Make Plans for These Richmond Events

Richmond events after June 5

Maymont Summer Kickoff Concert. Live music from Tom Petty tribute band Full Moon Fever and Three Sheets to the Wind yacht rock, in an open-air concert on the Carriage House Lawn. Plus food trucks and adult beverages. Proceeds contribute to Maymont’s community programs, facilities, and animals. June 6, 5 to 10 p.m., at Maymont, Richmond.

Friday Cheers 2025. Richmond’s longest-running concert series begins a new season on May 2, its 40th anniversary season, on Brown’s Island every week in May and June. Advance tickets for individual shows and season passes to Friday Cheers are available for purchase online at Ticketstobuy.com.

• June 6 – Kashus Culpepper (8:00pm) with Ramona & the Holy Smokes  (6:30pm)
• June 13 – La Lom (8:00pm) with Afro-Zen Allstars (6:30pm)
• June 20 – The War and Treaty (8:00pm) with Mekong Xpress & the Get Fresh Horns (6:30pm)
• June 27 – Say She She (8:00pm) with Big Fancy  (6:30pm)

“Some Like It Hot.” Winner of 4 Tony Awards, the show is an irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance. Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, the play features two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime. June 3 to 8 at Altria Theater, Richmond.

2nd Best Comedy Fest. Three days of laughter with comedians both local and from afar – including NYC, Chicago, and LA. In 18 shows, talented improv performers, stand-up comedians, and sketch comedy performers bring their best to RVA, compliments of Coalition Theater. June 5 to 7 at various venues in downtown Richmond.

Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. Richmond’s new open-air amphitheater near Brown’s Island will open in June, with a variety of big names already lined up to play.

• June 6: Kansas & 38 Special with the Outlaws
• June 7: Rick Springfield – I Want my ’80s Tour
• June 10: Dispatch w/ John Butler (with band) – Summer Tour
• June 19: Boyz II Men
• June 21: Dwight Yoakam
• June 26: Parker McCollum – What Kinda Man Tour 2025
• July 12: Counting Crows: The Complete Sweets! Tour
• July 15 and 16 – Dave Matthews Band
• July 17: Brad Paisley: Truck Still Works World Tour
• July 19: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• July 26: Whiskey Myers – What We Were Born to Do Tour
• Aug. 1: The Head and The Heart: Aperture Tour
• Aug. 6: Styx & Kevin Cronin + Don Felder the Brotherhood of Rock Tour
• Aug. 10: Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts
• Aug. 23: Bailey Zimmerman – New to Country Summer Tour
• Aug. 24: The Red Clay Strays – Get Right Tour 2025
• Aug. 26: Simple Plan: Bigger Than You Think! Tour
• Aug. 28: Gavin Adcock – Need to Tour
• Aug. 29: Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
• Sept. 1: James Taylor and His All-Star Band
• Sept. 20: Steve Martin & Martin Short – The Dukes of Funnytown!
• Sept. 22: “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour
• Oct. 21: Tedeschi Trucks Band with Very Special Guest Little Feat: Live in 25

8th Annual RVA Clay Tour. Take a self-guided tour of Richmond’s diverse studios as clay artisans show off their work and studio spaces. June 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and June 8, noon to 4 p.m., at various studios in the Richmond region.

Virginia State Parks Adventure Series 2025. The multi-sport race series features 20 races, including triathlons, mountain biking races, adventure races, and more, at 11 parks across the state. This year features a broader range of race difficulties and distances forall levels of adventure and one new race option. Highlights near the Richmond region include:

Bike: 

• June 14: Poca Go! at Pocahontas State Park
• Aug. 3: Guts, Gravel, Glory at Pocahontas State Park

Running:  

• June 14: Night Train Ultra Marathon at High Bridge Trail State Park
• Sept. 20: Paw Paw 5- and 10-Miler at Powhatan State Park
• Oct. 4: High Bridge Half Marathon and 5k at High Bridge Trail State Park
• Oct. 5: Pocahontas Trail Festival at Pocahontas State Park

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:

• Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865: June 14 to July 5, 2026 (see below)
• We The People: March 14, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027
• Sail250 with Tall Ships RVA: June 12 to 15, 2026
• IllumiNATION: June to July 2026

“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. June 14 to July 4, 2027, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

Fugitive Data Portraits: Self-Emancipation in Virginia: Virtual Talk. Virginia Humanities Fellow Tev’n Powers discusses his research project and website. FREE, registration required. Powers documented Blacks who self-emancipated during the Civil War and created data portraits of some of Virginia’s earliest freedom fighters, who were often omitted from the historical narratives. Presented by the Library of Virginia. June 18, noon, online.

Ashland 1949 Film Series. Inspired by the rousing response to its 75th anniversary presentation of 1948 films, Ashland Theatre presents a series of films from 1949. All tickets $5, films beginning at 7 p.m., at Ashland Theatre, Ashland.

• June 16, 2025: “The Small Back Room,” starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron
• July 14, 2025: “The Third Man,” starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles
• Aug. 11, 2025: “Jour de fête,” starring Jacques Tati and Paul Frankeur

Summer Nights at the Perk. Live music, local food, drinks, and vibes at the Perkinson Center, Chester.

• June 18 – Little Tangents. Covers, Classics and Originals – this duo will get you dancing in and out of your seat.
• July 2 – Sammy Lee. Rooted in blues tradition, Motown acoustic, unique and soulful.
• July 12 – Garden Variety String Band. Old time, folk and bluegrass
• July 30 – Carrie Brockwell. American Idol Golden Ticket contestant presents country, classics, and more.
• Aug. 13 – The Eli Cook Band. Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist – raw and robust vocals.
• Aug. 23 – The Sweet Potatoes. Richmond natives serve up a soulful blend of jazz that captivates audiences with every note.

26th Annual Richmond Shakespeare Festival: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Featuring William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. June 19 to July 20 at Agecroft Hall, Richmond.

Paula Poundstone. The iconic comedian is known for observational humor and spontaneous wit. She is the star of several HBO specials and is a regular panelist on NPR’s comedy news quiz, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” and heard weekly on her successful comedy podcast. Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. June 20, 8 p.m., at The Tin Pan, Richmond.

Firefly Festival, Farmville. The festival offers the chance to see fireflies lighting up the nighttime sky from the iconic High Bridge, part of a rails-to-trails pathway. The family-friendly festival includes food trucks, firefly experts, and insect displays. Tickets usually sell out, so buy well in advance! June 20 and 21, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., at High Bridge Trail State Park, Rice.

Profs & Pints Richmond: The Truth About Confessions. An exploration of police interrogation practices and how they can lead the innocent to falsely admit guilt, with Hayley Cleary, associate professor of criminal justice and public policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. June 25, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Triple Crossing Beer – Fulton, Richmond.

RTP’s 2024-2025 Season. Four plays, including a new production of one of RTP’s biggest hits, will take the stage at Richmond Triangle Players, as the company celebrates its 32nd year as one of the Commonwealth’s most acclaimed cultural arts institutions, and the longest-operating LGBTQ+ theatre in the mid-Atlantic region. At Robert B. Moss Theatre, Richmond. Still to come:

• “A Strange Loop,” book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson. Winner of every best musical award in New York for the story of Usher, a young, gay, Black writer in a loop of a hilarious ensemble play. June 25 to Aug. 2, 2025.

804 Day Music and Community Festival. This regional celebration features performances on three stages from 10 standout bands and musicians across multiple genres, along with 50 community vendors and 10 nonprofit partners. FREE. Aug. 2, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., at 17th Street Market, Richmond.

Virginia Repertory Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season.

• Agatha Christie’s masterful mystery, “Murder on the Orient Express,” adapted for stage by Ken Ludwig, Sept. 11 to Oct. 12, at the November Theater, Richmond.
• Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” adapted by Virginia Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director, Rick Hammerly. Nov. 28 to Dec. 28 at the November Theater, Richmond.
• Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap,” the classic comedy thriller. Dec. 12 to Jan. 18, 2026, at Hanover Tavern, Hanover.
• Eboni Booth’s off-broadway hit, “Primary Trust.” March 5 to 29, 2026, at the November Theater, Richmond.
• Sandy Rustin’s “The Cottage.” March 27 to April 26, 2026, at Hanover Tavern, Hanover.
• Kids’ performance, “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.” April 8 to May 3, 2026, at the November Theater, Richmond.
• Tony Award-winning hit, “Come from Away.” June 18 to Aug. 2, 2026, at the November Theater, Richmond.

2nd Street Festival. In its 37th year of celebrating rich local culture. Oct. 4 to 5, historic Jackson Ward, Richmond.

Richmond Folk Festival. In its 21st year of celebrating the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. FREE. Oct. 10 to 12, along the riverfront, Richmond.

“Roses in December” Book Talk. Author and historian Jody Lynn Allen examines the history of Black life in Hanover County, of newly freed people and their descendants, and the fight for civil rights. Oct. 15, noon, at the Library of Virginia, Richmond.

Boz Scaggs. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist, an early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, began his solo career in 1969. Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., at Altria Theater, Richmond.

Air Supply – 50th Anniversary Celebration. With nearly 50 years making music, the rock duo of the ’80s are still going. Nov. 23 at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

Ongoing Events

Around Richmond, and the occasional road trip

“Cyrano de Bergerac.” The 26th Annual Richmond Shakespeare Festival presents Edmond Rostand’s classic tale, a swashbuckling, romantic, and laugh-out-loud epic. Through June 3 at Agecroft Hall, Richmond.

“Mapping the Commonwealth, 1816–1826.” The story of 10 years, five governors, two principal surveyors, and one lead engraver – the time frame and team needed to create one of the first official state maps in the nation. Examples from 40 manuscript maps that highlight the painstaking task of creating Virginia’s first official state map, without the benefit of modern technologies like GPS. Through June 7 at the Library of Virginia, Richmond.

“Smoke.” Cadence presents a dark horror comedy by Enid Graham, satirizing distraction, capitalism, and gaslighting in a divided nation. Through June 7 at Firehouse Theatre, Richmond.

“There Goes the Bride.” A fast-paced comedy about an ad man and a flapper cutout only he can see. Through June 21 at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, South Chesterfield.

Virginia & The Vietnam War. Fifty years since the Fall of Saigon, Virginians still feel the impact of the Vietnam War, a long, costly, and controversial conflict. This exhibit examines, through personal objects and oral histories, what Virginia’s soldiers, policy makers, families, activists, and Vietnamese migrants carried during the war and its aftermath. Visitors explore relevant personal items and engage with multiple oral histories. Through July 6, 2025, at Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

“Glamour Is Resistance.” A celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride examining the subversive nature of glamour within queer identity, inspired by artist Justin Vivian Bond. Exhibition runs through July 19, at Artspace Gallery, Richmond.

“Towers of Tomorrow with LEGOⓇ Bricks.” Celebrating architecture and design, this hands-on exhibition showcases 20 of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers from North America, Asia and Australia, plus LEGO bricks for guests to build their own creations. Through Aug. 24 at the Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond.

Edmund Archer: Perspectives on Black Dignity. Portraits of Black men and women that radiate their dignity in contrast to caricatures and stereotypes of earlier Richmond artists and popular culture. Through Sept. 1, 2025.

Homes & Habitats. Experience nature through the eyes of seven regional artists’ large-scale installations inspired by ecosystems. Many works feature interactive and educational elements. Through Sept. 28 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond.

2025 Season of Valentine Walking Tours. For 25 years, the Valentine’s guides have helped visitors and residents learn about important historic sites, discover off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods and engage with the diverse stories that define Richmond – this year, dog-friendly History Hounds series returns. Various times and locations around Richmond.

Riverfront Canal Cruises 25th Season. The new season offers of 40-minute historical narrated tours and private charters, beginning on April 4 and operate until November. Shockoe Bottom on the Canal, Richmond.

“‘I made this…’: The Work of Black American Artists and Artisans.” The first exhibition looking solely at the work of diverse Black artists and artisans from three centuries opens at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Through Dec. 31, 2025, at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, Williamsburg.

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” opens as the first major show for the anniversary commemoration, accompanied by traveling presentations across the state. The exhibition delves into Virginia’s important 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. The opening coincides with Patrick Henry’s “liberty or death” speech. Through Jan. 4, 2026, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

“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.