ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Del Ray Business Association is putting its Well Ray Festival on hold this year, the group announced in its Monday newsletter, marking the second signature DRBA community event to undergo a significant change this spring.
The wellness committee said it is shifting focus to “smaller, more intentional experiences,” including free weekly wellness education events open to the public and additional networking gatherings for members. The group’s weekly wellness blog will continue.
“As a member-driven organization, our priority is creating meaningful opportunities that directly support our Del Ray Business Association wellness members and strengthen our local community,” the committee wrote.
The pause arrives a year after the festival’s ninth edition, held May 17, 2025, in the parking lots at Mount Vernon and East Bellefonte avenues. That event drew wellness vendors offering massages, acupuncture, chiropractic assessments, nutritional counseling, blood pressure screenings, meditation and energy work, alongside $5 outdoor fitness classes ranging from yoga to boxing to gong sound sessions. Proceeds from the classes benefited Wilderness Kids Alexandria, the festival’s featured nonprofit.
The association did not give a specific reason for the pause but said it would “continue to listen, evolve, and revisit the possibility of bringing it back in 2027 in a way that feels sustainable and impactful for our members.”
The decision follows a separate handoff announced last month, when the Del Ray Citizens Association took over the monthly First Thursday celebration in Pat Miller Square after the DRBA had organized it for nearly 30 years. The 2026 First Thursday season opens Thursday, May 7. The two changes were announced separately, and the DRBA has not described them as connected.
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The wellness committee will outline its plans for the coming year at a Wellness District Happy Hour from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ. The event is free and open to wellness members and prospective members, with appetizers provided and a cash bar. Registration is available through Eventbrite.
The association will also hold its bimonthly Coffee & Conversation breakfast meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 20, at Piece Out. Networking begins at 7:30 a.m. and the program follows at 8 a.m. The breakfast is free for DRBA members, and the association is asking attendees to RSVP for planning purposes.
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