Thousands Celebrate the Arts at the Fall Arts Jubilee Kick Off

Thousands of residents and visitors flocked to Old Town Alexandria over the weekend to enjoy the King Street Art Festival, which kicked off the city's Fall Arts Jubilee.

Several city leaders and members of the arts community spoke to the crowd on the corner of King and Fairfax streets in front of City Hall.

"The arts enrich all of our lives and have a strong economic impact," said Alisa Carrel, director of the Alexandria Office of the Arts. "Every year, the nonprofit arts industry generates $80 million for the city."

Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association President Stephanie Pace Brown called this year's event "unprecedented" in the ways "peopel have worked together to support one another."

Brown said this year ACVA and others put a lot of thought into actions they could take to "really elevate the profile of arts in Alexandria" and discovered that by putting many of the arts-related events under one umbrella, they were able to better communicate and market the importance of art to the city and its identity.

Pat Miller, chairwoman of Alexandria Commission for the Arts, said the commission is currently undergoing a survey of the economic importance of the arts.