Arlington Events & Happenings

October 21st - 27th

Author

Juliana Lewis
October 20, 2024

Events & Happenings October 21st - 27th

Hello and Happy Sunday! I am currently out of town at Taylor Swift, so I haven’t been “Out & About in Arlington”. This week there are several exciting activities including the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 27th.

In other news, Arlington is working on “Arlington’s Transportation Future” to replace the 2007 Master Transportation Plan. They are currently collecting feedback on transportaiton in the county until November 15th. Click here to complete the questionnaire.

Let’s have a great week!

Juliana

Monday, October 21st

  • 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Courthouse Library Cherry Conference Room

  • Join local paranormal researcher and author Alex Matsuo as they delve into the spooky history and haunted hotspots of Arlington and Northern Virginia. Matsuo, who has investigated numerous reported paranormal phenomena in the region, will provide an overview of some of the most fascinating haunted locations in the area. From historic homes to cemeteries and battlegrounds, attendees will learn about the ghostly legends and unexplained occurrences that have captivated the community. This insightful presentation offers a unique look into the supernatural side of Northern Virginia's past.

  • Registration recommended. First-come, first-served seating.

Tuesday, October 22nd

  • 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Metropolitan Park

  • Get ready for a spooktacular day of fun at Metropolitan Park! This pawsome event will be filled with art making, a dog costume contest, dog trick or treating, and the pop up cafe, Rossana.

  • Costume contest hosted by PuppyLuv. Dress up your furry friend in their most creative costume and watch them strut their stuff on the red carpet.

  • 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm at Glencarlyn Library

  • Bobbi Farley, a Park Naturalist with the Arlington Clunty Department of Parks and Recreation, will present an overview of Long Branch Nature Center’s services and programs. She will discuss the challenges facing local wildlife in an urban environment and offer tips for how we can help to protect wildlife.

  • Registration recommended. First-come, first served.

Wednesday, October 23rd

  • 8:00 am - 9:00 am at Metropolitan Park

  • Join DC Fray + National Landing on Wednesdays from 8-9 a.m. for free, instructor-led classes that are sure to help you break a sweat. No experience required! Simply select the class you’re interested in from our lineup. Enjoy 10% off your morning pick me up at Commonwealth Joe Coffee after classes for class attendees.

Thurday, October 24th

Jazz @ Met (National Landing)

  • 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm at Metropolitan Park

  • Enjoy jazz at Metropolitan Park with a free, weekly concert presented by the DC Jazz Festival and National Landing BID from September 12 - October 24, 2024. 

    Ease into the evening with musical performances at one of National Landing’s newest park spaces. Bring a picnic or grab some bites to go from area restaurants. Select your spot on the green or bring your own chair. Partake in a free, arts activity led by Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington while you take in some tunes as part of their MoCA on the Move program at Met Park.

  • 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at Shirlington Library Campbell Room

  • Three 17th-century witches, hanged for their murderous crimes, are resurrected on Halloween in modern-day Salem by an unsuspecting boy, who must now figure out how to get them back in the ground. Snacks will be provided.

  • 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at Central Library Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium

  • Join us for a conversation with authors and illustrators Damian Duffy and John Jennings to talk about their graphic novel adaptations of Octavia Butler's "Kindred" and "Parable of the Sower." 

  • Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She used her experience as a Black woman in America to redefine the science fiction genre and create the earliest literary examples of Afrofuturism. Butler’s Afrofuturist lens was both a form of artistic expression and social activism. She created alternate worlds where Black people are the heroes and heroines—where their experiences are front and center. In doing so, she invited us to imagine a better future and then work towards creating it. Damian Duffy and John Jennings' adaptation of Octavia Butler's bestselling classic, "Kindred," quickly became a bestseller in its own right. The graphic novel won both the Bram Stoker and Eisner Awards. John Jennings is a professor, author, graphic novelist, curator, Harvard Fellow, New York Times Bestseller, 2018 Eisner Winner, and all-around champion of Black culture. Damian Duffy is a cartoonist, scholar, writer, curator, lecturer, teacher, and a Glyph Comics, Eisner Comics, Bram Stoker, and Hugo Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist.

  • Doors will open at 5:45 p.m. Please plan to arrive by 6:00 p.m. to see a performance by the DC Bushwick Book Club, presenting a new program of works inspired by Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower."  There will be music by Antoñio Villaronga and Boy Meets Pearl, spoken word by Gene Downing and a short film by Kerri Sheehan. The author conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

  • Registration recommended. Admission is on first-come, first-served basis until event capacity is reached. The event will also be livestreamed and available as a recording.

Friday, October 25th

Wine & Dark Chocolate Tasting (East Falls Church)

  • 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm at One More Page Books

  • We're excited to host an After Hours Wine & Chocolate Tasting featuring Taza Chocolate. Our wine buyer (and bookseller), Rosie, is selecting several great wines and will be on hand to discuss them as you browse. Taza dark chocolates are also vegan! This is a can't-miss night!

  • Tickets are $10 each

Saturday, October 26th

Strong Start Saturdays (National Landing)

  • 8:00am - 9:00 am and 9:00 am - 10:00am at Water Park

  • Join us Saturdays by the grass stage area in Water Park National Landing for some free fitness fun to start your weekend off right! We are offering two free 45 minute classes with a professional personal trainer - at 8am and 9am. Participants are encouraged to bring water and a yoga mat. All other workout equipment will be provided if necessary!

  • 12:00 pm at Arlington Drafthouse (doors open at 11:30am)

  • Your Favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon, Booze & Free Cereal Brunch is back with a Special Menu of Halloween Themed Episodes! SecretFormula has the ultimate brunch for the kid in you…Spoons Toons & Booze! Hosted by SecretFormula's pop culture and cereal experts Michael Austin and Nell Casey, with comedic commentary in-between episodes. Lock your doors and turn off the lights because October we’re turning into Spoons, Toons & Boo! with a special menu of Halloween themed episodes of all your favorite Saturday morning (and weekday afternoon) cartoon series featuring witches, monsters, ghosts, trick or treating, werewolves and vampires, haunted houses, candy and more spooky fun.

  • Tickets are $15.00 each.

Routes of Resilience Walk (Pentagon City/National Landing)

  • 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel (900 South Orne Street)

  • Join The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, The Arlington Historical Society, and WalkArlington as we learn about the lives of free and enslaved Black people in 19th-century Arlington.

  • In this afternoon walk near Columbia Pike, Craig Syphax, board member and former president of The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, and Jessica Kaplan, board member of the Arlington Historical Society, will share the stories of free and enslaved Black people who were part of this neighborhood in the 19th century. As we pass by places where they once lived and worked, we’ll learn about their lives, their struggles, and their great resilience, courage, and strength in the face of adversity.

  • In November, several sites on the Routes of Resilience walk will be dedicated with bronze markers emblazoned with the names of the people we will learn about. The markers will be placed as part of the Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington project, an effort to commemorate the lives of the County’s enslaved population. The first markers in this project were dedicated at the oldest house in Arlington, the Ball-Sellers House, in fall 2023.

  • 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm at

  • (4001 Campbell Avenue)

  • Welcome to the grooviest Halloween party in town - the 1960s Halloween Party at 1969! Join us at Astro Beer Hall for a night of psychedelic fun and retro vibes. Put on your bell bottoms, tie-dye shirts, and peace signs for a blast from the past. Dance to classic tunes, enjoy themed drinks, and enter our costume contest for a chance to win a 200 gift card. Enjoy $5 Apollo Smashburgers and Asteroid Chicken Sandwiches all night!

Sunday, October 27th

  • 8:00 am at Surreal

  • Surreal Park will be opened for a spectator spot for the annual Marine Corp Marathon. We will be featuring our famous coffee & croissants in the morning, an Aperol mini bar set up with specialty cocktails for spectators, and more!

  • 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Courthaus Social

  • Join us Sunday October 27th on the Courthouse Plaza as we bring our community together to raise funds for Tunnel to Towers and refuel after the Marine Corps Marathon! Enjoy live music, amazing specials and come chat with several local, small fitness centric businesses including Yoga Six Clarendon, Arctic Health and Wellness & Stretch Lab. This event is free to attend. To participate in the Tunnel to Towers Cornhole Tournament contestants must purchase a $50 per team. Winner recieves $200 cash and remaining all proceeds are donated. This is a FREE event with option to purchase Cornhole Team Entry tickets

Fit @ Potomac Yard: Zumba (National Landing)

  • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm at Center Park

  • Join DC Fray and National Landing on Sundays at Center Park from 2 to 3 p.m. starting September 8 for free, instructor-led classes that are sure to help you break a sweat. No experience required! Simply select the class you’re interested in from our lineup. Register here.

  • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm at Westover Library Longfellow Room

  • Join local author Diana Parsell as she describes Scidmore’s pathbreaking 19th-century travels, culminating in her legacy as the visionary behind D.C.’s much-beloved cherry trees. At a time when few Americans ventured far beyond their own backyards, Washington-based reporter Eliza Scidmore hit the road writing about little-known places for readers back home. Signed copies of Ms. Parsell's 2023 biography of Scidmore, "Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington's Cherry Trees," will be available for purchase. Registration required. For Adults.