Welcome 2023! The holiday season is over, and we’re returning from family visits and vacations. Maybe you’ve recently gotten a new planner and are already blocking dates and filling in appointments, or maybe you’re still wondering how it's already 2023. Either way, it’s a great time to look ahead and remember what’s in store in the months ahead. While you organize your family calendar, don’t forget about Alexandria’s annual events!

From sale weekends and holiday fireworks shows, to street fairs and parades, the Alexandria community always has something exciting to look forward to each year. Whether you are new to the area, or a long-time Alexandrian, you won’t want to miss these annual events. Here are four of our favorites to support and participate in each year:

1. Alexandria Restaurant Week

Annually, more than 70 of Alexandria’s locally-owned and locally-loved restaurants offer a choice dinner for two menu items at a fixed cost. Restaurant week spans 10 days and two weekends, giving local diners an in-person and/or to-go option with the week’s fixed price, usually ranging from $25-$45 per person. Whether you’re a long-time patron, or plan to visit one of these locally-owned restaurants for the first time, Alexandria Restaurant Week is the perfect time to explore Alexandria dining. Restaurant Week happens twice a year, ten days in the winter/spring and ten days in the summer/fall. Enjoy ten days of delicious dining, ten days of no dirty dishes to wash, and ten days of supporting Alexandria’s community of locally-owned restaurants! This year, the winter/spring restaurant week will happen January 20-29, 2023.

2. Boutique Warehouse Sale

Old Town Boutique District’s annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale is a big weekend for shopping. Usually held in February, the warehouse-sale weekend takes place over one weekend and in over 60 independent boutiques in the area. (2023 dates have not been announced yet.)

3. Spring2ACTion

Alexandria’s giving day, hosted by ACT for Alexandria at the end of April, is a time for Alexandrian’s to come together and support organizations that serve our community. Spring2ACTion is a 24-hour, online event that provides a way for charitable causes to connect with donors on one platform. Organizations with the most donors win prizes, and leaderboards track donations over “power hours” and other special highs throughout the day. The goal of Spring2ACTion is to grow philanthropy within the community, to grow revenue to develop new funding streams to organizations, and to grow supporters and educate the community of the positive impact our nonprofit organizations have on Alexandria. 2022’s Spring2Action raised $2.6 million dollars with 7,700 donors and 172 participating nonprofit organizations. It was a record-breaking year! This year, Spring2Action will be on April 26, 2023.

4. Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend

Last but not least, arguably our MOST favorite time of year, attending the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend is an Alexandria favorite! We loved seeing so many of you during the rainy parade we had this year. Hosted by The Campagna Center over the first weekend in December, the Scottish Christmas Walk is, without a doubt, Alexandria’s most anticipated event. It’s never too early to look forward to this!

These four annual Alexandria events are just the start to another great year. Whatever this year brings, we know there's always something to look forward to when the Alexandria community comes together. See you there!