Old Town Festival of Speed & Style Donates $60,000 to Three Alexandria Nonprofits
Alexandria, VA — Think back to mid-May 2026. The weekend when high-end rare and vintage cars filled King Street as Alexandria celebrated the iconic Old Town Festival of Speed & Style. The lavish annual festivities kicked off May 16 with the High-Octane Ball, a glamorous black-tie affair of dining and dancing. Behind all that style and pizzazz lies some serious business. Proceeds of the event go to three prominent charities in the city.
Late yesterday September 9, on a sweltering September afternoon, Festival officials and representatives of each of those three charities gathered in front of the Alexandria Circuit Courthouse on 520 King Street for a ceremonial check presentation. Standing in front of a huge festival banner, ALIVE!, Community Lodgings, and Breast Cancer Collective were each awarded a large cardboard ceremonial check in the amount of $20,000.
“It’s amazing!” Michelle Lockwood beamed. She is development director for ALIVE!, Alexandria’s premier hunger-fighting non-profit. “ALIVE! has been an anchor charity for Old Town Speed & Style ever since it started, and we’ve been honored to be included. This is one of our biggest external fundraisers that the community does for us.”
Rick Myllenbeck is founder and chairman of the Old Town Festival Speed & Style, which began in 2019.
“We’re a bunch of car enthusiasts, and we had this idea that it would be fun to park these cool cars and share them with the public,” Myllenbeck told Zebra in an interview. “That led to other people getting involved because it had been somebody else’s idea long ago, but nobody thought it was possible. So we put together this team, which is still together; we work with the city, we get clearance to close the streets, and we bring in beautiful cars from all over the place. And in the process, raise money for local charities.”
The Festival is held on King Street between Pitt and Washington in the heart of Old Town and is one of the East Coast’s premier automotive showcases.
Myllenbeck describes the High-Octane Ball that kicks off the festivities and sets the stage for a weekend of style, fun, and fundraising.
“The Ball started out as a small informal gathering and it grew momentum. We learned that Alexandrians look for a reason to get dressed up. So we said, well, let’s throw a ball! And that’s what started the High Octane Ball. It’s a big fundraiser for us.”
The Festival announced that the poster reveal for 2027 will be held on November 4, 2026. “We already had a preview of the art, and it’s stunning,” Rick promised the crowd.
The High-Octane Ball 2027 is scheduled for Saturday May 15. That evening bash typically sells out so mark your calendars now.
The Breast Cancer Collective improves breast cancer survivability by expanding equitable access to screening, diagnostic care, and follow-up treatment.
Community Lodgings seeks to lift vulnerable families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency through transitional housing, affordable housing, and youth education programs.
ALIVE! serves about 20,000 Alexandrians each month, providing food and other essentials such as furniture, housewares and emergency financial assistance.
“We do expect the numbers to go up,” Lockwood told The Zebra. “We do foresee this need to grow. It’s not getting more affordable for people in our city. Our tagline is neighbors helping neighbors.”
Last year the Festival awarded 35,000 to these same three charities. This year the amount almost doubled.
