Juneteenth 2022: What's Open, Closed, Events Planned Around Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Juneteenth, a state and federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., will result in some schedule changes around Alexandria.

Juneteenth refers to the date on 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas heard about the Emancipation Proclamation. That was the last place in the U.S. to learn slaves had been freed, marking the end of slavery. Today, the holiday commemorates the freedom of African Americans with various celebrations, according to Juneteenth.com.

Juneteenth will coincide with the grand opening of the Freedom House Museum in Alexandria. Freedom House, a historic landmark, was once a slave jail for slave trading companies, and today tells the stories of free and enslaved Black people. The grand opening will be held at 6 p.m. June 20 at Shiloh Baptist Worship Center, 1401 Jamieson Avenue. Virginia State Del. Delores McQuinn (70th District - Richmond) will provide the keynote address, and there will be remarks by Mayor Justin Wilson, Alexandria Black History Museum Director Audrey Davis, Former Alexandria City Manager Mark Jinks, Northern Virginia Urban League Board Chair Letty Maxwell, and City Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam.

Other Juneteenth events around Alexandria include "Tell Me Your Name" Tour at Carlyle House on June 16, Juneteenth Jubilee with Culture Queen, Storytime with the Black History Museum and Gum Springs Community Day/Juneteenth on June 18 and Juneteenth Celebration with Vocalist Tomika Arnold on June 19.

While Juneteenth falls on Sunday, June 19, the observed holiday for closures will be Monday, June 20. Below are the closures to know around Alexandria for the holiday.

City of Alexandria government offices: Closed on Monday, June 20

Alexandria City Public Schools: Students are on summer break, but all schools and offices are closed on June 20.

Courts: The Alexandria Circuit Court Clerk's Office, Alexandria Circuit Court, Alexandria General District Court, Alexandria Juvenile Court, Domestic Relations District Court and the Court Service Unit (520 King St.) will be closed June 20.

DASH Bus: DASH bus service will operate on a regular schedule June 20. The free King Street Trolley will operate from King Street Metro to Alexandria City Hall every 15 minutes, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Alexandria Transit Company administrative offices will be closed. For more information, visit dashbus.com.

Department of Motor Vehicles: All DMV customer service centers in Northern Virginia (including 2681 Mill Road in Alexandria) will be closed June 20.

Health department: Alexandria Health Department (4480 King Street), the Flora Krause Casey Health Center (1200 N. Howard Street) and the Teen Wellness Center (3330 King Street) will be closed Monday, June 20.

Historic Alexandria museums: On June 20, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 N. Royal St.), the Stabler–Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (105–107 S. Fairfax St.) will be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Freedom House Museum (1315 Duke St.) will be open from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. All other City of Alexandria museums will be closed. For more information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Historic.

Hotlines: All emergency hotlines operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including the local child protective services hotline at 703-746-5800 or the state hotline at 1-800-552-7096; the domestic violence hotline at 703-746-4911; the emergency services for mental health or substance abuse crisis hotline at 703-746-3401; the local adult protective services hotline at 1-888-832-3858 or the Adult Protective Services State Hotline at 1-888-832-3858; the suicide prevention hotline at 703-527-4077; and the sexual assault hotline at 703-683-7273.

Impound facility: The city’s impound facility (5249 Eisenhower Avenue) will be closed June 20. The impound facility is closed every Saturday and Sunday, as well as on all observed city holidays. Fees will continue to accrue on Saturdays and Sundays, but not on holidays.

Libraries: On Sunday, June 19, all Alexandria Library branches will be open on their regular schedules. On Monday, June 20, all Alexandria Library branches and the Alexandria Law Library (520 King Street) will be closed, including talking books, telephone and curbside services. Visit alexlibraryva.org/locations#holidays for more information.

Metro: Metro will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight on June 19, and be open 5 a.m. to midnight on a Saturday holiday schedule on June 20. Metro has closed five Orange Line stations between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton through Labor Day. Additional closures are planned during the summer on the Blue Line between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road. Check back for upcoming weekend Metrorail information here.

Office of Voter Registration and Elections: The Office of Voter Registration and Elections will be open Monday, June 20 for legal and logistical reasons but not for early voting. Early voting for the 8th congressional district primary election will end June 18. The primary election is scheduled for June 21.

Outdoor Pools: All outdoor pools — The Memorial Pool (901 Wythe Street), the Old Town Pool (1609 Cameron Street), and the Warwick Pool (3301 Landover Street) — will be open. The Memorial Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; the Warwick Pool and the Old Town Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday, June 20. The Potomac Yard Park Interactive Fountain (2501 Potomac Avenue) will be open Monday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Parking: On June 20, the Alexandria Police Department will suspend enforcement of parking restrictions for metered spaces, residential permit parking districts and other areas with signed parking time limits. This only applies to the restrictions at legal parking spaces, does not permit parking in any location where it is normally prohibited, such as "no parking" zones, loading zones or spaces for persons with disabilities. Temporary "no parking" signs will be enforced on June 20.

Post offices: Closed on June 20.

Recreation, nature, and arts centers: On Monday, June 20, Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street) and Patrick Henry Recreation Center (4653 Taney Avenue) will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Torpedo Factory Art Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All other city recreation, nature and art centers as well as Chinquapin Park Recreation Center and Aquatics Facility will be closed. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation.

Trash and recycling: For city collection customers, residential trash, yard waste and recycling will not be collected Monday, June 20. Collection services will be delayed by one day that week: Monday’s collection will be on Tuesday; Tuesday’s collection will be on Wednesday; Wednesday’s collection will be on Thursday; and Thursday’s collection will be on Friday. The Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Collections Drop-off Center (3224 Colvin St.) will be closed on June 20. See the Resource Recovery Holiday Collection Calendar for more information.