Portside Festival

A Free Festival of Live Music & More
Fri., June 17 – 6 to 9 p.m.
Sat., June 18 – 1 to 9 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. New this year, the event merges with the 44th Annual Alexandria Jazz Fest on Friday evening to showcase jazz performances and readings by Alexandria poets. Saturday the festival continues with an eclectic musical lineup, local food, hands-on art and history activities and more.
The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival is produced by Visit Alexandria in partnership with the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts, a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities.

Fri., June 17, 6 to 9 p.m.
Ease into the weekend with the 44th
Annual Alexandria Jazz Fest, presented by the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts featuring three distinct jazz groups, plus live poetry from local Alexandria poets between sets. This collaboration with the Portside Festival is a continuation of the Alexandria Jazz Fest, previously held on Memorial Day weekend.

Friday Performances
Schedule subject to change
6:00 – 6:15 p.m.            Opening Remarks
6:15 – 7:00 p.m.            Cubano Groove
7:15 – 8:00 p.m.            VERONNEAU
8:15 – 9:00 p.m.            Eric Byrd Trio
Interludes of poetry between sets by:

• KaNikki Jakarta, City of Alexandria Poet Laureate, 2019 to 2022
• Zeina Azzam, City of Alexandria Poet Laureate, 2022
• Special closing guest set by an up-and-coming Alexandria youth poet

Food & Drink
Enjoy local beer from Port City Brewing Company along with a selection of food and drinks from Alexandria-based small businesses Borinquen Lunch Box, Dolci Gelati and The Italian Place. Food and beverage sales will commence at 5:30 p.m.

Sat., June 18, 1 to 9 p.m.
Saturday the festival continues with an eclectic musical lineup, Port City beer, local food, hands-on art and history activities and more, organized by Visit Alexandria. Food and beverage sales will commence at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday Performances
Schedule subject to change
1:00 p.m.                       Opening Remarks
1:15 – 2:00 p.m.            Eli Lev, folk rock
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.           La Unica, Irish Latin rock
3:45 – 4:30 p.m.           ilyAIMY, folk rock
5:00 – 5:45 p.m.           Rob Curto’s Forró for All, Brazilian forró
6:15 – 7:15 p.m.             Ras Band, Ethiopian reggae, jazz and funk
7:45 – 9:00 p.m.           Pablo Antonio y La Firma, salsa, merengue and bachata
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 Saturday portion of the festival.
Saturday Activities, 1 to 5 p.m.
Enjoy activities from the following organizations on Saturday afternoon of the festival:

• The Art League
• Bill Jenkins’ World of Music
• City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts
• Intertribal Creatives
• Safe Space NOVA
• Office of Historic Alexandria
• Torpedo Factory Art Center
• UpCycle Creative Reuse Center
• And more

Food & Drink
Enjoy local beer from Port City Brewing Company along with a selection of food and drinks from Alexandria-based small businesses Borinquen Lunch Box, Dolci Gelati and The Italian Place. Vendors will begin sales 30 minutes prior to the start of musical performances each day.

LOCAL BEER FROM PORT CITY BREWING COMPANY
On both Friday and Saturday, enjoy Port City Brewing Company’s award-winning craft beer. On-site selections: Optimal Wit, Belgian Style White Ale, 4.9%; Beach Drive, Golden Ale, 4%; Downright Pilsner, Bohemian Style Pilsner, 4.8%; Monumental IPA, India Pale Ale, 6.7%