This November weekend in Alexandria brings dozens of activities, from concerts and holiday-themed events to local tours and free movie screenings.
Returning on Saturday is the annual Ice & Lights village display at Cameron Run Regional Park, offering festive, seasonal scenery (the ice skating component, meanwhile, returns Nov. 28). If you’re feeling extra cheery, the Eisenhower Partnership is showing “Elf” for free on Saturday night.
The 19th annual Alexandria Film Festival kicks off this weekend with over 60 film screenings in store, from immersive documentaries to experimental films.
Three days of screenings start tomorrow (Friday) and run until Sunday, Nov. 9. Tickets cost $16.79 at each venue, while an all-festival pass costs $85. Federal workers affected by the government shutdown may also receive complimentary tickets at the box office with a valid government ID, while supplies last.
Just in time for the Halloween season, free fall movie nights are headed to Limerick Field (1800 Limerick Street) in the rear of AlexRenew headquarters.
A double feature will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 18, starting with Coco at 6 p.m., followed by The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 9 p.m. The movies are being presented by the Eisenhower Partnership, CatRad Creative, and AlexRenew, and water and Wegmans will donate popcorn.
The story of how coach Herman Boone transformed a newly integrated team of Black and white high school athletes into champions is legendary in Alexandria.
On Friday, 40 of the remaining real-life heroes that the film Remember The Titans is based on, commemorated the movie’s 25th anniversary. The 2000 film recounts the story of the 13-0, 1971 state champion T.C. Williams High School football team (now Alexandria City High School). The players in the newly integrated school overcame racial adversity to become state champs.
Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend; enjoy!
Are you organizing an event? Submit events to ALXnow.
The sequel to one of the highest-grossing films of all time is coming early to Alexandria.
City Councilman John Taylor Chapman’s Manumission Tour Company and Griffin Vision Media have once again teamed with other local businesses for a private screening of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at AMC Hoffman Center 22 (206 Hoffman Street).
What a hot week in Alexandria.
With temperatures hovering in the mid-90s, the week started with a power outage at a 17-story apartment building in Landmark area. The outage lasted five days and residents had to find accommodations until the building reopened Friday afternoon.
The short-lived resurgence of drive-in movie screenings in Alexandria during the pandemic seems to be winding down as the organizers of the Alexandria Drive-In announced the event will be discontinuing after this Saturday’s screening of Shrek.
The closing marks the end of short-lived fad when movie theaters were unsafe due to COVID-19. The Alexandria Drive-In launched last August with Jurassic Park and within four days all six initially scheduled movies were sold-out.
The Alexandria Drive-In will be discontinued after this Saturday night’s performance of Shrek.
With life returning to normal and movie theaters and entertainment venues coming back, event organizers decided to shut down the operation.
‘Ghost kitchen’ could be headed to Alexandria — “Commercial kitchens like the one proposed are also known as ghost kitchens and they allow restaurants and food entrepreneurs to prepare delivery orders. Ghost kitchens grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when many traditional restaurants were forced to close and the demand for take-out increased.” [Alexandria Living]
Face masks required at public and private schools until July 25 — “To address potential gaps in critical prevention measures at schools this summer, the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Norm Oliver, issued a Public Health Emergency Order effective July 1, requiring children and adults aged 5 and older to wear masks in public and private K-12 schools through July 25. The requirement applies to individuals regardless of vaccination status. The mask order also applies on school buses. Individuals are not required to wear masks when outside on school property, however the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) recommends that unvaccinated individuals aged two and older wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings.” [City of Alexandria]
Alexandria Black History Museum director speaks on anniversary of George Floyd’s murder — “Yes, there have been changes – Diversity and inclusion training are being taught in universities and the American workplace, some racists are being held accountable, corporations have promised new more transparent hiring procedures that would add African Americans to leadership positions, TV shows and advertisers have hired people of color in record numbers and The Oscars are not quite so #OscarsSoWhite anymore. All of this is meaningful, but it must be more than a quick fix. Everyone needs an ally, but being a true ally goes deeper than the protests. To be a real ally, you need to be there for the hard work, the messy work, and the unpleasant conversations about race and racism. You need to turn the mirror inward and make the personal changes that will help make your community a better place.” [Zebra]
Local chef appearing on FOX baking competition tonight — “Erinn Roth still can’t believe she was chosen to compete on FOX’s new baking competition show. ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ premieres this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET… The contestants are allowed to explore a kitchen that was recently used to bake a specific treat. They must use their baking skills and the clues left behind to determine what was baked and then they have two hours to recreate what they think it was. At the end of each episode, after two rounds, a team is eliminated.” [Alexandria Living]
