Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend. Enjoy!Â
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Friday, April 19
Things To Do
- 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Character Building Workshop at Military Children’s Six Foundation
- 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Fun Friday at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Degas Art Bingo at Nepenthe Gallery
- 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: In My Cookie Era! Cookie Decorating at Lost Boy Cider
- 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Guided Meditation With Cats at Mount Purrnon Cate Cafe & Wine Bar
Live Music & Entertainment
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Hall Pass from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Ryan Forrester from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Johnny Artis Band from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Fish Market: DJ at 9 p.m.Â
- Galactic Panther: The Dead Queens W/ Folking Tunes and Tennessee Frisky from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: The Satin Doll Trio from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: Game Night from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Poehemia & Pat Carroll at 9 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Crushing Diamonds from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse: Broken Ground at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live piano music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Rich Russman Band from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Parents Night Out at Mount Vernon Recreation Center
Saturday, April 20
Things To Do
- 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.: ALX Dog Walk at Oronoco Bay Park
- 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Old Town Farmers’ Market at Market Square Plaza
- 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Del Ray Farmers Market at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square
- 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Pop Up Spring Marketplace Boutique at the Athenaeum
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Del Ray Kitchen Confidential Design Tour at Del Ray Design Tour
- 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Animal Family Day at Mount Vernon
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Old Town Alexandria Historic Home and Garden Tour Kicks Off Spring Tradition in Old Town Alexandria
- 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.: Saturday Pop Up, Pop In Story Time at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Exploring Watercolor Takes Courage – A painting class by artists Teresa Brunson and Lynn Martin at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Garden Day Tours at Carlyle House Historic Park
- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Board Game Cafe at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Embroidered Tapestry Workshop with Beta White at Fibre Space
- 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: 10th Anniversary Party at Sweet Fire Donna’s
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: ReFashion Show at The Garden ALX
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Brews & Booze Motor Cruise with Tall ship Providence Foundation
- 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Gadsby’s Tavern Museum Society Spring Fling at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
- 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: To The Sea | Pro Coro Alexandria Concert at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Live Music & Entertainment
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Small Town 7 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Larry Thomas Duo from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Practically Einstein from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Galactic Panther: RedHorizon, The Backbeat Collective & Zawadi Live Music @ Galactic Panther from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Karaoke from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Sharon Clark Trio from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Poehemia & Pat Carroll at 9 p.m.
- Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center: ASO Presents: On the Town & Shostakovich 5 – Shuffle and Deal at 7:30 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere Music Hall: Steep Canyon Rangers at 7:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse: Black Cactus Hotels at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live piano music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Charles Houston Health & Fitness Expo at Charles Houston Recreation Center
- 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Annual Invitational Cheer Competition at Alexandria City High School Gymnasium
Sunday, April 21
Things To Do
- 8 a.m.: Dyke Marsh Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Art of Manual Coffee Brewing at Galactic Panther
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Old Town North Farmers MarketÂ
- 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Animal Family Day at Mount Vernon
- 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Burpees and Brews at Port City Brewing Company
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Girl Scout Garden Day at Carlyle House
- 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Writers Group at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Kids Arts & Crafts at Hops N Shine
- 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Oddball Cinema – Barry Landon at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Jazz at Meade featuring the Vaughn Ambrose Quartet at Meade Memorial Episcopal Church
Live Music & Entertainment
- Blackwall Hitch: Jazz Brunch with Black Coffee from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Conor Malone from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: ESP’s InterGalactic Open Mic from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: The Office Trivia Night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Steve Zubrick from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Walt Johnson Trio from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Meade Memorial Episcopal Church: Jazz at Meade featuring the Vaughn Ambrose Quartet from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rook Richards at 8:30 p.m.
- Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center: ASO Presents: On the Town & Shostakovich 5 – Shuffle and Deal at 3 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere Music Hall: SGGL (Speidel, Goodrich, Goggin, & Lille) at 7:30 pm
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Kev Powe Thang from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award at Del Ray GardenFest
Ryan Belmore is an award-winning news publisher, editor, and journalist. Born and raised in Rhode Island, he now resides in Alexandria with his wife and two rescue dogs. He was recently appointed to the City of Alexandria’s Board of Zoning Appeals and previously served on the City’s Commission For The Arts. Email listings and events to Ryan at [email protected]. Follow Ryan on Instagram at whatsupalexandria.
An international food festival is making its return to Alexandria next month.
The Around The World Cultural Food Festival, which brings together food from fifty countries around the world, is returning to Alexandria’s Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street) on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
This is the third year of the event. The event is free to attend with food and beverages available for purchase.
According to a release:
This year, we are taking our patrons on a one day trip around the world right in their back yard and present the cuisine, culture and traditions of almost fifty (50) countries participating in the event. With only one (1) ethnic food vendor per country, patrons will have the opportunity to explore over one hundred (100) traditional food items from sixteen (16) countries, enjoy folk dances and performances from twelve (12) countries, as well as an array of over one hundred and ten (110) ethnic artisans and crafters, independent consultants, small businesses and non-profit organizations. We invite everyone to come and enjoy as many dishes as they can; our food vendors take their time to prepare and present their top traditional food.
In 2023 we are presenting ethnic cuisine from Cambodia, China, Colombia, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam and United States of America, traditional dance performances from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Panama, Scotland, Turkey and United Kingdom, as well as artisanal items from Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Colombia, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Turkey, United States of America and much more.
Get your lawn chairs and picnic blankets ready for fireworks, because Alexandria’s 274th birthday celebration is happening in Old Town on Saturday, July 8.
The event at Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street) draws thousands of people every year. It’s always held the first Saturday after July 4, and features performances from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, a declaration from Town Crier Ben Fiore-Walker, a poem from Alexandria’s Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and brief speeches by city leaders.
Mayor Justin Wilson, City Council members and other officials will also hand out birthday cupcakes to attendees.
The celebration kicks off at 6 p.m. and ends with a grand finale fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.
Visit Alexandria recommends these vantage points to see the best fireworks:
- Canal Center Plaza (Center Canal Plaza)
- Rivergate Park (2 Montgomery St.)
- Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison St.)
- Founders Park (351 North Union St.)
- Waterfront Park (1A Prince St.)
- Windmill Hill Park (501 South Union St.)
- Fords Landing boardwalk (99 Franklin St.)
- Jones Point Park (Jones Point Dr.)
- George Washington Masonic Temple (101 Callahan Dr.)
