Art on the Avenue returns Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mount Vernon Avenue between Hume and Bellefonte avenues, according to the festival website. The free event is expected to feature more than 300 artists, along with live music, food and activities for children.
The Del Ray Business Association produces the festival, according to Alexandria Living Magazine. Organizers estimate attendance could reach 50,000, ALXnow reported. DC News Now describes the event as a draw for people browsing artists’ work and enjoying music, food and children’s activities.
More Than 300 Artists Line the Avenue
Shoppers will find jewelers, silversmiths, beaders, woodworkers, potters, soap makers, glass artists, painters, sculptors and fabric artists set up along the strip, per the same Alexandria Living Magazine account. Last year, jewelry and ceramics were the festival's biggest categories, as noted by Alexandria Living Magazine. DC News Now similarly describes the lineup as including jewelers, silversmiths, beaders, woodworkers and pottery makers.
The festival’s artist count has grown substantially over time. In its report following the 2025 30th annual event, ALXnow reported that the first festival had about 75 artists and that the event reached 300 in its third or fourth year.
Music, Food and a Pie Contest
Musicians performing throughout the day will span folk, rock 'n' roll, country, jazz, classical and choral groups, according to Alexandria Living Magazine's preview. ALXnow reports the 2026 event will also feature multiple music stages, a pie contest, a political soapbox area and a festival store. Last year's festival featured live music across four stages, per ALXnow's coverage of the 2025 event, when hundreds of juried artists sold their work.
Hungry visitors won't have to look far. A food court will serve up festival standbys including hot dogs, crab cakes, chocolate-dipped bananas and homemade cider, per a report from Alexandria Living Magazine, and avenue restaurants will stay open to welcome customers throughout the day, according to Art on the Avenue's own site. Readers of Virginia Living Magazine have repeatedly voted the festival a “Best Live Event,” the organization notes.
Kids' Corner and Getting There
Families can expect the festival's longtime favorites, including stuffing a scarecrow and painting a pumpkin, alongside free projects at the Kids' Art Corner, which Art on the Avenue's website lists as open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. DC News Now adds that children's activities this year also include designing lotus flowers.
Getting to the avenue takes some planning. Mount Vernon Avenue and the blocks immediately adjacent will be closed to traffic from Hume to Bellefonte avenues, according to Art on the Avenue's getting-here guide, and parking is extremely limited, available only on side streets. Free trolley transportation will run from both the Potomac Yard and Braddock Road Metro stations, the same page notes, giving visitors a car-free route into the heart of Del Ray's biggest day of the year.
Del Ray’s Early Transit Connection
The City of Alexandria’s historic-preservation page says Del Ray and St. Elmo were platted in 1894 and joined in 1908 to form the incorporated town of Potomac. Residents commuted by train or trolley to jobs in Alexandria and Washington, D.C.
