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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — City of Alexandria government offices will be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day, with some facilities also closed Saturday, July 4 — and the holiday weekend is set to arrive under dangerous heat. And while the Fourth brings the usual closures, the city is saving its own celebration for the following weekend: a free evening of music and fireworks on July 11, marking Alexandria's 277th birthday and the nation's 250th.
Here's what to know for the holiday weekend and the celebration to come.
Beating the heat
The National Weather Service has placed the region under back-to-back extreme heat warnings for Thursday and Friday, with the heat index expected to reach 111 on Thursday and 112 on Friday. An extreme heat watch covers the weekend, with heat index values of 105 to 110 lingering into the Fourth of July.
The city has opened several cooling locations in response. Carpenter's Shelter, at 2355 A Mill Road, will be open from 1 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at 7 a.m. Monday, July 6. A DASH cooling bus will be parked at 417 King St. through the afternoon of Sunday, July 5. And the Charles Houston Recreation Center, at 901 Wythe St., and Patrick Henry Recreation Center, at 4653 Taney Ave., will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 3 and July 4 for residents seeking relief.
City museums also offer air-conditioned refuge and are open during regular hours over the weekend, with free admission for Alexandria residents. The weather service urges residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun, check on relatives and neighbors, and never leave children or pets in parked cars.
What's closed July 3–4
City government offices and Alexandria City Public Schools are closed on July 3. All Alexandria libraries are closed on both July 3 and July 4. City courts, the DMV and the Alexandria Health Department's clinics — including the Flora Krause Casey Health Center and the Teen Wellness Center — are closed July 3; more than 50 DMV services remain available at dmv.virginia.gov.
The Torpedo Factory Art Center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 3 and closed on July 4. Among Historic Alexandria's museums, most are open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 3 and keep regular Saturday hours on July 4, though the Alexandria Archaeology Museum is closed on July 4 and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum stays open until 7 p.m. that day.
What's open
DASH buses run a Saturday-Sunday schedule on July 3, though lines 102, 103, and 104 will not operate. The free King Street Trolley keeps its normal schedule, every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., including the holiday.
Memorial, Old Town and Warwick pools are open 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. both July 3 and 4, and the Minnie Howard Aquatics Facility adds hours July 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trash, recycling, yard waste and curbside food waste collection run without delay. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is open for adoptions from noon to 7 p.m. July 3 and closed July 4; for an animal emergency, call 703-746-4444.
On parking, police will suspend enforcement of metered and residential permit restrictions on July 3, though temporary no-parking signs still apply and parking remains barred where it is normally prohibited.
A reminder from the Alexandria Fire Department: personal fireworks are illegal within the city.
The big celebration is on July 11
Unlike many communities that hold festivities on the Fourth, Alexandria has set its signature event for the following Saturday. The Alexandria & USA Birthday Celebration runs 6 to 9:45 p.m. July 11 at Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., marking the city's 277th birthday alongside the nation's 250th.
Admission is free. Live music starts at 6 p.m., and a grand-finale fireworks display over the Potomac River is set for 9:30 p.m., with cupcakes and local vendors on hand. The city has set a rain date of Sunday, July 12.
Founded in 1749, Alexandria predates the country it will toast — a distinction the celebration leans into during the year of the nation's semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
