Portside in Old Town Summer Festival

Festival Schedule

Performances:

2-2:15 p.m. Opening remarks
2:15-3 p.m. Elena & Los Fulanos - Latin folk
3:15-4 p.m. Christylez Bacon & Nistha Raj: Bhairavi Beatbox - Hip-hop meets the music of India
4:15-5 p.m. Feedel Band -  Ethiopian jazz
5:15-6:15 p.m. Cissa Paz - Brazilian
6:45-8 p.m. Black Masala  - Brass fusion

*Performance schedule is subject to change.

Special appreciation to Alexandria-based musicians and founders of the Yellow Door Concert Series, Vaughn and Robyn Ambrose, who served as guest musical curators and emcees for the festival. Thank you to Foxes Music for providing equipment to support the musical performances.

Activities:

Enjoy the following activities throughout the entire festival.

Portside History: Discover Alexandria’s past as a key port of trade and more at hands-on history activities perfect for the whole family, presented by the Office of Historic Alexandria.

Art Outdoors: Partake in a family-friendly visual arts activity from The Art League. Stop by our artist-led “Make-n-Take” tent to explore your creative side while engaging with your fine motor and design thinking skills. Dive into the maker mindset with traditional and non-traditional materials and methods.

Instrumental Petting Zoo: Find your inner musician at an instrument petting zoo presented by School of Rock Alexandria, a new music school in Alexandria.

Jewelry Making and Fun with Bubbles: Celebrate Pride Month with NOVA Pride and Safe Space NOVA as you get creative with jewelry making and have fun with bubbles outside. Engage with community partners and buy some swag. 

Lawn Games: Head to the artificial turf for a game of cornhole and other backyard favorites.

Mirror Mirror: Check out the new interactive and sound-responsive public art installation created by SOFTlab through the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts. During the day, step inside the 25-foot diameter, eight-foot tall art installation to be bathed in rainbow-hued light and pose for the perfect photo. As the festival comes to a close and the sun sets, dance, play and sing inside and around the artwork and enjoy the interactive light show.

Food & Drink Vendors

FAQs

Admission: The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival is free and open to the public. There is no age requirement to enter the event.

Lyft/Uber Drop Off Address: Taking Lyft or Uber? Get to the festival faster by hopping off at the Alexandria Visitor Center, 221 King Street. It's a quick two blocks from Waterfront Park.

Lyft Code: First-time Lyft users can save $5 with the code VISITALX19

Bike Valet: Free bike valet service will be available by Two Wheel Valet located near 1A Prince Street adjacent to Waterfront Park and steps from the festival. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. All bikes must be retrieved no later than 9 p.m.

Parking: Driving to the festival? Take advantage of a special summer $2 all-day rate at City-owned garages and surface lots. Many garages are steps away from the festival. The Courthouse Square Garage (111 S. Pitt St.) is even cheaper, at only a $1 and just a 7-minute walk from the festival.

Beer Garden: All beer sales require ID check and purchase of drink tickets. Cash and credit will be accepted. Cost per beer is $6. Drink ticket sales will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. Beer service will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 7:45 p.m.

Food & Beverage: Enjoy local eats by Pizzeria Paradiso and Rocklands BBQ at the festival and come early or stay late to explore Old Town’s many restaurants. Bring your water bottle to help us reduce waste from the event. A water fountain will be available by the shade structure.

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 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. 

Thank You, Sponsors!

The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival is produced by Visit Alexandria through the King Street Corridor Initiative, a partnership focusing on beautification, programming and marketing of Alexandria’s historic downtown corridor, spearheaded by the City of Alexandria and Visit Alexandria with additional support from private funders. Special thanks to the King Street Corridor Initiative’s Founding Funders, including lead partners Alexandria Hotel Association, Alexandria Restaurant Partners, Asana, Carr Hospitality and TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. View a full list of Founding Funders.