Make Plans for These Richmond Events

Events after April 30

Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen. Featuring Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, the group has been performing their tribute to Queen since 1993. May 1, 8 p.m., at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

Virginia Wildlife Trail Grrrrand Reopening. Stroll along newly improved pathways, discover new interpretive signage, welcome the new porcupines and coyotes, wander past live music, catch animal enrichment sessions and keeper talks, and support the food trucks. May 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Maymont, Richmond.

Virginia Wildlife Trail Grrrrand Reopening. Stroll along newly improved pathways, discover new interpretive signage, welcome the new porcupines and coyotes, wander past live music, catch animal enrichment sessions and keeper talks, and support the food trucks. May 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Maymont, Richmond.

Asian American Celebration. Dance performances, immersive activities, 14 cultural booths highlighting the traditions, history, and artistry of Asian communities, food representing flavors from across Asia – from beloved street foods to regional specialties – and the Asian Marketplace, for arts, textiles, jewelry, and culturally unique goods. May 2, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, Richmond.

An Evening with Ambassador Roger Carstens. What does it take to lead when the stakes are high and the path forward isn’t clear? Join Ambassador Roger Carstens, former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, for a conversation about leadership, trust, and decision-making in the most challenging environments. Ambassador Carstens will share lessons from his years navigating complex international crises, offering insight into how to stay grounded under pressure, make difficult decisions with confidence, and move forward even when outcomes are uncertain. May 7, 7:30 p.m., at Weinstein JCC, Richmond.

2026 Speaker Series. The Walter W. Craigie Speaker Series brings speakers to St. John’s to discuss a variety of topics related to history. Each speaker event features a 5:30 p.m. reception, is included with ticket purchase. At Historic St. John’s Church, Richmond.

• Andrew Lawler – A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution. May 8, 7 p.m.
• Dr. Art Kellermann and Dr. Richard “Dick” Wenzel – How George Washington Defeated Smallpox And Won America’s Independence. June 12, 7 p.m.
• Chief Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy Tribe. The long and complex journey of Virginia’s native nations toward federal recognition and sovereignty while maintaining cultural integrity. June 26, 7 p.m.

Cap2Cap Bike Ride. Celebrating 21 years of cycling adventures and community. Two days of group rides and races, from a family fun ride to a full century and a two-day challenge with up to 200 miles – and course support along the way, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. May 8 and 9 along the Virginia Capital Trail, Richmond to Jamestown.

“WitchDuck.” The world premiere of a dark, comedic, and subversive new play based on the true story of Grace Sherwood, Virginia’s last convicted witch. Written by Eva DeVirgilis, the play reexamines this dreadful history with a smart feminist perspective. Presented by Cadence and Firehouse Theatre. May 8 to 24 at Firehouse Theatre, Richmond.

1950s Monthly Movie Series. Ashland Theatre presents top movies from the 1950s. All tickets for the series will be just 75 cents. All showings begin at 7 p.m., at Ashland Theatre, Ashland.

• May 11, Stage Fright
• June 15, In a Lonely Place
• July 13, All About Eve (Academy Award Best Picture Winner)
• Aug. 10, Les Enfants Terribles

“& Juliet.” Part of Broadway in Richmond, “& Juliet” flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks: what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Instead, she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love – her way. May 12 to 17 at Altria Theater, Richmond.

“Let’s Go to the Movies!” Joyful Voices, a chorus for singers with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and their caregivers, presents its fall chorus. May 14, 11 a.m., at Salisbury Presbyterian Church, Midlothian.

Opening Date for New Conservatory and Gardens. Visitors will see a conservatory that’s nearly twice as big, with tropical and subtropical houses; 7.5 acres of new gardens; Wick Lake encircled by Martha’s Way walking trail; and the Kroger Community Kitchen Garden. Opening May 23 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond.

Amazing Tails Scavenger Hunt. A lively solo or team-based adventure through the streets of Carytown benefiting the Richmond SPCA. Sniff out clues, tackle challenges, and discover hidden gems tucked inside neighborhood shops, while racing to help save the lives of homeless dogs and cats. May 30, noon to 3 p.m., in Carytown, Richmond.

Celebrate Maymont’s 100th Birthday. Maymont opened to the public as a city park on Jan. 1, 1926. The nonprofit is celebrating with special events. “Cheers to 100 Years” birthday party with free activities, games, tours and live entertainment all day long. June 6 at Maymont, Richmond.

Richmond SailFest. Presented by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in partnership with Sail Virginia℠ and the City of Richmond, this weekend-long festival will feature tall ship tours, live music and performances, historical re-enactors, exhibitions of history and art, and much more. June 12 to 14 in Richmond.

Virginia Repertory Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season, still to come:

• Tony Award-winning hit, “Come from Away.” June 18 to Aug. 2, 2026, at the November Theater, Richmond.

2026 Carole Weinstein Author Series. Acclaimed writers whose books explore themes of fractured community, identity, family, and the power of genealogy. FREE, registration required. Each presentation, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the Lecture Hall, Library of Virginia, Richmond.

• June 25: Latorial Faison presents her poetry collection, “Nursery Rhymes in Black: Poems.”
• Aug. 26: Sadeqa Johnson, “Keeper of Lost Children.”
• Oct. 6: Karin Wulf, “Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America.”

“Americana.” A exhibit of design, photography, textiles, sculpture, and art explores the images and archetypes that have defined our national identity and asks, “Are we living up to our promises?” One gallery looks at the shaping of the mythology, from the cowboy to Harley-Davidson tanks. A second gallery explores symbols that projected freedom while excluding people affected by those narratives. Beginning July 2 at The Branch Museum of Design, Richmond.

Richmond Shakespeare 27th Season. Five plays explore identity, ambition, and the contradictions of being human. “One of the most complicated things about being human is our constant negotiation with our own identities. In our lives we adopt roles, whether they are social, cultural, gendered, political or moral – to gain freedom, power, love,” says artistic director James Ricks.

• Richmond Shakespeare Festival begins with “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare at Agecroft Hall. Banished from court and cast into the Forest of Arden, Rosalind disguises herself as a boy and discovers that love, freedom, and self-discovery thrive far from the rules of society. As shepherds, fools, lords, and lovers wander through the woods, mistaken identities and unexpected romances blossom under the trees. Summer 2026
• Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Agecroft Hall. Lies, love, and low-stakes scandal collide in the deliciously absurd comedy of manners. Jack and Algernon each invent fictional alter egos, both conveniently named Ernest, to dodge social obligations and pursue romance, but their schemes unravel when their lies catch up with them. Aug. 6 to 30 at Robert B. Moss Theatre.

VMHC IllumiNATION. A breathtaking video art projection that brings the American story to life. Set against the museum’s historic facade, this immersive experience will blend artistic light, historic imagery, and music to transport viewers on a powerful journey through time and place. June 25 to 28 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

LOVE IS KING Tour – Evening with Gregory Porter. With his rich baritone voice and his mastery of the traditions of soul, jazz, and gospel, Porter entertains audiences with standards by heroes like Nat “King” Cole and original songs. Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

Ongoing Performances & Exhibitions

Around Richmond, and the occasional road trip

“A Field of Curiosity.” Art auction items are on display, to be auctioned off at the Mad Hatter Art & Design Auction. April 24 at The Branch Museum of Design, Richmond.

“Punch Boys and Dinettes.” In this country-western style musical, the waitresses at the Double-Cupp Diner (the Dinettes) make music with the Pump Boys from the gas station next door. Through April 25 at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, South Chesterfield.

“The Cottage.” A wickedly entertaining evening of pure, (un)adulterated fun. When Sylvia Van Kipness decides to expose her love affair to her husband and her lover’s wife – only to discover that they aren’t the only ones having an affair – a series of hilarious misunderstandings escalates into comedic chaos. Expect razor-sharp wit and outrageous physical comedy as Victorian propriety takes a hilarious tumble. Through April 26 at Hanover Tavern, Hanover.

“Abstract Expressionists: The Women.” Celebrating the vital and historically undervalued contributions of women to the first internationally renowned artistic movement born in the U.S. The exhibition covers four thematic sections: “The New York School,” “San Francisco Early Years,” “A Tale of Two Cities: New York and Paris,” and “Vocal Girls and Beyond.” Through April 26 at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg.

“Wolf Play.” Fifth Wall Theatre presents: When a young boy is rehomed, a queer couple takes him in, unaware that he sees himself not as a boy, but as something wilder. As tensions rise and identities clash, instinct takes center stage in this fable about parenthood, survival, and the ways we fight for belonging. Through May 9 at The Basement, Richmond.

RSL Designer House: Foundry Manor. The 1987 custom-designed home in the historic Bellona Arsenal neighborhood is 8,003 square feet, includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and sits on 25 landscaped acres overlooking the James River. Benefits the Richmond Symphony. Through May 10 at 3937 Old Gun Road West, Midlothian.

“Generations: Stories of Asian Americans in Richmond” Exhibition. Richmond’s Asian American communities are one of the region’s most quickly growing populations. “Generations” shares stories of personal experience and cultural identity: how people found their way here and became integral parts of our local community. Through May 25 at The Valentine, Richmond.

“Broad Street Circa 1919: A Photographic Exhibition.” Historic photographs of Broad Street, taken by local photographer George Leslie Hall. The panoramas provide an authentic, ground-level view that capture the details and character of one of Richmond’s most iconic streets. The history of some of the buildings is explored in more detail through architectural drawings, advertisements, and other historical documents. FREE. Through May 30 at the Library of Virginia, Richmond.

“Arthur Ashe: An Enduring Legacy.” The new immersive, technology-driven retrospective exhibition honors the life, activism, and impact of tennis champion and Richmond native Arthur Ashe. Ashe learned the game at Richmond’s Brookfield Park. He became the first Black man to win the singles’ titles at the U.S. and Australian Opens and Wimbledon. He co-founded Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid alongside Harry Belafonte in 1982, calling for a global boycott against South Africa’s apartheid regime. Through June 13 at the Black History Museum, Richmond.

“Following the Dragon” Special Exhibition. Explore the journey of Chinese Ming Porcelain to 17th-century Jamestown. See porcelain uncovered archaeologically during excavations of the 1607-1625 James Fort at Historic Jamestowne. Learn of unexpected cultural connections linking colonial Virginia with imperial China. Presented by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in partnership with the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation. Through July 12 at Jamestown Settlement, Jamestown.

“Titus Kaphar and Junius Brutus Stearns: Pictures More Famous than the Truth.” Juxtaposing scenes from the life of George Washington by painter Junius Brutus Stearns (American, 1810-1885) with contemporary works by artist Titus Kaphar (American, 1976-) to offer 21st century perspectives. Stearns helped mythologize George Washington, and Kaphar adds to or amends traditional portraits of Washington and reclaim part of the narrative for the enslaved individuals excluded from the dominant story. Part of the VA250 commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. FREE. Through July 26 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.

“We The People: The World in Our Commonwealth.” In tribute to the nation’s 250th anniversary, the VMHC presents the deeply personal narratives of individuals born in 68 countries who sought freedom, opportunity, and refuge by immigrating to the United States. Immersive environments, historical objects, powerful images, and multimedia stations reveal immigrant experiences of leaving home, settling in an unfamiliar place, and becoming Virginians, highlighting the profound way immigrants have both shaped and been shaped by Virginia and this nation. Through Sept. 7 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

“West by Water: Richmond’s James River and Kanawha Canal.” The new exhibition features Richmond photographer John Henley and writer Harry Kollatz Jr. along the city’s historic James River & Kanawha Canal, which even after two centuries, remains to some, resident and visitor alike, elusive and mysterious. Through Sept. 7 at The Valentine, Richmond.

“Revolutionary Allies: Foreign Friends of American Independence.” The Virginia Museum of History & Culture’s new exhibition pays tribute to the contributions of the partnering countries that helped America gain independence from British rule through the stories of four individuals, each of whom played a unique part in America’s origin story — Virginian Arthur Lee, Pierre August Caron de Beaumarchais, Jean de Neufville and Francisco de Saavedra — offering a glimpse into lesser-known accounts of the American Revolution. Through Nov. 1 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary with Spring 2025 Exhibition and Related Events. “Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation,” the first major show for the commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, delves into Virginia’s role in the American Revolution, exploring the confluence of continental and global forces as well as the actions of both iconic and often-overlooked people who together established a new nation and changed the world. Through Jan. 4, 2026. At the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond. Related events include:

• We The People: Through Jan. 3, 2027
• “Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619–1865”: Through July 4, 2027 (see below)
• Sail250 with Tall Ships RVA: June 12 to 15, 2026
• IllumiNATION: June to July 2026

“Dissent: Liberty & Loyalty in Early Richmond.” Not everyone wanted “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Between the 1770s and 1830s, Richmond was center stage for battles of if and how Virginians would live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Through Jan. 31, 2027, at The Valentine, Richmond.

“Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865.” Examining the lives of free Black Virginians from the arrival of the first captive Africans in 1619 to the abolition of slavery in 1865. Through powerful objects and first-person accounts, visitors see how Virginia’s people of color achieved -freedom, established communities, and persevered within a legal system that recognized them as free but not equal. Through July 4, 2027, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

“Sculpting History.” The exhibition from the Valentine shows how those who created the Lost Cause narrative used cultural and social centers of power to make it successful: education, media, politics, money, religion, and violence. The exhibition demonstrates how sculptor Edward Valentine, Richmond leaders, and others around the country reframed the war. It uncovers the Lost Cause, its legacy, and those who resisted. The Valentine, Richmond.