Ballyshaners Parade Weekend Is Here — “The Ballyshaners‘ 43rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is expected to draw thousands of spectators to celebrate alongside a lineup of performers and community organizers. Local dignitaries plan to kick off festivities at noon Saturday, March 7, with the parade stepping off at 12:30 p.m.” [ALXnow]
Reminder: Early Voting Starts Today — “Alexandria voters can begin casting early ballots this Friday to participate in the city’s April 21 special election. This includes the City Council race and a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.” [ALXnow]
Good Thursday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
🕗 News recap
The following articles were published earlier today — Mar 5, 2026.
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
🌥️ Friday’s forecast
Showers may occur after 4pm, with foggy conditions clearing up before 11am. Expect a mostly cloudy sky with a high near 54 degrees and an east wind blowing at 5 to 8 mph. The chance of precipitation stands at 20%. For Friday night, showers could occur after 7pm, and a low temperature around 45 degrees under a mostly cloudy sky with east winds at 5 to 8 mph and a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading!
The Virginia Department of Health has partially lifted its recreational water advisory for a portion of the Potomac River as repairs continue from January’s massive sewage spill.
The advisory, first issued Feb. 13, has now been lifted for a stretch of the river including Alexandria’s waterfront. The cleared area starts south at the Route 120 Chain Bridge and ends at the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge in King George County, according to a VDH announcement this afternoon (Thursday).
Every Tuesday night for more than a decade, a group of Del Ray dads have gotten together in James Crowe’s basement to rock out.
Last Tuesday, the five-member band officially known as The Derds practiced the lineup for their upcoming annual St. Patrick’s Day show at Evening Star Cafe’s No. 9 Lounge in Del Ray at 2000 Mount Vernon Avenue. The show is from 7:30-10 p.m. Friday, March 13, featuring performers from the Del Ray Strings and the Boyle School of Irish Dance.
Join us Saturday June 13 for a special edition of the Gustave Art & Craft Market, celebrating Father’s Day and the 2026 World Cup! Find that special gift for Dad from local artisans & crafters and enjoy family fun, community & Gustave’s delicious World Cup specialties. Plus, singer songwriter Chris Fotos performs before the game.
Gustave Art & Craft Market takes place the Second Saturday of the month at Gustave Boulangerie, 2213 Mt. Vernon Avenue in the heart of Del Ray. Each month features special kids’ activities. Mark your calendars for the Second Saturday and see you at Gustave!
Alexandria’s professional employees have officially voted to unionize.
On Tuesday, the city’s professional employees voted 155-1 in favor of unionizing with AFSCME Council 20, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. With significant support, the vote “marks 5 of 5 eligible Alexandria bargaining units to file and win their union representation elections since 2021,” according to a release from AFSCME Council 20.
A free forum focused on women’s health is coming to the Charles Houston Recreation Center this weekend.
The EmpowerHer Women’s Health Forum will feature panel discussions, curated vendors and breakout sessions to discuss mental, sexual and reproductive health. The event will be held at the recreation center at 901 Wythe Street from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
Alexandria City Public Schools saw a 40% reduction in the number of incidents requiring a police response during the first two quarters of this school year compared to last year, according to a school safety report recently presented to the Alexandria City School Board.
During the first semester this year, ACPS reported 167 total incidents requiring a police response across the school system and 27 student referrals or arrests. The recent incident count represents a 40% drop from the first semester last school year, which saw 279 reported incidents.
Three students at Alexandria Country Day School have earned the highest Girl Scout Cadette award for their projects addressing bullying, sustainability, charitable giving and animal welfare.
Eighth graders Eleanor Chambers, Sadia Hussain and Cece Baker will be honored during a troop meeting next month for earning the Girl Scout Silver Award. Girl Scout Cadettes in sixth to eighth grade can earn the Silver Award by completing a service project focusing on a community issue.
An Alexandria food and travel writer will soon unveil his latest cookbook, a culinary journey through Spain with recipes inspired by the works of writer Ernest Hemingway.
“Hemingway’s Spanish Table” is the eighth cookbook for writer Howie Southworth, following his locally inspired “A Taste of Alexandria,” a collection of recipes from the city’s restaurant scene, which was published in 2024.
