Alexandria October Events
Through Oct 8th
2nd Annual Alexandria Live Music Week
Admission: Varies by venue
Various locations throughout Alexandria
703-439-8487
The 2nd Annual Alexandria Live Music Week, presented by Alexandria Live and On Tap Magazine, is a citywide music event featuring Alexandria’s diverse music scene and musicians, as well the clubs, bars, restaurants, shops and venues that feature and promote live music in Alexandria. There will be over 50 participating venues and over 300 performances, including a full schedule of music during Del Ray’s Art on the Avenue. Venues include Alexandria’s legendary The Birchmere, Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, Bilbo Baggins, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Nick’s Night Club, The Durant Arts Center, Daniel O’Connell’s, La Tasca, FireFlies, Chadwicks, MetroStage and many more. The event will include national acts such as The Funky Meters and El DeBarge and renowned local bands such as The Free Flowing Musical Experience, Judge Smith, Janna Audey, Farley Granger and legendary Irish guitarist Rocky Guttman. Other events include a children’s music program, German oompah music, jazz, acapella, bluegrass, blues, R&B, and much more. Also, look for a music-themed motion picture viewing party courtesy of the Alexandria Film Festival.
Through Oct 9th
Blackberry Daze
Admission: $55 for Wednesday-Thursday 8 p.m. and Sunday 7 p.m.; $60 for Friday-Saturday 8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.
Metro Stage
1201 N. Royal St.
703-548-9044
USA Today called Blackberry Daze by Ruth P. Watson & Thomas W. Jones II, “A powerful deeply moving story of triumph and tragedy, love and family…a journey straight into the center of the human heart.” The play, which runs September 1-October 9, 2016, features music by William Knowles.
1st
21st Annual Art on the Avenue
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission: Free
Mount Vernon Ave.
Del Ray
Art on the Avenue is a multicultural arts festival celebrating our community’s diversity through the arts in the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia. This festival is held on the first Saturday in October, rain or shine.
Every year, over 50,000 visitors stroll down Mt. Vernon Avenue in Del Ray between Bellefonte and Hume Avenues. People are greeted by over 300 artists (jewelers – silversmith & beaders, woodworkers, pottery makers, soap crafters, glass makers, unique painters, sculptures, fabric artists), musicians (Irish, folk, rock n’ roll, country and more), and food vendors (hot dogs, BBQ, Indian, crab cakes, chocolate bananas dipped on a stick, and homemade cider donuts). Activities for children include stuff your own scarecrow, paint a pumpkin, lotus flower design and weave screen art to name a few.
7th-9th
20th Annual Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour
6-9 p.m.
Admission: Friday, October 7: $40; Saturday, October 8: $48; Sunday, October 9: $36
Mount Vernon Estate
703-780-2000
Visitors learn about the successes and failures of our Founding Father’s wine endeavors, enjoy live blues music, and meet “George and Martha Washington” on the Mansion’s piazza. Guests experience an evening tour of the Washingtons’ home and are invited to visit the basement where he stored his wine. To accompany the wine tasting, fruit and cheese boxes are available by advance purchase for $29.99. VIP tables start at $1,100 and include admission for 12 people, three bottles of Mount Vernon house wine, a dessert platter from Alexandria Pastry Shop, a fruit and cheese tray from the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant, and private waiter service. Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour takes place rain or shine.
8th
21st Annual Art Safari
noon-4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 N. Union St.
703-838-4565
An Alexandria family tradition, Art Safari returns to the Torpedo Factory Art Center for its 21st year. Resident and visiting artists lead young visitors in an afternoon full of hands-on creative activities such as papier-mâché, fiber, and printmaking. Enjoy the Alexandria Archaeology Museum’s special activities featuring their collection of 18th– and 19th-century pottery and china, as well as The Art League’s popular Gallery Scavenger Hunt. Children should wear clothing that can get a little dirty. All activities are free, with most appropriate for children ages 5-11. Some activities require parental assistance.
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Open House
10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Apothecary
105-107 S. Fairfax St.
703-746-3852
www.AlexandriaVA.gov/Apothecary
In recognition of October’s designation as National Pharmacy Month, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum will host a free open house.Visitors are welcome to enjoy free tours.
14th
Port City Black Veil Happy Hour | Female Stranger Mystery Quest
Happy Hour 6-8 p.m., Quest 8-10 p.m.
Admission: TBA
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
134 N. Royal St.
703-746-4242
https://shop.AlexandriaVA.gov/Events.aspx
Join Port City Brewing Co. and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum as we celebrate the release of the Long
Black Veil, a special craft beer inspired by the famous tale of the Female Stranger. Proceeds from
this special happy hour and event, held on the 200th anniversary of her death, help support the
museum’s educational programs.
Happy Hour: Enjoy Port City’s Long Black Veil IPA in the Gadsby Courtyard for a special happy hour. Other Port City beers will be available through a cash bar. $25 per person (includes one drink and light appetizers, and dinner is available for purchase through Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant).
Quest :This year only, dive deeper into the Female Stranger story as you try to unravel the mystery! Join us for the happy hour then come inside and meet major players in the story. Reach your own conclusions about her identity as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of this local legend. Space is limited in this one-time event.
15th
“We’ve Been Burned: Firefighting in Civil War Alexandria” Friendship Firehouse Walking Tour
1 p.m.
Admission: $6 adults; $4 ages 10-17 (best for ages 10 and up)
Begins at Friendship Firehouse
107 Alfred St.
703-746-4994 (weekdays); 703-746-3891 (weekends)
When Virginia joined the Confederacy, Union troops occupied Alexandria and many municipal functions were taken over by the U.S. Army. This walking tour will explore firefighting during the Union occupation. Were firefighters allowed out after curfew? What happened to the firehouses and equipment? These questions and many others will be answered as tour participants visit the sites of four local fire houses, and learn a great deal of firefighting and Civil War history.
22nd
A Mansion House Whiskey Tasting
7-9 p.m.
Admission: $50 for tasting and tour
Carlyle House
121 N. Fairfax St.
703-549-2997
Come join history lovers and fans of the new hit PBS show “Mercy Street” for an inspired evening of Mansion House Hotel elegance. This bourbon tasting will harken back to the Civil War era and include a delicious menu of small bites and cheese pairings. Must be 21+ to attend.
22nd – Nov 12th
A Party to Murder
Admission: $22
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
600 Wolfe St.
703-683-0496
It’s Halloween and six people have come to play a murder-mystery game hosted by writer Charles Prince at a rustic island cottage in Italy. This play is a fast-paced farce, so what could go wrong? As the characters embark on a weekend of fun, ghosts from the past begin to haunt the proceedings, and it becomes clear that they are both playing for laughs and their lives. Audiences are treated to rising tensions, secret passageways, incriminating letters, unexpected corpses, and a 25-year-old unsolved mystery that will propel the audience to…well, we don’t want to give away the unexpected and terrifying conclusion.
24th
Can’t We Get Along? George Washington’s Break with Three Famous Virginians
7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
Admission: $12; $10 for society members and volunteers
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
134 N. Royal St.
703-746-4242
https://shop.AlexandriaVA.gov/Events.aspx
While many people look back to the “good old days” when everyone was patriotic and got along, it is interesting to note that over time George Washington completely severed his relationship with five famous Virginians. In this talk the focus will be on three of them: James Madison, James Monroe and Edmund Randolph. Professor Henriques will exam these breaks and see if there is a common thread between them.
28th
Bark or Treat Canine Cruise
5:30-7 p.m.
Admission: $16 adults; $10 children; dogs ride free
Alexandria City Marina
1 Cameron St.
703-684-0580
Come out with your costumed canine and cruise to some Halloween tunes along the Potomac. We will have Halloween treats on board. Be sure to have your four legged friend in their best costume.
The Gadsby’s Tavern Ghost Tour
7-9 p.m. Tours start every 30 minutes
Admission: $20 adults; $10 kids ages 7-17
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
134 North Royal St.
703 519 1749
You’ll follow your colonial-costumed guide through the eerie Alexandria streets, visit a cemetery, and enter one of the most haunted buildings in Old Town. You’ll hear the tragic story of the Mysterious Female Stranger, and visit the very room where this mysterious woman was transformed into a ghost! Portions of the proceeds benefit Gadsby’s Tavern Museum.
29th
Carlyle House Walking Dead Footsteps Zombie Event
6-9 p.m.
Admission: TBD
Carlyle House
121 N. Fairfax St.
703-549-2997
Visitors will experience firsthand some encounters with zombies from the 18th-century, a-la-Walking Dead-style. Where in Old Town could a person have more zombie fun than in the garden and vaults of Carlyle House? After navigating your way through the zombie-filled garden, visit our dark, dank tunnels for a spooky experience. Then, join the zombies and their very lively hosts for a party on the front lawn. A ghost tour of Alexandria is also included in the price of admission. Reservations required for the tour.
30th
20th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade
2-4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues
Del Ray
One of Del Ray’s favorite traditions—the Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade—is coming soon on Sunday, October 30. The parade begins at Mt. Vernon Ave., south of E. Bellefonte, and continues down to the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center play fields at Mt. Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues. Children, pets and strollers in costumes are invited to march and show off their finest and scariest Halloween garb. The parade and all activities are free! Please note that both judging for Best Decorated Stroller and registration for Best Pet Costume will begin at 1:30 p.m.