June 21 marks the official first day of summer, and Old Town Alexandria is celebrating the new season with a family-friendly event, the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival.
Being held on Saturday, June 22 (2 to 8 p.m.), at the new Waterfront Park, the festival will feature live music, a waterfront beer garden, food and more. Performances will range in a variety of genres, including Ethiopian jazz, Brazilian and Latin folk to celebrate the global cultural influences in Alexandria.
Also noting Alexandria’s past is the hands-on Portside History experiences presented by the Office of Historic Alexandria, exploring the city’s role as a key port of trade. Other activities include an artist-led visual arts activity, an instrument petting zoo, jewelry marking and fun with bubbles in celebration of Pride Month and array of lawn games.
The beer garden will be hosted by Port City Brewing Company, and food will be provided by Pizeria Paradiso, Rocklands BBQ and Dolci Gelati. Port City Brewing Company will return to Waterfront Park with pop-up beer gardens the weekends of June 28 to 30 and July 5 to 7.
For a full schedule and more information, visit portsidefestival.com. // Waterfront Park: 1 King St., Alexandria; free admission, food and drinks for purchase
Subscribe to our Things to Do newsletter to keep up to date with the best summer events happening in NoVA.