The eighth annual public art installation at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park is set to open next week.
Artist Alicia Eggert’s “Now or Never” installation will have an opening reception Saturday, March 21, from 1-4 p.m. at Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street). Artist remarks will happen at 1:30 p.m.
The National Park Service has denied approval to build a pump station at Waterfront Park, the City of Alexandria has confirmed today (Wednesday).
The Alexandria Times was the first outlet to confirm the news. NPS sent the city a letter on Feb. 20 “indicating a reversal of their previous position on the City’s Deed Modification request for the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Pump Station,” according to the city website.
From historical tours and adult field trips to trivia nights, several events coming to Alexandria this winter will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The various roles Alexandria played in the forging of the U.S. will be told in events across the city. The events are compiled in a list by the American Revolution 250 Commission, or VA250, which was established by the General Assembly in 2020.
The Alexandria Commission for the Arts unanimously approved artist Alicia Eggert‘s concept for “Site See 2026: Now or Never” Tuesday evening, giving the green light to the eighth temporary public art installation in the Site See: New Views in Old Town series at Waterfront Park.
The installation, planned from March through November 2026, aims to address the current political climate through monumental signage. It features two billboards positioned face-to-face across a narrow passageway. One billboard displays “NOW” in black text on a white background, while the other shows “NEVER” in white text on a black background.
The City of Alexandria announced preliminary progress on reducing the size of its controversial waterfront pump station, responding to months of community pushback against flood mitigation infrastructure planned for Waterfront Park.
In a design update posted Sept. 3, project officials said they anticipate reducing the building’s length by approximately 18 to 22 feet, with potential total structure reductions of about 55 feet if the building canopy is eliminated entirely from the design.
A new petition has been launched against part of Alexandria’s plan to combat flooding in Old Town.
The Change.org petition opposing the installation of a two-story pump station at Waterfront Park to recirculate floodwaters back to the Potomac River has garnered 275 signatures so far. The organizer wrote in the petition that the pump station “is destructive, unnecessary, wasteful, and in violation of public trust.”
What a week we just had in Alexandria!
Here’s our recap of everything worth talking and reading about over the past week in the Port City. This week, Alexandria was named a Sanctuary Jurisdiction by the Trump administration, a distinction Mayor Alyia Gaskins said “wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.”
Alexandria’s 47th Annual Jazz Festival is coming to Waterfront Park on Saturday, June 14. Starting at 3 p.m., this free event will feature a diverse range of talented musicians and jazz styles.
Keanna Faircloth will host the festival, introducing performances by The JoGo Project, Jeanette Berry, We Were Here Before, Fran Vielma Quartet, Carolyn Malachi, and Warren Wolf.
It was a fast week in Alexandria! Welcome to ALXnow’s Friday recap of top stories.
This week started as the city cleaned up from last Friday’s damaging storm that knocked over trees, closed roads and disrupted power for thousands. Our top story was on the report of a suspected car thief who ended up in the hospital with serious injuries after a high-speed chase ended in a crash early Monday morning.
A covered patio and plaza venue are planned for the proposed pump station at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park.
The city’s proposal to combat flooding in Old Town will close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park from the fall of 2026 until the fall of 2028 to rebuild segments of the sea wall and install a pump station to recirculate water in flood-prone areas back to the Potomac River. The pump station plans are heading to the Board of Architectural Review on June 5.
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5 p.m. Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 80 degrees. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
