More What’s Booming RVA: Dec. 26 to Jan. 2
A week of entertaining and inspiring events plus a day trip and news
It’s a slow week in Richmond, Virginia, in the days between the major religious holidays and New Year’s – but there’s still plenty to do! In “What’s Booming in RVA, December 26, 2024, to January 2, 2025.”
Also check out:
- Boomer’s Top 5 picks in RVA this week,
- Browse the week ahead below, and
- Go to our updated events page for Down the Road happenings and ongoing exhibitions and performances.
December 26, 2024, to January 2, 2025
Thursday, December 26
HAPPY KWANZAA!
Jonathan the Juggler at Natalie’s. The legendary Richmond juggler entertains people of all ages. Enjoy delicious food with a side of laughter and awe. December 26, 5:30 p.m., at Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon, Richmond.
Church Hill Chillers Tour. Richmond’s colorful past has produced restless spirits that still roam the historic neighborhoods. The Church Hill tour tells of spymaster Elizabeth Van Lew, Edgar Allan Poe’s first and last love, the haunts of a Civil War hospital, and more. December 26, 7 p.m., meeting in front of Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille, Richmond.
Friday, December 27
Gallery5 Fourth Fridays Jazz Night. WRIR DJs spin and local jazz musicians play their individual sounds. This month featuring Ayinde Williams. Dec. 27, 7 to 11 p.m., at Gallery5, Richmond.
Soulful Sounds Near Richmond. Step back in time for a Harlem Nights experience with the music and comedy of Acute Inflections. Featuring the sounds of NYC’s jazzy R&B artists, everything from Erykah Badu to Billie Holiday. Dress to impress in Harlem Renaissance attire for an evening of duets, witty banter, and engaging freestyles that will have you laughing and grooving. Dec. 27, 7 to 9 p.m., at Montpelier Center for Arts, Montpelier.
Saturday, December 28
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Hanukkah Party. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Plunky & Oneness of Juju. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Sunday, December 29
The Hip Hop Nutcracker. A holiday mash-up for the whole family, this contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of classic hip-hop dance and Tchaikovsky’s timeless music together into an inspirational holiday event. Dec. 29, 7 p.m., at Altria Theater, Richmond.
Low Cut Connie. The band has built a grassroots coalition of oddballs, underdogs, and fun-loving weirdos with songs that celebrate life on the fringes of polite society. The infamously wild, passionate live shows provide a release of stress, of inhibition, of shame. Dec. 29, 8 p.m., at The Tin Pan, Richmond.
Tuesday, December 31
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE
NYE for All Ages. Food specials, games, and party hats and noisemakers for NYE “toasts.” Dec. 31, 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 10 p.m., at Dave & Buster’s, Glen Allen.
A Musical New Year’s Eve Celebration. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
New Year’s Eve Bash feat. The Jangling Reinharts. The Richmond-based roots-rock band mixes popular cover songs from the 1960s to 1990s. Dec. 31, 8:30 to 11:59 p.m., at The Tin Pan, Richmond.
Ashland’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball. Live music, food from Strawberry Street Catering with COTU beers, mocktails, and other refreshments, live and silent auctions, midnight toast – all in support of the Hanover Arts and Activities Center and Downtown Ashland Association. Dec. 31, 9 p.m. to midnight, at the Hanover Arts and Activities Center, Ashland.
New Year’s Eve Night Hike. Join a ranger on this guided hike through the quiet woods with the stars (and your own flashlight or headlamp) lighting the way along Lakeview Bike Trail, not commonly open to hikers. Reservations required. Dec. 31, 11 p.m., to Jan. 1, 1 a.m., at Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield.
Check out a more comprehensive list of NYE happenings at Axios Richmond.
Wednesday, January 1
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
First Day 5k. Walk, jog, or run the 3.1-mile neighborhood route with the group or virtually. Organized by the Richmond Road Runners Club. First Day Kids Run, too. Jan. 1, 11 a.m., at ACAC Midlothian.
First Day Hikes at Virginia State Parks. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Thursday, January 2
“Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade.” Dr. Jonathan White examines a swashbuckling sea captain whose life intersected with important moments, movements, and individuals of the mid-19th century, from the California Gold Rush, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and the Lincoln Administration’s efforts to stop the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade. Jan. 2, 7 p.m., at Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Petersburg.
Road Trips
Learn from the past
Stories from the People of the Longhouse. Storyteller Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, brings to life legends that share the history and culture of Native peoples through vivid descriptions, rhythmic voice, and audience interaction. Dec. 28 and 29, noon and 4 p.m., at Jamestown Settlement, Jamestown.
Christmastide in Virginia. Hands-on interpretive programs, cooking demonstrations, and musical entertainment. At Jamestown Settlement, learn about the English tradition of the Lord of Misrule – “grand captain of all mischief” – at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., followed by festive music each day. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, enjoy the sounds of Christmas through traditional carols and music at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily. Through Dec. 31 at Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
News to Know
New classes for the 50+ crowd
The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond Winter Session. The local nonprofit educational and service organization for older citizens begins its eight-week winter session of courses and lunch speakers. Courses include topics such as a history of witchcraft, current events, films of the 1930s, genealogy, memoir writing, German and Japanese languages, Wagner and the Nazis, watercolor painting, and more. Beginning Jan. 13, 2025, at four locations around Richmond.
Lifelong Learning Institute in Chesterfield. LLI releases its course calendar online and on-site on Jan. 9, 2025. The member-supported organization is for adults age 50 and above covering categories including art, music, drama, dance, computers, technology, health, history, languages, leisure activities, and more. Spring session dates are Jan. 21 to May 2, 2025, at the Lifelong Learning Institute, Midlothian.
Click here to make plans with this list of events to come and ongoing exhibitions and performances.
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