This weekend in Alexandria is packed with major events, including the annual Alexandria Pride Fair at City Hall on Saturday. Plus, Port City Brewing Company is getting a very early start on Oktoberfest, a Mystical Pride Prom takes over the Torpedo Factory, and there’s a full slate of live music, workshops, and family-friendly activities across the city.
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has endorsed Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett in the special election for Virginia’s open 11th Congressional District seat.
There are 10 Democrats and seven Republicans vying for the seat, following the death of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly in May. Both the 11th District Democratic Committee and the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee have chosen Saturday, June 28, as the primary date to choose their respective candidates. The special election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Visit Alexandria’s President & CEO Todd O’Leary leads with the belief that travel is a force for good, inspiring visitors to deepen their travel experiences by connecting with Alexandria’s myriad stories. That’s why 2026 National Travel and Tourism Week (May 3-9, 2026) isn’t just any week. It’s a time to reflect and celebrate the important role that tourism plays in bringing people together across cultures and geographies, creating shared understandings and memories that last a lifetime. This year’s theme, “Postmarked: Essential,” takes on special significance as Alexandria prepares to host several major events this summer, bringing the stories of our local community onto the world stage.
“This year’s National Travel and Tourism Week celebrations seem particularly fitting, given all the momentum we’re seeing in Alexandria’s hospitality industry,” said Visit Alexandria’s President & CEO Todd O’Leary. “As tourism grows in importance here, the dividends from visitor spending support our small business owners and ultimately our residents. Visit Alexandria is proud of the work done by our local industry to keep this city top of mind for domestic and international travelers.”
Last fall, Visit Alexandria announced that Alexandria’s tourism spending from travelers residing more than 50 miles away grew to $1 billion for the first time in history during calendar year 2024. Additionally, Fiscal Year 2025 city consumption tax revenues reached a record $88 million—supporting core city services, saving the average Alexandria household $832 annually, and sustaining more than 5,700 local jobs.
In conjunction with this year’s America 250th commemorations, Alexandria will host programs, exhibitions, historic tours and signature events, including the three-day Sails on the Potomac festival—all of which showcase Alexandria’s renowned historic character and ever-evolving progressive nature. As Alexandria continues to make waves on the world stage, especially as a destination for sports tourism, the city will serve as the official Team Base Camp for the Croatian National Football Team, a FIFA top ten ranked team, during the World Cup. With state-of-the-art facilities, a wide range of accommodations, a wealth of visitor experiences and incredible transportation access, Alexandria’s prominence in sports tourism is growing. (more…)
There are only four days left to choose Alexandria in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards survey.
Alexandria has been consistently ranked as one of the top five small cities in the country for the past six years. Last year, the city got third place nationwide. The voting deadline is Monday, June 30.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will establish its new Southeast Regional Outreach Office at its Alexandria headquarters, reversing a previous decision to locate the facility in Atlanta, according to an announcement from the federal agency on June 6.
The USPTO had originally announced in December 2023 that it would launch the Southeast Regional Outreach Office in Atlanta in late 2025. However, the agency now says it “wants to begin serving the southeast region immediately from Alexandria.”
Come celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s War for Independence with renowned music historians David & Ginger Hildebrand for performances of special period music. The Hildebrands will don period attire to discuss and perform music associated with Alexandria’s sister cities: Caen, France; Dundee, Scotland; Helsingborg, Sweden; and Gyumri, Armenia. Scottish music was especially influential in the American colonies, and once the French joined the Revolutionary cause there were musical celebrations for Generals LaFayette, Rochambeau and other French leaders. This concert event is part of the “Alexandria commemorates America’s 250” campaign. David & Ginger specialize in researching, recording, and performing early American music. Since 1980 they have presented concerts and educational programs throughout the country and abroad at museums, historic sites, schools and universities. Mount Vernon, The National Gallery of Art, The National Archives, and Colonial Williamsburg are among their many past sponsors.
Tickets are $20.
Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Thursday, June 26, the 177th day of 2025. There are 188 days left in the year.
⛈️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming northeast around five mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
CSX Transportation (CSXT) is soliciting a Request for Proposal to support the Alexandria Fourth Track Project, including site civil work, bridge and retaining wall work, drainage work, grading, track work, and support of track work by CSX forces, in the City of Alexandria and Arlington County, VA.
A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on July 22, 2025 at 8:30 am ET. Contractors who are attending the pre-bid meeting shall notify the CSXT contact, Mr. Brett Sanders, at [email protected] (cc [email protected]) by 12:00 noon July 21, 2025 and include number of attendees. After notice has been received, the contractor will then be provided with full bid documents (available June 30, 2025).
Construction bids will be due August 19, 2025 at 12:00 noon ET.
All RFIs and questions will be sent via e-mail to LaMont Jones, [email protected]. The last day for RFIs will be August 8, 2025 at 3 pm ET. NTP is anticipated in October 2025 and construction completion will be December 31, 2027.
CSXT reserves the right to accept a proposal or reject any or all proposals.
The City of Alexandria’s Transportation Demand Management Program, GO Alex, and SmartBenefits, a commuter benefits program that allows employers to offer tax-free transit benefits to their employees, have earned recognition from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).
Alexandria was one of three organizations to receive a 2025 Employer Award at the 28th annual ceremony held at the National Press Club on Wednesday (June 25).
Repairs to the overpass bridge linking Duke Street and Ben Brenman Park, near Cameron Station, are scheduled to begin this month, and the city is hosting a community meeting on the project.
The city estimates that the $2.5 million repair project will be completed by November, and it includes periodic lane closures on Breman Park Drive and Duke Street near the bridge during construction hours, according to the city. The project schedule is also contingent on the weather.
Former pro boxer Tony “Da Beast” Suggs, former T.C. Williams High School principal John Porter, and the 1947 George Washington High School Baseball Team are heading to the hall of fame.
The Alexandria City Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame, that is. This year’s 16 inductees were approved for inclusion by the School Board on June 12, and the induction ceremony will take place on October 11.
