Del Ray Music Festival June 22

Don't miss the Del Ray Music Festival this Saturday June 22, as its a free event from noon until 9pm and showcases many local bands. This is the seventh year the event has graced Alexandria, VA with the goal to "highlight, support, and showcase the local musical talent through a community event for families and children." The headliner for the event is Catie Curtis, with other bands on two stages including:
The Walkaways
The Highballers
Orchard Wall
The Beanstalk Library
Tiffany Thompson
The Weathervanes
Kate Moran Band
Elroy Jenkins
Rock of Ages student performances

The event offers food from local Del Ray restaurants and is family friendly with a moon bounce and games for kids. They are also partnered with the non-profit all-volunteer Guitars not Guns, which aims to use music to inspire at-risk and underprivileged youth by providing music education and mentoring opportunities.

The list of musicians and events is too long for here, so check out their Facebook, website or Twitter for more event information. Thanks to Kate Moran for organizing this, and if you want to volunteer you can sign up here.

Halloween in Clarendon

Halloween night this year was a little colder and much wetter than in 2008, but Arlington still had a lot of party goers in costume out and about. After 11pm the rain stopped and the costumed action picked up.

As with every year, Clarendon Ballroom, Mister Days and Clarendon Grill were the places to see and be seen in costume. Lines were long in each venue, but none more so than at Ballroom with a queue all the way around the block around Eventide.

Hailing a taxi was just about impossible at 2am when everything started closing up. It was great people watching witnessing the competing costumes trying to flag down a cab. Many fled to 24 hour restaurants to recuperate, and it was fun to watch Silver Dinner as it was full of half awake colorful costumes.

We also hit up Alexandria earlier in the evening hoping there would also be some original get ups to gawk at there. Sadly the rain kept people away from Old Town mostly, except for an invite only event at Torpedo Factory. Tuxedo Frog made an appearance down by the water front, who was received as the best dressed there.

Old Town Wine Festival this weekend

Thirteen restaurants will be participating in the Old Town Wine Festival this Saturday and Sunday, Oct 10-11 11am to 6pm.

Twenty wineries will be contributing their products for tasting at two locations in Alexandria.

Tasting tickets are $35 and general admission is $15.

If you purchase online, use this promo code from the Washington Post to give you $10 off the admission: SG537