Business & Tech

First Thursday: 'Cirque du Del Ray'

Street festival scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday along Mount Vernon Avenue.

Outdoor season officially kicks off in Del Ray this week with the return of First Thursday.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 2, folks are invited to head down to Mount Vernon Avenue for “Cirque du Del Ray: A Healthy Carnival” presented by the Del Ray Business Association

“Instead of a health fair, it’s a healthy carnival where kids and their families can come to participate in the fun of being healthy and active,” said event co-chair Megan Brown of Mind the Mat.

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Brown invites kids and adults to participate in a series of events that will be presented throughout the evening in the farmers market lot—redubbed “The Big Top”—at the corner of Mount Vernon and East Oxford avenues.

The schedule of events include at The Big Top is as follows:

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  • 6 p.m. — Healthy Food Pictionary 
  • 6:20 p.m. — Little Gym of Alexandria (mat activities, movement for kids 6 and up)
  • 6:45 p.m. — Crossfit Kids with Kate Moran
  • 7:15 p.m. — Studio Body Logic Barre workout
  • 7:30 p.m. — Family Yoga and Pilates boot camp with Mind the Mat
  • 8 p.m. — Hula Hoop Flash Mob 
  • 8:30 p.m. — Yoga in Daily Life meditation 

Organizers are encouraging attendees to sign up in advance online to participate in the events. Participants may also take part just by showing up, but those who sign up in advance will be entered into a raffle for prizes donated by DRBA businesses.

To sign up online, click here

Mount Vernon Avenue restaurants will be participating in the event by highlighting healthy items on their menus.

“For example, Del Ray Pizzeria is working on offering a healthy full-course meal,” Brown said. 

Mount Vernon Community School will be presenting a bike rodeo with trailsforyouth.org from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. behind Del Ray Variety in conjunction with First Thursday.

Children can practice their bicycle skills by cycling through obstacles and over ramps in a fun, safe setting with instructors. The event is designed for children who already know how to ride a bike. You can bring your child's bike or borrow a bike to go through the rodeo. Free bike helmets and other safety equipment will be given out to children who successfully navigate the rodeo on a first-come, first-served basis.

Let’s Move!, an initiative to fight childhood obesity started by First Lady Michelle Obama, is the evening’s charity. The First Lady was invited to attend First Thursday, but politely declined.

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne is rumored to make an appearance in her place. 

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