Annual Events & Festivals - Annual Events
Richmond loves a festival and any excuse to get out and have a good time, so there are hundreds of events that keep coming back year after year. Of course, only a portion of what happens annually is listed in this chapter, but have confidence that there are multiple annual events in the area that can tempt and engage every one of your senses on just about every weekend. See the colorful city and the art displayed at the numerous art shows. Taste and smell the flavors of the world at the region’s food, wine, and beer festivals. Feel your feet pound the pavement or the mud splatter all over your skin in one of our extreme and extremely fun sporting events. Give your eardrums a workout at the many music festivals (and of course, at NASCAR races).
Under the influence of Sports Backers, a nonprofit sports commission that plans and executes sporting events to build community and generate sports tourism, Richmond is becoming a participatory sports mecca, and many of these events, like the SunTrust Richmond Marathon and Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K, are nationally known sporting events that draw thousands of runners and spectators to town. More events are added every year. Some, like the Anthem Stride Through Time 10K walk, a history and healthy-living combo, are particularly suited to Richmond’s wealth of historic buildings.
The ever-increasing ethnic and cultural diversity of our region makes itself known every time you turn around to breathe in the aromas of another enticing food festival coming round the bend. If you try a new one every year, you’ll gain insight, appreciation, and a few pounds. Some festivals and events are small, bare-bones affairs run mostly by volunteers. Others (like the Richmond Folk Festival) are huge, complex affairs run mostly by volunteers. Pitch in when you can, and you’ll find yourself richly rewarded.
Overview
This chapter is organized chronologically. Some events move around from venue to venue; some move from month to month if they’re associated with Easter, for instance. If an event starts in November and goes till January, it is listed under November. Prices are based on 2010 listings. Most events are wheelchair accessible, but call to confirm, as venues change and special arrangements may need to be made.
1. Freedom Classic Festival
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (804) 644-8515
Address: 601 E. Leigh St.
Description: Every Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the feature of this festival is a basketball rivalry between historically black colleges and universities Virginia Union University and Virginia State University. Besides the exciting athletics, a rollicking drum line and gospel music electrify the crowd on hand at the Coliseum. At halftime, there’s a performance by a headliner artist, and after the game there’s a party for the over-21 crowd that moves around from year to year, so check the Web site for details. Tickets to the Freedom Classic event are $15 to $20 and can be purchased at the Coliseum box office or at www.ticketmaster.com.
2. Maymont Flower And Garden Show
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 332-3976
Address: 403 N. 3rd St.
Description: Spring comes early to the Convention Center for four days in Feb, just in time. Creativity blooms with seminars led by experts in garden design, interior design, and horticulture, and, of course, the display gardens that go from the whimsical to the wow. The idea is to bring nature front and center, whether you like to get your hands dirty or just appreciate floral fabrics and garden statuary. Of course, there’s a marketplace where you can grab the latest tools, rare and interesting plants and bulbs, and much more. Tickets are $10, with discounts for seniors and youths ages 12 to 17. Children under 11 are admitted free, and half-price tickets for everyone else are available after 5 p.m.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 403 N. 3rd St.
4. Caa Men’S Basketball Tournament
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 745-3000
Address: 601 E. Leigh St
Description: March Madness comes to downtown Richmond Fri through Mon the first weekend in March, when the local favorite, the VCU Rams, face off against their Colonial Athletic Association rivals, including William & Mary, Northeastern, and Old Dominion. The event at the Richmond Coliseum features four days of defense and dunks to settle once and for all which team gets a coveted spot in the NCAA tournament bracket. Tourney-long tickets are available and are a good deal if you have the time to take in several games. Depending on what teams make runs through the tournament, single-session tickets can be difficult to come by or abundantly available. Parking is available at several lots and decks around the Coliseum. Go to www.richmondcoliseum.net for more parking information.
5. Church Hill Irish Festival
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 213 N. 25th St.
Description: The weekend right after St. Patrick’s Day, St. Patrick’s Church, a church built by Irish immigrants in the 1850s, celebrates the big guy by throwing a weekend street party. Here’s your chance to sample Irish lasagna or the more predictable fish-and-chips. Traditional Irish music and Guinness and Harp will flow, Irish dancers will step their stuff, and dozens of Irish vendors will hawk their wares. A $2 donation is collected at the gate. Proceeds benefit church restoration and several worthy neighborhood causes. Please leave your pets at home.
6. Ukrop’S Monument Avenue 10K
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (804) 285-9495
Description: Since its inception, this race has been known as the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K, but even though the Richmond grocer sold itself to a multinational corporation in 2010, the name remains, presented by Martin’s, Ukrop’s successor. We all knew the race would go on; it was too big to fail. Held on a Sat in late Mar or early Apr, it’s one of the 10 largest running races in the country, with more than 35,000 people running or walking it in 2010. But don’t let the size scare you away. It’s so well run, as evidenced by USA Today naming it one of the best races in the country, you’ll have room to spread your elbows. Running on Monument Avenue gives you plenty of homes to drool over, and the many bands along the route keep you moving. The postrace party in Monroe Park is jammed.
7. Easter On Parade
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Of course, Easter can fall in March or April, but no matter what, there will be Richmonders flocking to Monument Avenue in the afternoon to show off their carefully (and crazily) crafted Easter bonnets. There is method to the madness—a bonnet contest rewards the wacky. Some dogs wear bonnets, too, for a contest of their own, or are otherwise decked out in Easter finery, so there’s plenty to gawk at while you stroll along the avenue, wishing you had friends who invited you to the brunches that spill out onto the porches. Even without connections, it’s easy to have a good time, watching Jonathan Austin, the juggling fiend, do his zany stuff, eating food from vendors, and enjoying one of Richmond’s very Richmond things to do.
8. Family Easter At Maymont
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (804) 358-7166
Address: 1700 Hampton St.
Description: On the Sat before Easter, hop on over to the Carriage House lawn near Maymont’s Hampton Street entrance for a day full of crafts, music, and fun, including photos with the Easter Bunny. An egg hunt for kids ages 2 through 10 with prizes, bonnet making, storytelling, inflatables, and carriage rides make this the place to be. Admission is free, but some activities do require cash.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
10. Herbs Galore & More!
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (804) 358-7166
Address: 1700 Hampton St.
Description: Held the last Sat in April on Maymont’s Carriage House lawn, this event features gardening gurus expounding on the joys of herbs. Demonstrations are offered for free, but there are fees for classes, and preregistration is recommended. Wandering about and ogling is free as well, but it would be hard to resist the more than 50 plant and craft vendors offering herbs, herbal products, heirloom plants, delicious fresh food, and more.
11. Arts In The Park
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 0 S. Blvd.
Description: This granddaddy of outdoor juried art shows in Richmond, sponsored by the Carillon Civic Association, takes over a large swath of Byrd Park around the Carillon on the first weekend in May. More than 450 artists come from all over the country to display their wares for the art lovers and the aimless walkers just looking for eye candy. All work here is made by the artists—furniture, paintings, jewelry, pottery, weaving, and more. How convenient that the event is the weekend before Mother’s Day. Parking in the area is tight, so either walk in from a nearby neighborhood or park at City Stadium lots on Maplewood Avenue and Freeman Road and take the free shuttle. Parking for those needing special assistance is available near the event. Please leave your pets at home.
12. Nascar
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 600 E. Laburnum Ave.
Description: You can find more on this in the “Spectator Sports” chapter, but suffice it to say, this is a massively popular event, drawing thousands of fans from around the country to Richmond for race week. Racing is on Fri and Sat, with the 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series and the 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but tailgating starts much earlier in the week. Hotels in the area fill up during race week, so make your reservations early and expect traffic jams on Laburnum Avenue, especially on Fri and Sat.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 403 N. 3rd St.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals