Sports bars across Arlington have plans to show the Washington Commanders game this weekend, as the team advances in the playoffs for the first time in two decades.
After beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20, they’ll face off against the Detroit Lions at 8 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) at Detroit’s Ford Field.
Brunch has become a weekend staple and Arlington is home to countless brunch spots serving up everything from Eggs Benedict and bottomless mimosas to waffles and french toast.
We’ve complied the top picks for “Best Brunch Spot in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards. Your favorite brunch spot not listed? Write it in!
Don’t delay — voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Restaurant for a Fancy Dinner in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on Best gym/fitness studio in Arlington. The results are now official:
Every year, for just a few minutes, one of Arlington’s most iconic works of public art comes to life exactly as its artist intended.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at approximately 9:32 a.m., visitors will gather in Rosslyn to witness the annual shadow alignment at Nancy Holt’s Dark Star Park (1979–84). At that precise moment, the shadows cast by the sculpture’s spheres and poles align with permanent shadow forms embedded in the ground—a phenomenon Holt designed to commemorate the anniversary of Rosslyn’s founding.
The alignment lasts only a few moments, but it has become a beloved Arlington tradition, drawing residents, visitors, artists and architecture enthusiasts alike to experience the intersection of art, astronomy, and history. If the weather cooperates, the park transforms into a striking demonstration of how light, time and place can become part of a work of art.
Created between 1979 and 1984, Dark Star Park was Arlington’s first County-commissioned public artwork and remains one of the nation’s earliest examples of integrated public art—where sculpture, landscape architecture and the surrounding environment function as a single work. Rather than placing an object within a park, Holt made the entire park the artwork, incorporating spheres, pools, steel poles, tunnels, earthworks and carefully positioned plantings into an immersive landscape.
Nancy Holt (1938–2014) was a pioneering artist whose work spanned poetry, film, photography, land art and large-scale public sculpture. Throughout her career, she explored perception, time and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Dark Star Park remains her most significant urban installation and one of the few major works by the artist that can be experienced in an accessible city setting.
Whether you’ve attended for years or have never visited before, Dark Star Park Day offers a rare opportunity to experience a public artwork that changes with the movement of the sun—and reminds us that some of the most memorable moments in art happen not inside a museum, but out in the world around us.
Dark Star Park Day
When: Saturday, Aug. 1, beginning around 9 a.m.; shadow alignment at approximately 9:32 a.m.
Where: Dark Star Park, 1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Rosslyn
The Falls Church City Council has voted to pursue eminent domain in order to build the city’s first traffic circle.
Several Council members voiced unease at the idea of setting unwelcome precedent, but ultimately took the gloves off on Monday in an 18-month battle to obtain a key easement.
Winning bingo can be as easy as ordering to-go coffee.
A new dining promotion launched by the National Landing BID earlier this week, Breakfast Bingo, offers rewards to diners at select restaurants around Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard through the end of the month.
Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
New Police Cameras — “In the fall, 25 Flock Safety License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras and six Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras were installed across Arlington County. Officers are expected to be trained on the technology around late January when the program will be fully operational.” [ACPD]
JetBlue Resumes Flights to NYC — “JetBlue Airways Corp. will resume a suspended route at Reagan National Airport amid a broader expansion effort announced Wednesday. Once-daily flights between DCA and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will begin on March 30. JetBlue stopped the route in January 2024; it previously flew three daily flights between the two airports.” [WBJ]
POTUS Farewell Event at Ft. Myer — From the Dept. of Defense: “@SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of @thejointstaff Air Force @GenCQBrownJr, host an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in honor of @POTUS Joe Biden at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.” [Twitter]
MLK Day County Closures — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Inauguration Day on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025… Trash/Recycling/Yard Waste Curbside Routes – Regular collection. Parking – Permit parking is always in effect unless specifically noted on the sign. Meters are not enforced on holidays.” [Arlington County]
Inauguration Closures Along I-395 — “The Virginia Department of Transportation will support Virginia State Police for bridge and ramp closures from Virginia into Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20… From 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20 through the conclusion of Presidential Inaugural events, the following will be in effect.” [VDOT]
Tribute Event This Weekend — “Arlington will honor the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a special tribute on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Wakefield High School. This celebration will feature an inspiring blend of storytelling, music, dance.” [Arlington County]
No Publishing Monday — Besides potential breaking news coverage, ARLnow will not be publishing on Monday due to the federal holiday.
Long Bridge Project Latest — “The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) today announced the selection of the Long Bridge Rail Partners… as construction partner for the Long Bridge Project-South Package. VPRA separated the Long Bridge Project, a new two-track bridge across the Potomac River, into two procurements, a North Package and a South Package.” [Press Release]
Meridian HS to Play in Tysons — “The baseball diamond on the campus of the new Meridian High School in Falls Church will not be ready for the start of the Mustangs’ baseball season… [Coach P.J. Anderson] has secured the Capital One turf field in McLean for the first six of our home games for the varsity team.” [FCNP]
Snow Chances Rising for Sunday — From the National Weather Service: “Confidence is increasing for the potential of accumulating snow Sunday across the area. If this threat materializes, it may cause travel disruptions.” [Twitter]
It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high around 40 degrees, with west winds at 5 to 9 mph shifting to southern winds in the afternoon. By Friday night, clouds will increase and temperatures will drop to around 30 degrees. [NWS]
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jan 16, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect sunshine and a high around 40 degrees, with west winds at 5 to 9 mph shifting to southern winds in the afternoon. By Friday night, clouds will increase and temperatures will drop to around 30 degrees, accompanied by a southerly wind at 5 to 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
A vehicle ran off the Arlington Memorial Bridge and into the Potomac River.
A two-vehicle crash shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday caused a pickup truck to smash through the side of the bridge and into the river around mid-span.
Another consistent and unselfish performance on the basketball court gave the Yorktown Patriots sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with a 3-0 record.
The boys high-school team (11-1) moved into that spot with a 67-32 home blowout victory over its Arlington rival Wakefield Warriors (8-5, 3-1) Tuesday night (Jan. 14).
The Bishop O’Connell Knights girls and boys swim and dive teams will be in action in at the Northern Virginia Catholic Championships in an event that will highlights a busy sports schedule for varsity high-school teams in Arlington.
The meet is set for Saturday, Jan. 18.
