The sun is out, temperatures are rising, and the pollen scourge is a distant memory: In Richmond, Virginia, that means it’s festival season!
Whether you’re a foodie on a mission to expand your palate, a culture vulture seeking arts and beauty, a parent looking to entertain your little ones, or a music lover ready to discover new sounds, RVA is chock-full of fantastic festivals for everyone.
Check out summer-long celebrations like Dogwood Dell’s Festival of the Arts and the Richmond Shakespeare Festival, or mark your calendar for June and July events from the list below. With so much happening in June and July alone, we’re making this a two-part post, so stay tuned for our second listing of festive fun for the months of August and September.
One of RVA’s most well-known and well-loved festivals, the Greek Festival returns to Richmond for its 43rd consecutive year. Pay tribute to the Agora (Greek town center) by taking in cultural performances, perusing local and international vendors, and eating lots and lots of delicious Greek food. Opa!
Returning to Richmond for the second summer in a row, this wellness-centered yoga festival is free to the public. Enjoy live music, vegetarian food, local merchants and, of course, yoga classes led by some of Richmond’s finest yoga instructors.
Calling all foodies! Now in its 11th consecutive year, this summer festival is inspired by Richmond’s own local food scene and features local chefs, local produce, cooking contests and awards, Virginia beers, vendors, live music, and plenty of tasty $3 plates. Proceeds benefit FeedMore.
More food means more fun, especially in RVA. Enjoy specialty dishes from local restaurants, each competing for the honorary “Taste of Virginia” title, while sipping over 20 local craft beers and wines. Featuring local food, live music, a kids’ zone with moon bounces, and a fireworks finale.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump west of Richmond, James River Cellars is once again hosting its Wine Festival. With wine tastings and wine slushies, music all day, food trucks, and craft vendors, this pet- and family-friendly event is a great way to kick off your summer festivities.
Featuring local wineries, live bands, and over 100 vendors, all who love wine, strawberries, or both are welcome! This family-friendly event includes special kids’ activities, and leashed pets are also welcome.
With 11 wineries and live demonstrations from local artists and craftspeople, Rassawek Vineyard strives to keep the trades alive by celebrating the area’s artisans through this annual non-profit event. Bring the kids (but leave Fido at home), and celebrate wine, art, food, community, heritage, and more.
This one-time festival brings together several organizations in support of music, art, and the environment. Come out and enjoy contemporary art installations, live music performances under the Richmond Symphony’s “Big Tent,” cleanups along and around the James River, walking tours, picnicking, and family-friendly environmental education activities.
With 40 bourbons and 60 beers on tap (and all-you-care-to-taste tickets) this festival promises a beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’ and barbeque eatin’ good time. Spend the afternoon browsing exhibits, listening to live music, learning from master distillers and brewmasters via live seminars, and, of course, filling up on beer, bourbon, and BBQ.
As one of Virginia’s largest Asian-Indian festivals, this annual event provides attendees an opportunity to experience Indian food, dancing and entertainment, shopping, and art.
For the seventh year in a row, Juicy Brews is headed back to RVA. This craft beer event features unlimited pours from over 30 of the best breweries in the country. Come out for beer (obviously), food, music, and exclusive merchandise and glassware.
In celebration of yoga, health and well-being in RVA, Väsen Brewing Company and One Drop Yoga are hosting this one-day event packed with three free yoga classes (first come, first served), plenty of food options, and a vendor fair (event starts at 11 am; vendor fair opens at 12 pm).
For the sixth year running, this pet-friendly event offers animal lovers an opportunity to connect, relax, and unwind while listening to live music from 80s cover band Party McFly. Proceeds benefit Fetch-a-Cure.
Commonwealth Law Group is an official sponsor of the event, and all attendees will receive a CLG tote bag!
In observation of Juneteenth National Freedom Day, the oldest nationally celebrated emancipation commemoration, Elegba Folklore Society fuses history and contemporary topics through performances, speakers, The Freedom Market, children’s activities, a symposium and the Annual Torch Lit Night Walk on the Trail of Enslaved Africans.
For free, family-friendly, community-oriented fun, look no further than the Ashland Strawberry Faire. Returning to Ashland’s Randolph-Macon College campus and surrounding area, this festival boasts more than 300 booths offering outstanding food, quality arts and crafts, unique antiques, and information about local businesses and nonprofits. Enjoy live music, a Kids’ Zone, and more! Proceeds from the Faire provide scholarships and grants to local non-profit groups.
This one-day music festival is, as its name suggests, jam-packed with food options and vendors, plus a jammin’ live band lineup. Mark your calendar and come out for a jam-fest!
If you love bacon—and who doesn’t? —you won’t want to miss this one! For the sixth year running, the Richmond Bacon Festival will delight bacon-lovers with $4 plates (vegetarian options available—yes, really!), Virginia craft beer, and live music. Come out to watch and vote as bacon chefs get creative competing for a People’s Choice Award. Proceeds benefit the non-profit Enrichmond Foundation.
Curious about veganism and whether it’s right for you? Veg Fest promotes a vegan diet and highlights community resources that make this choice not only feasible but appealing. Offering a full day of fun with food demonstrations, music, speakers and performers, and a Kids’ Patch with face painting and moon bounces, this festival offers holistic family fun. Carnivores and omnivores are also welcome!
This family-friendly (pets, too!) event features the very best of Hanover County. Come out for tomato-tastings, live music, a 4K pizza fun-run, 150 artisan and business vendors, contests, food trucks, Bow Wow Beach pet-cooling station, and a MaterFUN zone for kids 12 and under. You needn’t love tomatoes to mark your calendar for this event, but with a variety of food trucks serving up their best Hanover Tomato cuisine, you just might change your mind.
With fine wines, cigars, live music, DJs, and great food situated against the beautiful backdrop of the James River, the sixth annual Smoke & Vine Festival might be Richmond’s classiest outdoor event all summer. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to chillax, or enjoy premium cigars on the private smoker’s patio in view of the stage.
When music and the outdoors meet, it’s a beautiful sight. Featuring a packed lineup of musicians (why settle for just one stage when you can have eight?) and plenty of opportunities for outdoor exploration, FloydFest is a three-day adventure waiting to happen.
All of us at Commonwealth Law Group wish you a festive summer season! We’ll highlight even more fun events in part two of our festivals feature, so be sure to check back in late July when we highlight RVA events and happenings in August, September, and beyond.
Whether you’re attending a festival downtown or further afoot, please drive carefully and stay safe this summer. If you or a loved one become a victim in an accident that’s not your fault, or become hurt during the normal course and scope of your job, the dedicated personal injury attorneys and workers’ compensation lawyers of Commonwealth Law Group will fight for your rights. Call us for a free consultation at 804.298.2791.