As the second weekend of June arrives, Alexandria City Public Schools students are off for the summer and families will be heading out to enjoy events around the city and region.
Sails on the Potomac will coincide with ALX Jazz Fest from June 12-14 at Waterfront Park (1A Prince Street). Highlights of the event include tall ship tours, fireworks, ALX Jazz Fest performances and the VA250 Mobile Museum.
As it prepares to open later this month, Little Birdie in Del Ray wants to add more outside seating.
Restaurant owners Matt Sloan and Eric Brannon are asking the city for permission to install 16 additional outdoor seats in an unused alley, adding to the 10 seats already approved. In March, the city approved the change in ownership at the venue. The space at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue was formerly occupied by Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which opened in February 2024 and closed last October.
State Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39) and her business partner are launching a new maternity and children’s consignment boutique in Del Ray this weekend.
Bennett-Parker and Allie Rubinoff, who both live in Del Ray, will launch Little Chickadee with a pop-up event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (June 13) at Gustave Boulangerie (2213 Mount Vernon Avenue). Bennett-Parker said that the boutique will operate mostly online from a space above Mulberry Lane.
The city is getting ready for a potential 2027 start date on one of its biggest projects to address stormwater flooding in Lynhaven and the northern part of Del Ray.
The city held a meeting on the Commonwealth, Ashby, and Glebe Flood Mitigation Project last Thursday (June 4) at the Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center. Since the last community meeting in 2025, the project has received final design plans, and the city is preparing to solicit a construction contractor. It is also coordinating with utility owners for utility relocation to accommodate new stormwater infrastructure. Summer 2027 is the tentative construction start date.
Spice Kraft Indian Bistro‘s butter chicken pot pie and avocado bhel chaat won both the Judges’ Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award at the 17th annual Taste of Del Ray on Sunday (June 7).
Under a hot sun, 17 local restaurants competed at the sold-out event in the Mount Vernon Recreation Center athletic fields. This year’s celebrity judge was Todd O’Leary, CEO of Visit Alexandria.
The first weekend of June brings plenty of summer happenings, from a welcome celebration for the Croatian National Football Team to other food festivals, concerts and tours.
Events like Best of the West, Flavors and Sounds of Croatia in Alexandria and the sold-out Taste of Del Ray will keep foodies satisfied this weekend. History fans will enjoy the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex Walking Tour. Musicians will also treat the community to free concerts with Alexandria Citizens Band: A Journey Through American Music and LIVE at the Lyceum: Piano & Friends Concert.
Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA) has proposed the conversion of parking spaces to a pocket park in the Del Ray neighborhood.
The proposed pocket park would be located on a current parking island at 3000 Fulton Street at the Clifford and Commonwealth Avenues intersection. The parking island provides space for about five to six standard passenger vehicles.
The Alexandria Fire Department say there were no firefighter or resident injuries from a house fire in Del Ray Wednesday afternoon (June 3).
Around 3:05 p.m., AFD was dispatched to the 2600 block of E. Randolph Avenue. According to AFD, firefighters found the blaze in the backyard area that had extended into the home.
Thai Peppers Restaurant will say farewell to Del Ray after more than 27 years.
The restaurant, located at 2018 Mount Vernon Avenue and dating back to 1998, announced it will have its final day of business on Monday, June 15. The owners cited their plans to retire and “hopefully relax on a beach in Phuket sipping Singhas and Mai Tais.”
The last weekend of May brings a variety of activities, from spring markets to the city’s D-Day tribute.
Shoppers can check out the Carlyle Crossing Spring Hue Market Friday and Volunteer Alexandria and Made in ALX Arts & Crafts Fairs Sunday. Foodies will get a chance Saturday to try Little Birdie before it opens in Del Ray later in June.
The City of Alexandria will celebrate the Croatian National Team’s use of the city as a home base during the World Cup with a welcome event next month.
The city will host “Flavors & Sounds of Croatia – Alexandria” from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) to celebrate Croatian heritage. The event is free to attend. The Croatian National Football Team will not be in attendance.
