Events/Things To Do

White House Gardens Tour will take place Saturday, May 11th and Sunday, May 12th.

The tours are open and free to the public with daily timed tickets.

How to tour the gardens: The National Park Service will distribute free, timed tickets each day (May 11th – 12th) beginning at 8:30 AM ET, while supplies last. Tickets will be distributed outside the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Space is very limited for this highly anticipated event, so please plan accordingly.

You must have a ticket in order to join the tour. White House Spring Gardens Tour Saturday, May 11th and Sunday, May 12th 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET

About the White House Rose Garden: First imagined in 1902, the White House Rose Garden is one of the most recognizable landscapes in the world. Throughout history, the garden has served as a prominent place for celebrating and marking important American milestones. The White House Gardens Tour is highly anticipated by visitors and Washingtonians alike.

Nationals Park will be hosting Tacos & Tequila on Saturday, May 18th, from 4-7 p.m.!

Attendees will be able to enjoy a diverse array of flavors, as the event features renowned brands such as Casamigos, Casa Azul, Cincoro Tequila, Mijenta Tequila, Ana Maria, Tequila Rosa, Banhez Mezcal Artesanal, and many more. They will be able to enjoy tequila or cocktail tastings, delight in delectable taco samples from Pink Taco, Mission, El Teco, Surfside Tacos, and El Bebe, and witness fierce competition as vendors compete for the title of Ultimate Taco and Tequila Champion.

More information is available at nats.com/TacosAndTequila

The Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, known as one of the most prestigious and premiere car events on the East Coast, returns to Alexandria on Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Presenting sponsor Burke & Herbert Bank, returns for the fifth year in a row to support the signature event that stretches across lower King Street and the surrounding side streets near Old Town’s waterfront, to showcase rare and exotic cars.

The Festival has garnered tens of thousands of spectators to the lower King Street area, doubling foot traffic to local businesses, generating widespread media coverage, and raising money for Alexandria-based nonprofits. The event is a high-sensory spectacle for participants, spectators and car enthusiasts, allowing them to experience the “Speed & Style” variety of exotic supercars and vintage motorcycles rarely seen sitting still for up-close viewing.

Center-stage at noon, a unique Fashion Demonstration will be hosted by Maria Elizabeth of Alexandria-based Salon DeZEN. Maria will discuss the elegance and importance of natural fashion and its profound impact when paired with beautiful automobiles. An award presentation highlighting cars judged to be the finest in 11 categories, will immediately follow the Fashion Demonstration.

“We’re thrilled to be the title sponsor of the Old Town Festival of Speed & Style for the fifth straight year,” said David P. Boyle, chair, Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp. “As Alexandria’s hometown bank, being a part of bringing a festival of this magnitude to the heart of our city and right outside the doors of our historic Headquarters means a lot to us. We couldn’t be happier that Alive! and Community Lodgings – two valued local organizations – will benefit from the proceeds.”

New for this year, the event will include pre-war exotic cars, a myriad of different sponsors showcasing their goods under canopies strategically dispersed throughout the Festival area, and live rock and jazz music provided by two well-known local bands. 

EVENT DETAILS

What: 5th Annual Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, Presented by Burke & Herbert Bank

When: Sunday, May 19, 2024

Where: Lower Blocks of King Street around Market Square area (200-500 blocks of King Street, and the 100 blocks of North and South Fairfax St.; North and South Royal St.; and North and South Pitt St.)

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Website: https://www.festivalspeedstylealex.com/

Cost: Free – open to all!

Weather Plan: Rain or shine

The 40th Helen Hayes Awards will take place on Monday, May 20, 2024 at The Anthem, on the District Wharf, with a celebratory party to follow. Esteemed Washington theatre artists Felicia Curry, Rayanne Gonzales, Maria Rizzo, and Tom Story will host an evening showcasing the vibrant and diverse community of professional theatre artists in the Washington region. They will be joined by an ensemble of DC-based performers, including Quadry Brown, Carolyn Burke, Victoria Gomez, Sarah Anne Sillers, and Wood Van Meter.

Tickets for the event are $75  for general admission seats and $350 for a seated dinner. Information on all tickets and sponsorships is available here.

“The contributions of DC-area theatre makers extend far beyond the stage. The Helen Hayes Awards recognize the impact theatre has on our region, country, and globe. Shared experience, understanding, empathy, and insight are some of the ways that theatre changes us and makes us better citizens,” said Amy Austin, Theatre Washington President and CEO. “This is a night to celebrate the expansive creative local industry professionals who create and produce plays and musicals on stages seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

The event will recognize work from 151 eligible productions presented in the 2023 calendar year, with nominations made in 41 categories. Productions under consideration in 2023 included 44 musicals, 107 plays, and 36 world premieres.

The 2024 Helen Hayes Tribute will honor Peter Marks, former Theater Critic at the Washington Post. Marks stepped down in late 2023 after serving in this role for 21 years. This award recognizes Marks’ decades of knowledgeable and thoughtful writing about the DC-area, national, and international theatre landscape. He offered nuanced theatre criticism and reporting and  he contributed immensely to the recognition of the artistic vibrancy of our region.

Named for actor Helen Hayes – a Washington native and legendary First Lady of the American Theatre – the Helen Hayes Awards has honored excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington region, now celebrating forty years. Nominations are grouped in “Helen” or “Hayes” cohorts, depending on the number of Equity members involved in the production.

Michelin-honored Cantonese restaurant Tiger Fork and its sister bar Hi-Lawn are coming together to host the “Spring Night Market” — a traditional Chinese festival celebration from May 29-30. They will transform the 1000-person rooftop atop Union Market into a lively two-day Hong Kong night market, decked out with illuminated lanterns, food stalls from guest chefs, pop-up shops from local artisans, cultural performances, late-night DJs, baijiu and sake bars and more. They will be accepting donations on-site for Chefs Against AAPI Hate.

This is Tiger Fork & Hi-Lawn’s second collaborative night market, the first hosted during last September’s mooncake festival, which drew more than 4,000 attendees. May is AAPI Heritage Month, and Tiger Fork & Hi-Lawn are bringing more than a dozen acclaimed local restaurants and vendors to one of DC’s largest rooftops.

Tiger Fork’s executive chef Simon Lam will cook savory street food-inspired fare and unique sweets alongside guest chefs/restaurants such as Love, Makoto; Chang Chang; Padaek; Hiraya; Lucky Danger; Magpie & The Tiger; Dan Dan Boy; Hollywood East; Toimoi; Yume Asian Fusion; CHIBOO Bakery; Shared Tea; and Party of Popcorn (with more to be announced soon) at food stands throughout the open-air rooftop.

Guests can peruse specialty gifts and wares from pop-up market stalls throughout the celebration.

Festival drinkers will enjoy a special Baijiu + Sake Bar, pouring China’s national spirit, plus an assortment of sake, and other liquor, themed cocktails, beer and wine.

There will also be cultural performances such as lion and dragon dancing from Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School will take place live on the lawn.

And DJs will keep the spirited energy going all night long, spinning tunes from 9pm to midnight.

The two-night festival supports a fantastic cause, helping to raise funds to benefit Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate.

Tiger Fork’s Spring Night Market is free to attend and open to the public, but RSVPs are required on Eventbrite. Donations to Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate are encouraged and accepted throughout the event. All food, beverage and artisan crafts will be sold a la carte, first-come, first-served.

Michelin-honored Cantonese restaurant Tiger Fork and its sister bar Hi-Lawn are coming together to host the “Spring Night Market” — a traditional Chinese festival celebration from May 29-30. They will transform the 1000-person rooftop atop Union Market into a lively two-day Hong Kong night market, decked out with illuminated lanterns, food stalls from guest chefs, pop-up shops from local artisans, cultural performances, late-night DJs, baijiu and sake bars and more. They will be accepting donations on-site for Chefs Against AAPI Hate.

This is Tiger Fork & Hi-Lawn’s second collaborative night market, the first hosted during last September’s mooncake festival, which drew more than 4,000 attendees. May is AAPI Heritage Month, and Tiger Fork & Hi-Lawn are bringing more than a dozen acclaimed local restaurants and vendors to one of DC’s largest rooftops.

Tiger Fork’s executive chef Simon Lam will cook savory street food-inspired fare and unique sweets alongside guest chefs/restaurants such as Love, Makoto; Chang Chang; Padaek; Hiraya; Lucky Danger; Magpie & The Tiger; Dan Dan Boy; Hollywood East; Toimoi; Yume Asian Fusion; CHIBOO Bakery; Shared Tea; and Party of Popcorn (with more to be announced soon) at food stands throughout the open-air rooftop.

Guests can peruse specialty gifts and wares from pop-up market stalls throughout the celebration.

Festival drinkers will enjoy a special Baijiu + Sake Bar, pouring China’s national spirit, plus an assortment of sake, and other liquor, themed cocktails, beer and wine.

There will also be cultural performances such as lion and dragon dancing from Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School will take place live on the lawn.

And DJs will keep the spirited energy going all night long, spinning tunes from 9pm to midnight.

The two-night festival supports a fantastic cause, helping to raise funds to benefit Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate.

Tiger Fork’s Spring Night Market is free to attend and open to the public, but RSVPs are required on Eventbrite. Donations to Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate are encouraged and accepted throughout the event. All food, beverage and artisan crafts will be sold a la carte, first-come, first-served.