Spooky season will be in full swing throughout Alexandria this weekend.
Led by the return of Del Ray’s popular Halloween parade for its 30th year, the next few days will also bring Old Town’s annual trick-or-treat event, an exploration of 18th-century mourning at Carlyle House, and even themed improv comedy shows and fitness crawls.
Four restaurants in the Alexandria area have been named among the region’s best for 2026 by Northern Virginia Magazine, though only two are located in the city proper.
While the city’s dining scene was completely left out of the magazine’s ranked top 10, which were unveiled last Friday (Oct. 16), it received a bit more love in the full list of Northern Virginia’s 50 Best Restaurants released at noon today (Wednesday).
A women’s bar crawl launched earlier this year is bringing the festivities to Old Town this weekend.
The Old Town Alexandria Women’s Crawl will take place 1-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at six participating restaurants. The Del Ray Psych & Wellness team and its podcast Shrinks On Tap launched the Women’s Crawl earlier this year. The Old Town event is the third stop following its debut in Del Ray during March and its second in Falls Church in May.
Halloween festivities are starting to ramp up in Alexandria as October continues on.
This weekend, the “Thriller” Zombie Flash Mob descends upon Old Town, retailers will host the new Sticker Treat sticker crawl, and the Spooky Mad Science Expo returns for an 11th year at Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The Ethiopian Fall Festival has also been rescheduled for this weekend.
Dozens of people participated in a candlelight vigil and guided meditation for victims of sexual assault in Del Ray on Tuesday night (Oct. 13).
The event was led by clinical psychologists Lauren Fisher, Eleni Boosalis and Talia Abreu in the parking lot of Del Ray Psych and Wellness (1900 Mount Vernon Avenue). As national outrage grows over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at Cornell University, participants at the vigil said they hope the country is reaching an inflection point on the issue.
After living nearly 100 years in Alexandria, Pat McArtor celebrated her birthday by singing jazz hits in Del Ray on Thursday night (Oct. 8).
McArtor couldn’t miss her weekly Thursday night gig with the Not So Modern Jazz Quartet at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub (2300 Mount Vernon Avenue). This week, the coffee pub was packed to celebrate the band’s oldest performer, and she sang “Baby Face,” “It Don’t Mean A Thing If You Ain’t Got That Swing” and more.
It’s shaping up to be another busy October weekend in Alexandria.
There are plenty of festivals going on, including the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s Paws in the Park with its largest Rescue Row yet. For those looking for a shucking good time, Old Town Oyster Week returns starting with an oyster shucking competition.
Despite spots of rain, thousands of people attended the 31st annual Art on the Avenue festival in Del Ray on Saturday (Oct. 6).
Hundreds of juried artists sold their work, live music was performed on four stages and the event welcomed a number of new businesses to the neighborhood. The event also shut down Mount Vernon Avenue from Hume to Bellefonte Avenues.
It’s a busy start to October as many visitors will arrive to the city for a returning arts festival.
Art on the Avenue will draw tens of thousands to Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray. But if you’re looking for something smaller, check out Civil War Shelter Day at Fort Ward, Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill’s Pumpkin Patch, Douglass Cemetery tour or Rosemont Citizens Association’s Oktoberfest.
From music to dance to all sorts of arts and crafts, Del Ray’s biggest arts festival will have plenty to draw visitors to the neighborhood on Saturday (Oct. 3).
The 31st annual Art on the Avenue, which closes Mount Vernon Avenue from Hume to Bellefonte Avenues the first Saturday of every October, will host more than 300 artists and dozens of activities for all ages from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival has become one of Del Ray’s most important events. The Del Ray Business Association estimates attendance could reach 50,000.
September is already approaching its end, and fall events are ramping up around Alexandria.
Some of the month’s biggest events are taking place this weekend — the returning Alexandria Fall Art Festival in Carlyle and sold-out 84th Annual Historic Alexandria Homes Tour in Old Town. Other highlights include the new Old Town Beauty Crawl, Alexandria Film Festival’s premiere of “Ask E. Jean,” the Friends of Beatley Central Library book sale, Wilderness Kids Alexandria Music Festival and an event with “The Silver Linings Playbook” author Matthew Quick.
