Last November the Town Crier gathered the crowd in Market Square. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived on the King Street Trolley, and the tree went up in front of City Hall sometime between 6:40 and 6:55 p.m. That City release called it the last tree lighting at the current Market Square, since renovations were set to start in January 2026.
This year Market Square sits behind construction fencing, and the 2026 Holiday Tree Lighting is at Waterfront Park, 1 Prince St., on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. The City's listing calls it the "New 2026 location." It's free, with music and a visit from Santa. Old Town's holiday season now centers on the river, and the blocks around City Hall, which used to be the middle of it, are now the quietest part of it.
Why the square is out of the picture through next December
The City Hall and Market Square project involves much more than a facelift. It removes the 1960s infill section of City Hall, the existing plaza and the two-level underground garage beneath it. Then the historic 1871 building gets renovated, and the infill and garage get rebuilt.
Grunley Construction mobilized on site in late February. Crews found asbestos in places nobody expected, including the 1960s south facade and the east and west interior courtyards, and that added 10 weeks to the schedule. The City's latest construction update puts completion in fall 2028. Demolition of the 1960s infill was set to begin in September. Meanwhile, crews were installing a temporary pile system around the perimeter of the garage to get ready for taking the garage out, work the City expected to continue through early fall 2026.
With a fall 2028 finish date, the square won't be back for the holidays next year either. This year's waterfront setup will probably carry into next year as well.
December 5 is one long day, and the City runs both halves
The other big change is who's in charge. For more than 50 years, the Campagna Center produced the Scottish Walk parade with partners like St. Andrew's Society of Washington, DC, and Old Presbyterian Meeting House. In 2026 the City of Alexandria became lead parade producer for both the Scottish Walk and the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights, with support from the Campagna Center and Visit Alexandria. Both fall on the same Saturday, so the order of the day matters more than usual:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Campagna's ticketed Taste of Scotland fundraiser is at Above ALX Community Penthouse + Atrium Gallery, 277 S. Washington St. Proceeds go to Campagna Center programs.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 10:30 a.m. to midday. The Alexandria Scottish Walk Holiday Parade, sponsored by Wegmans, runs on King, Royal and Fairfax Streets.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 8 p.m. Dockside festivities run along the Old Town waterfront.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. The Holiday Boat Parade of Lights begins. Visit Alexandria describes dozens of lit-up boats on a one-mile route along the Potomac shoreline, plus a Port City Brewing pop-up beer garden on the docks.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. The District's Holiday Boat Parade at The Wharf follows Alexandria's the same evening, and the City encourages boaters to enter both.
The two Saturdays line up. Two weeks before the parades, the tree lighting fills Waterfront Park at dusk. On Dec. 5 the same park becomes the City's listed location for the boat parade. The Scottish Walk first took a Scottish theme in 1970 and joined the St. Andrew's Society celebration in 1971 to honor John Alexander, the Scottish merchant the city is named for.
If you're planning around the parade, the City's Holiday Parades page is the one to check as Dec. 5 gets closer. That's where the City posts viewing information and the final schedule.
Parking runs through Tavern Square now
The underground Market Square garage was the easiest place to park for anything at City Hall, and it's gone for the duration of the project. The City's Old Town parking page points drivers to two nearby garages:
- Tavern Square Garage, 418 Cameron St.
- Courthouse Square Garage, 111 S. Pitt St.
The City offers farmers market visitors free parking at both on Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The market has moved too. The Old Town Farmers Market now runs on the 100 block of North Royal Street and in the Tavern Square courtyard, across from Market Square, every Saturday year-round from 7 a.m. to noon.
On Dec. 5, the market and the Scottish Walk will both be in the blocks around City Hall on the same morning. The City's visitor page lists more garages at South Union Street and Thompson's Alley, and both are closer to the water for the evening boat parade. The City's holiday guidance says parking is limited in Old Town during the renovation and suggests DASH, the King Street Trolley, Metrorail, walking or biking.
The block that needs the holiday traffic
As the season's events moved toward the water, the streets right around 301 King Street lost foot traffic. In September, ALXnow reported that parking had been halted on the streets next to the site and sidewalks were closed, and that businesses within a block were feeling it. Today's Cargo, the gift shop at 117 N. Fairfax St., was among them. Next door at Carlyle House Historic Park, NOVA Parks Executive Director Justin Wilson told ALXnow, "We have definitely seen impacts due to the moving of the farmer's market, the loss of street parking, the loss of the parking garage and just general challenges with foot traffic."
The City set up an interdepartmental task force that meets monthly. According to ALXnow, its recommendations include partnerships with nearby garages, parking validation and discount programs, a video series on businesses next to City Hall, advance notice of City events, and waiving a wayfinding participation fee. Tour buses now park at Tavern Square, a block from their usual spot on King Street. The City plans to review the approach in January.
The shopping calendar runs straight through that block. Plaid Friday, Alexandria's local-shopping answer to Black Friday, is Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the city. Small Business Saturday follows on Nov. 28, and each shop sets its own hours. If you park at Tavern Square or Courthouse Square for the market that Saturday, the shops on North Fairfax and around City Hall are a short walk away.
Beyond Old Town
The rest of the city's calendar runs on its own schedule. In Del Ray, the Holiday Season Kick-Off is Sunday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. It includes the Christmas tree and Menorah lighting and a walk past hand-painted shop windows and luminarias along Mount Vernon Avenue. On the same avenue, Del Ray Artisans hold their 30th annual Fine Art & Fine Craft Holiday Market at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. It runs Dec. 5 to 7, 12 to 14 and 19 to 21, Fridays 6 to 9 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free.
In Carlyle, the Old Town Christmas Market & Holiday Craft Show takes over John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St., on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has local artisan vendors, carolers, food, ornament-making for kids and photos with Santa.
So the season takes four Saturdays. Nov. 21 is the waterfront tree lighting, Nov. 28 is shopping, Dec. 5 has both parades and Dec. 12 is the Carlyle market. Two of them bring people to the blocks around City Hall. Small Business Saturday and the market share the morning of Nov. 28, and on Dec. 5 the Scottish Walk comes down King, Royal and Fairfax Streets before everyone heads to the water for the boat parade.
If the City Hall project has you wondering how a few years of construction might affect your own block or your plans to sell in Old Town, the team at ONE Residential follows these neighborhood changes closely and is happy to talk them through. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll walk you through what the timeline means for your street.
