old Town “late this summer,” a company spokesperson told ALXnow.
There are plenty of spots in Alexandria to watch this weekend’s Super Bowl LX as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots brawl it out.
The teams face off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif., at Levi’s Stadium, and Grammy Award-winning artist Bad Bunny performs at halftime. Here are 12 local spots that have publicized watch parties, events and menu specials — and how to get a free, sober ride home.
Cheese lovers can flock to Cheesetique in Del Ray this month for the returning “Raclette Fest,” a ski lodge-inspired event centered around the tableside cheese wheel and other specials.
Raclette Fest will run from Monday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, March 15, following a kickoff Après-Ski Party from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2411 Mount Vernon Avenue. The festival name references a type of Alpine cheese melted from a wheel and served tableside onto bread, seasonal vegetables and sausage.
A series of weekly library watch parties spotlighting Ken Burns’ new documentary, “The American Revolution,” starts today (Wednesday).
The six-part PBS series focuses on the Revolutionary War and the “ideals and complexities of America’s founding.” The Alexandria Library plans to host episode watch parties on consecutive Wednesdays through March 11.
