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The Second Street Festival returns Jackson Ward to its days as the Harlem of the
South.
Photo by Tom Kojcsich
Annual Events
Looking for something different? You'd be hard pressed to find a week without a special festival or event. Be sure to check our listing of annual events and cultural festivals to find out what's on the calendar during your visit. Also, check our full calendar of events for all the happenings in the Richmond Region.
Select a Month:
January
Art After Hours - Be a part of one of the coolest ways to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Enjoy weekly live music and poetry readings while enjoying beer and wine on Thursday evenings in January and February. The fun continues from March through December with Third Thursdays, the museum's monthly cultural event.
Kids Carniball - Bring the kids to
sample international food and music while celebrating culture and
traditions from other countries at the Children's Museum of
Richmond. Featured countries change each year, with 2005's event
celebrating China and 2006 focusing on Greece.
February
Maymont Flower and Garden Show - Start planning your spring planting with landscape exhibits, lectures and a marketplace of fresh items and ideas at this garden lover's paradise.
March
CAA Men's Basketball Championship - It's only the beginning of March Madness when the Colonial Athletic Association schools battle it out for the division title and a spot in the field of 65. Be sure to cheer on the Richmond Region's own Virginia Commonwealth University Rams.
Church Hill Irish Festival - Irish musicians, bagpipers, dancers and more descend on the Region's Church Hill neighborhood for this annual weekend-after-St.-Patrick's-Day event.
Ashland Variety Show - Randolph-Macon College hosts this bi-annual musical variety show with singers and dancers of all ages.
April
Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K Run/Walk - Get some exercise or simply enjoy the parade of people and musical performances along the Region's most beautiful and historic avenue.
Running of the Strawberry Hill Races - Steeplechase racing, tailgating competitions, music and people watching are all part of this annual rite of spring.
Historic Garden Week in Virginia - Get an insider's view of some of the Region's most beautiful homes and gardens during this statewide event.
May
Arts in the Park - More than 450 artists from across the country display a variety of artistic talents including painting, sculpture, pottery and crafts at this outdoor arts festival.
NASCAR Weekend - Get your adrenaline rushing with the thundering sounds of NASCAR during this fast-paced, heart-stopping weekend.
Henrico Open - Nationwide tour players vie for $450,000 at The Dominion Club, a private golf course in Henrico County, during this four-day event.
Hanover County Heritage Day - This free event offers music, food and fun to recognize the significant historical sites, events and traditions in Hanover County.
June
Ashland Strawberry Faire - Pick your own berries or enjoy one of many delicious recipes prepared by local vendors at this all-ages event.
Photo by Al Wekelo Juneteenth, an Emancipation Commemoration - Combine history with family fun at this Elegba Folklore Society-sponsored event.
Indy Racing League Weekend - IndyCar Series has a home in Richmond, much to the delight of race fans in the Mid-Atlantic region.
July
Richmond Braves Fourth of July Extravaganza at the Diamond - What could be more American than baseball and fireworks? Get your tickets early for this annually sold-out celebration. If you miss the 4th, check the team's schedule for another version on July 5th.
Photo by Al Wekelo Hanover Tomato Festival - Celebrate the area's most well-known fruit with arts and crafts, entertainment, contests and of course, tomatoes, at this deliciously juicy event.
Virginia Derby - Thoroughbreds race for a $500,000 purse at Colonial Downs.
August
Virginia Food Festival - Get a taste of Virginia from the bay to the Blue Ridge at this all-you-can-eat feast. And when you can't eat another bite, enjoy cooking demonstrations, watermelon eating, grape stomping and Virginia highlights.
Photo by Al Wekelo Carytown Watermelon Festival - Find out how many different ways you can eat watermelon at this annual summertime celebration.
Down Home Family Reunion - Bring the family and enjoy African American folklife with music, dance, children's activities, crafts and food.
Chesterfield County Fair - Celebrate the end of summer with midway rides, fried fixins', livestock and grand stand entertainment for all ages.
September
NASCAR Weekend - NASCAR returns to the Richmond Region! On your mark, get set, go!
Henricus Publick Day - Celebrate the 1611 founding of the Citie of Henricus with activities from three centuries. Military reenactments, storytelling, Virginia Native American activities and children's events bring the past to life at this day of special thanksgiving.
State Fair of Virginia - Fried oreos, pig racing, livestock and midway rides are everywhere at this annual fall event.
Richmond Italian Festival - Join the Region's Italian-American community for two days of authentic Italian cuisine, live demonstrations, wine tasting and live music.
October
Second Street Festival - Go back in time when Second Street was the heart of Richmond's African American community, and enjoy all the entertainment the glory days had to offer.
National Folk Festival - Experience folk-music heritage from around the world with local and national musicians, food and crafts at the nation's oldest multicultural traditional arts celebration.
Harvest Festival - Celebrate fall with the whole family at Meadow Farm and Crump Park. Enjoy music, dancing, living history exhibits, a petting zoo, scarecrow making and more.
Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival - Fall fun continues at one of the premier Celtic events on the East Coast. Bring the family for Celtic music and dancing, authentic food and drink and more.
Chesterfield Air Show - Military aircraft, parachute and sky-diving teams, high-flying aerobatic routines and more highlight this weekend event.
November
Craftsmen's Christmas Classic Arts & Crafts Festival - Experience everything homemade from pottery and paintings to jewelry and jam at the event that was recently named the number two arts and crafts festival in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine.
SunTrust Richmond Marathon and NTELOS 8K - One of the 12 must-do marathons according to Runner's World magazine, this race offers "big fun, big scenery and big rewards."
Craft and Design Show - Don't miss this opportunity to purchase the work of hundreds of prominent craft artisans from across the country at this annual event coordinated by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.
Photo by Jeff Greenberg GardenFest of Lights - A spectacular display of more than 450,000 lights are arranged throughout the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's 40 garden acres.
December
Grand Illumination at the James Center - Kickoff the holiday season with music, the Snow Queen and the illumination of downtown's largest buildings and 100 dancing reindeer outside the James Center.
Bizarre Bazaar's Christmas Collection - Richmond's largest gift show features gourmet food, arts and crafts, seasonal decorations and more.
Photo by Al Wekelo Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Celebrate this African holiday with musical and dance performances, children's activities and an African market.
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