The City of Alexandria marked its 274th birthday July 8 with a celebration that culminated in a fireworks display over the Potomac River following a day of festivities at Oronoco Bay Park.

The celebration included a performance by Three Man Soul Machine, a poetry reading by Alexandria Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and distribution of birthday cupcakes by Mayor Justin Wilson and members of City Council.

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra presented a concert that culminated with the fireworks display finale to the performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

NPR’s Suraya Mohamed welcomed the crowd to the festivities, which included hands-on arts from the Office of the Arts’ Mobile Art Lab, information tables by Alexandria Library and the Office of Historic Alexandria, and solar powered charging stations provided by Dominion Energy.

Alexandria dates its founding to July 13, 1749, with the start of an auction selling the first lots to the public. Earlier that year, a young George Washington acted as a surveyor in laying out the town into 84 lots along 10 streets around a central market square. Washington would go on to recruit his first soldiers in Market Square for his first initial campaign of the French and Indian War and in 1763 he was chosen as a town trustee.

Photos by Janet Barnett/Gazette Packet

Didi Essien and Kyle Graham celebrate July 8 at Oronoco Bay Park.

London Thompson and Riley Stephens-Winbush enjoy cupcakes July 8 at Oronoco Bay Park.

Malcolm, Sarah and Lily Gunel with Phoebe Yamada at the city birthday celebration July 8 at Oronoco Bay Park.