June 21 & 22, 2024
Portside in Old Town Summer Festival
A Free Festival of Live Music & More
Friday, June 21, 2024, 6 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 22, 2024, 1 to 8 p.m.
Free Admission
Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Kick off summer with the return of the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival. This free festival features an array of live music, local craft beer from Port City Brewing Company and fun for the whole family on the Alexandria waterfront. The event includes Friday evening jazz performances and readings by Alexandria poets as part of the ALX Jazz Fest @ Portside. Saturday, the festival continues with an eclectic musical lineup, local food, hands-on art and history activities and more. New this year, as part of the City’s 275th anniversary celebrations, Port City Brewing Company will serve an original hoppy India Pale Ale called ALX275, brewed with 275 lbs. of hops.
The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival and the ALX Jazz Fest @ Portside are produced by Visit Alexandria and the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts.
Friday, June 21, 2024
6 to 9 p.m.
On Friday enjoy the ALX Jazz Fest, presented by the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts. Enjoy music from distinct jazz groups, plus live poetry from local Alexandria poets between sets.
ALX Jazz Fest performers were selected through a collaboration with the Office of the Arts and the 2024 Alexandria Jazz Fest Activation Team.
Stay tuned for more details on performing artists and poets.
Saturday, June 22, 2024
1 to 8 p.m.
1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Opening remarks
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Taisha Estrada
2:45 – 3:30 p.m. Feedel Band
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. The Walkaways
5:15 – 6:15 p.m. La Mafia Del Guaguanco
6:45 – 8:00 p.m. Adrian Duke
Special appreciation to Alexandria-based musicians and founders of the Yellow Door Concert Series, Vaughn and Robyn Ambrose who serve as guest musical curators and emcees for the Saturday portion of the festival.
Listen to the Artists
2024 Saturday Masters of Ceremonies: Robyn & Vaughn Ambrose
Vaughn and Robyn Ambrose are Alexandria-based musicians and founders of the Yellow Door Concert Series, dedicated to creating small, intimate listening opportunities for musicians and audiences to gather and share. Vaughn is the Director of Jazz at St. Stephens St. Agnes Upper school and has toured the world performing and lecturing. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Masters in Jazz Studies, both from East Carolina University. Originally from Canada, Robyn has spent the last 25 years freelancing along the Eastern Seaboard and across Canada, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance, also from East Carolina University.
2024 Activities
The following activities will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Dominion Energy Lawn Game Zone – Head to the turf for some active fun with cornhole and other games courtesy of Dominion Energy.
National Center of Women’s Innovations and RosieRiveters– Watch a demo of how gravity wells pull on Earth and other objects in space presented by RosieRiveters. Learn how and why the earth is not round but squishy and how Dr. West had to meticulously recalculate the earth to precisely map the world with NCWI. Each family will take away a squishy world attached to a key ring and a summary of how Dr. West enabled GPS.
The following activities will run from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday only.
Girls on the Run– Join Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia to craft a shoe charm to bling out your kiddo’s kicks! Bubbles and coloring pages will also be available at their booth where families can learn more about getting involved with inspiring future leaders in our community!
Safe Space NOVA – Enjoy a variety of fun offerings from rock painting to bubbles to plantings and learn more about their mission to support LGBTQ+ youth.
Tall Ship Dockside Tours and Maritime Heritage Center
The tall ship Providence will offer “Pay What You Can” open house tours on Saturday, June 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival. The ship will set sail that evening at 6 p.m. For more information or to book sails, charters and regularly scheduled tours, please go to www.tallshipprovidence.org.
2024 Food & Drink
On both Friday and Saturday, enjoy award-winning craft beer from Port City Brewing Company including their limited edition original hoppy India Pale Ale called ALX275, brewed with 275 lbs. of hops, to celebrate Alexandria’s 275th anniversary. Port City Brewing Company’s team will serve Hopwell, Port City’s hops-infused sparkling water, in addition to their beloved beer offerings.
Also enjoy a selection of food and drinks from Alexandria-based small businesses Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company, Hen Quarter, Tequila & Taco, The Light Horse, Union Sandwich Co., Dolci Gelati, A.M. Kettle and Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Vendors will begin sales 30 minutes prior to the start of musical performances each day.
2024 Hotel Offers
Make it a weekend in Alexandria! Stay tuned for special discounted rates at several festival partner hotels. Additionally, eleven hotels are offering the “Love, Alexandria” package with rates starting as low as $150 per night and inclusive of up to $200 in added value with water taxi passes, free parking and Key to the City museum passes (restrictions apply).
Transportation
Based on anticipated attendance, the use of public transportation and alternative modes of transportation are highly encouraged. Driving to the event and parking near the waterfront or on the street is not recommended. See the list below to consider your options and plan your trip to the festival.
Metro: The King St-Old Town Metrorail station is located on King Street. Both Yellow Line and Blue Line trains stop at the King St-Old Town station, which is a 25-minute walk from the waterfront at the east end of King Street. As an alternative to walking, you can take the free King Street Trolley from the Metrorail station to Market Square and walk 5 minutes down King Street to Waterfront Park. The Metrorail runs until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
King Street Trolley: The free King Street Trolley runs from Market Square to the King Street Metro every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. More information and schedules are available at dashbus.com/trolley.
DASH Bus: The DASH bus is free. The 30 and 31 line drops off at Market Square, three blocks from Waterfront Park. Dash buses run as early as 6 a.m. and as late as midnight on both Friday and Saturday.
Capital Bikeshare: There are several dock stations within a short walk of the event site located at Prince Street & Union Street, Duke Street & Union Street, 908 King Street, 301 King Street, King Street & S. Patrick Street, and S. Royal. For more information, please visit capitalbikeshare.com.
Dockless Mobility: There are various dockless mobility devices throughout Old Town including e-scooters and e-bikes. Please note there is no riding on sidewalks per City code or along the expanded King Street pedestrian zone from the 100 block of King Street to the waterfront. When possible, please park in a scooter corral (Prince & Strand) or bike rack so as not to block the sidewalk or driveways.
Water Taxi: For information on pricing and schedules, click here. The Water Taxi stops at King Street, The Wharf, Georgetown and National Harbor.
Rideshare: Lyft and Uber. Rideshare pick-up and drop-off locations on King Street should occur in the 300 block near or at Market Square (301 King Street). Attendees should not attempt to be picked up directly at the waterfront based on restricted access to streets within the vicinity of the event.
Taxi: The following companies currently operate within the City of Alexandria:
- GoGreen Cab: 703.212.2000, gogreentaxicab.com
- King Cab: 703.549.3530, kingcabcompany.com
- VIP Cab: 703.333.5800, viptaxiva.wordpress.com
- White Top Cab: 703.683.4004
- Yellow Cab: 703.549.2500, alexandriayellowcab.com
Parking: Please consider all travel options. Driving to the event and parking near the waterfront or on the street is not recommended. Street parking is extremely limited on weekends, and parking lots may also have limited availability.
The 100 and 0 block of King Street is a permanent pedestrian-only zone.
If choosing to drive and park, we recommend:
- Parking at a garage or lot away from the waterfront. Courthouse Square Garage (111 S. Pitt St.) is a 7-minute walk from the festival and only $5, or HB Parking’s surface lot (300 N. Lee St.) is a 6-minute walk.
- Refer to the map of garages on the City of Alexandria’s parking page. Note: many garages near the waterfront on Union Street reach capacity.
- Download the ParkMobile app if you do plan on parking on the street. Some street parking is only offered as pay-by-phone.
FAQ
Admission: The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival is free and open to the public. There is no age requirement to enter the event.
Alcoholic Beverage Sales: All beer, cider and wine sales require ID check. Cash and credit accepted. Service ends Friday at 8:45 p.m. and Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
Food & Beverage: Enjoy local eats at the festival and come early or stay late to explore Old Town’s many restaurants.
Dogs: We anticipate a high volume of attendees at this event. While we love furry friends, they may be more comfortable at home. Service animals are allowed.
Photography: Photographers will be present to capture images to be used in future promotional use. By attending the festival you are granting permission for your photo to be captured.
Volunteer: Join the team that brings this event to the community. Stay tuned to learn how to sign up for a volunteer position.
The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival is produced by
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Thank you to our 2024 festival sponsors and partners
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