The Holiday Season

Holidays in Old Town Alexandria

Old Town's holiday season runs on a few long-running traditions: the City's tree lighting in November, two parades on the same December Saturday, and First Night on New Year's Eve. The dates below come from the City's event listing, the pages of Visit Alexandria (the City's tourism office) and First Night Alexandria's own site, checked on October 1, 2026. Where a time or a place has not been announced yet, we say so and link the page that will announce it.

The 2026 dates at a glance

DateEventTime and place
Sat, Nov 21Holiday Tree Lighting6 to 8 p.m.; the City lists the location as to be announced
Fri–Sun, Dec 4–6Alexandria's Biggest Holiday WeekendAcross Old Town, with both parades on the Saturday
Sat, Dec 555th Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk ParadeThrough Old Town; start time and route not announced yet
Sat, Dec 526th Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of LightsOn the Potomac along the Old Town waterfront; time not announced yet
Sat, Dec 12Old Town Alexandria Christmas Market & Holiday Craft Show11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St.
Thu, Dec 31First Night AlexandriaThe 2026 schedule and tickets are not posted yet

Checked on October 1, 2026 against the City's event listing, Visit Alexandria's pages for the Scottish Christmas Walk, the Boat Parade of Lights and the holiday weekend, the Christmas market's listing on Visit Alexandria and First Night Alexandria's site. Plans change, so check each page before you set out. To put the season's dates in your phone or computer's calendar, add our holiday calendar.

Holiday Tree Lighting: Saturday, November 21

The City of Alexandria's annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is on Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to the City's event listing: Santa arrives aboard the King Street Trolley, the tree is lit, and there is holiday music. Admission is free. The listing gives the location as to be announced. The 2025 ceremony was held in Market Square, in front of City Hall, and the City said it would be the last one there before the renovation, so check the listing for this year's spot.

Parade day: Saturday, December 5

Both of Old Town's December parades fall on Saturday, December 5, 2026, the middle of what Visit Alexandria calls Alexandria's Biggest Holiday Weekend, December 4 to 6.

The 55th Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk Parade brings dozens of Scottish clans in tartan through the streets of Old Town, with pipe and drum bands, terriers and hounds, and community groups, according to Visit Alexandria's parade page. The parade began more than 50 years ago to mark the city's Scottish heritage and to support the Campagna Center, then known as the Community Y. In 2026 the City of Alexandria took over as its lead producer. The start time and route had not been posted on October 1, 2026; the page says more information will be posted when available.

The 26th Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights sends dozens of lit boats along a mile of the Potomac shoreline, with dockside festivities in Waterfront Park, according to its page on Visit Alexandria. Its time had not been posted on October 1, 2026 either. To reach this year's parade organizers, Visit Alexandria gives the City's special events address, specialevents@alexandriava.gov.

Holiday markets

Visit Alexandria lists the season's open-air winter markets around the city on its Holiday Markets in Alexandria page. On October 1, 2026 that page still showed last year's markets, so look again from November. One market has posted its 2026 date: the Old Town Alexandria Christmas Market & Holiday Craft Show, on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St., according to its listing on Visit Alexandria. Our events calendar adds other markets as its weekly scan of local listings finds them.

First Night Alexandria: Thursday, December 31

First Night Alexandria is a New Year's Eve festival of music, art and performances across Old Town and the Carlyle neighborhood, and it has run for more than 30 years. Its 2026 schedule and tickets were not posted on October 1, 2026: the organizer's site still describes last year's festival, which opened with activities at the George Washington Masonic Memorial from noon to 4 p.m., moved into indoor venues across Carlyle and Old Town in the evening, set off fireworks over the waterfront at 7:30 p.m. and again at midnight, and sold tickets for $10. Check that site for this year's details.

Planning parade day

  • Come by Metro if you can. The Blue and Yellow lines stop at King St–Old Town, and the free King Street Trolley runs from there to City Hall and Market Square every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., every day of the year. On parade day its route can be shorter: the travel notes on Visit Alexandria's boat parade page, written for the 2025 parade, say it ran from the Metro only as far as the Lyceum, at 201 S. Washington St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on its usual route after that. Check that page for this year's plan.
  • Expect the waterfront garages to fill. Visit Alexandria's boat parade page warns that the garages closest to the waterfront fill up in advance, and that road closures, reserved parking and no-parking zones go into effect for the parades. Our parking guide covers garages and street parking.
  • The Farmers' Market still opens. The Old Town Farmers' Market runs every Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, on the 100 block of N. Royal Street and in the Tavern Square courtyard while Market Square is renovated.

Through the rest of the season

The City gathers its own holiday information, from events to safety tips, on its Celebrating the Holidays in Alexandria page, and the Alexandria Visitor Center is at 221 King Street. Our events calendar lists both parades, and its weekly scan of local listings adds holiday events as it finds them. Add the holiday calendar to your phone or computer for the season's dates alone (or the whole calendar), and the Friday Guide sends what is on each weekend.

Still to be announced

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Alexandria tree lighting in 2026?

Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. On October 1, 2026 the City listed the location as to be announced: the 2025 ceremony was in Market Square, which is closed for the City Hall renovation, so check the City's listing before you go.

When are the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade and the Boat Parade of Lights in 2026?

Both are on Saturday, December 5, 2026: the 55th Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk Parade through the streets of Old Town and the 26th Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights on the Potomac. Their times had not been posted on October 1, 2026; Visit Alexandria's parade pages say more will be posted when available.

Where are the holiday markets in 2026?

The Old Town Alexandria Christmas Market & Holiday Craft Show is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St., according to its listing on Visit Alexandria. Visit Alexandria lists the season's other markets on its holiday markets page, which on October 1, 2026 still showed last year's.

Is First Night Alexandria on New Year's Eve 2026?

First Night Alexandria has run on New Year's Eve for more than 30 years, but its 2026 schedule and tickets were not posted on October 1, 2026. Last year's festival ran from noon at the George Washington Masonic Memorial to fireworks at midnight, with $10 tickets. Check firstnightalexandria.org.

Where should I park for the December parades?

Visit Alexandria warns that the garages closest to the waterfront fill up before the boat parade and that roads close for the parades, so the Metro and the free King Street Trolley are the easier way in, though on the 2025 parade day the trolley went only as far as the Lyceum until 3 p.m. If you drive, our parking guide covers garages and street parking.

See what else is on

The events calendar adds holiday events as they are announced, and the Friday Guide sends them each week.

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