Make Plans for These Richmond Events

More Richmond events after January 30

Richmond Symphony: Goodyear, Perry, & Mendelssohn. The rhythmic precision of artist in residence Stewart Goodyear is at the core of his compositions. The concerts culminate with the First Symphony by the precocious 15-year-old Felix Mendelssohn. Jan. 31, pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m., performance at 7:30 p.m., at Perkinson Center, Chester.

Damn the Torpedoes – A Tom Petty Concert Experience. The signature riffs, harmonies and underlying parts of the music are all there, along with some fresh twists that are often inspired in the moment. Featuring Rich Kubicz as Petty. Jan. 31, 8 p.m., at The Tin Pan, Richmond.

February

Science Museum of Virginia Announces 2025 Programming Schedule. Highlights include

Exhibitions

• “Towers of Tomorrow with LEGOⓇ Bricks” opens Saturday, Feb. 1. 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.
• New permanent astronomy exhibition “Orbit” launches late spring, featuring custom, interactive exhibits.
• “Ultimate Dinosaurs” debuts May 31 with 20 prehistoric creatures from the Southern Hemisphere and augmented reality to transform the skeletons into moving, flesh-and-bones animals from the Mesozoic Era.

Festivals

• GLOW returns on February 1 with hands-on activities, live demos and special laser shows.
• Earth Day festival-style event April 19 brings together dozens of community partners educating guests on composting, bike infrastructure, solar power, recycling, watershed restoration, native plants and pollinators, and more.
• Virginia crafters unite for Well Made, the Science Museum’s inaugural artistic craft maker event on September 26–27, showcasing the creativity and science behind all things.
• Model Railroad Show returns November 28 to 30, its 48th year.

The Seldom Scene. The Seldom Scene was established in 1971 in a basement in Bethesda, Maryland, with guitar, dobro, banjo, double bass, and mandolin.. The rest is history. The progressive bluegrass style played by the Seldom Scene had become increasingly popular during the 1970s, and the band, with many lineup changes, continues to perform. Feb. 2, 7 p.m., at The Tin Pan, Richmond.

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.

• Feb. 10, 2025: “They Live by Night,” starring Cathy O’Donnell and Farley Granger
• March 10, 2025: “Under Capricorn,” directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• April 14, 2025: “The Heiress,” starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift
• May 12, 2025: “I Shot Jesse James,” starring Preston Foster and John Ireland
• 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

Valentine’s Controversy/History Series. This year’s series invites Richmonders to ask: why is the cost of thriving in Richmond so damn high? In a series of conversations with experts, the Valentine provides a forum for exploring the challenges facing the Richmond community with a dive into historical context, quantitative data, and solution-oriented thinking. FREE, registration requested. At The Valentine, Richmond. Still to come:

• The Pressure of Childcare in the First Five Years. Feb. 11, 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.
• Violence in Richmond & the Path to Safer Communities. March 11, 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.

“Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” The weekly radio show and podcast stops once more in Richmond. Feb. 13 at Altria Theater, Richmond.

Songs for Lovers. Old classic and new love songs in a piano concert. The first half features captivating tunes from the American songbook and classical music, then originals by Barron Ryan. Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m., at Perkinson Center, Chester.

The Richmond Forum 2024-2025 Season. Ideas, stories, and perspectives regarding today’s important issues. Live and online. Still to come:

• Feb. 15, 2025: Unlock the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court, with Coach K, one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.
• March 22, 2025: Navigate masculinity in the modern age with author Richard Reeves, who has spent 20 years worrying about boys, both as a researcher and as the father of three sons.
• April 26, 2025: Hear stories and lessons learned from every era of Martha Stewart’s life – from her early ambitions to her triumphs over adversity. In conversation with Soledad O’Brien.

Legends on Grace. This season highlights a different genre with each performance including a holiday show. All at Bob & Sally Mooney Hall at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond. Still to come:

• Heart & Soul: Ms. Jaylin Brown. Feb. 15, 2025, 8 p.m.
• ’70s Pop Night! The Super Sugar Beats. April 26, 2025, 8 p.m.

Mancini. He won OSCARS®. He won GRAMMYS®. And his legendary music won fans everywhere. The Richmond Symphony pays tribute to the great movie music of Henry Mancini, with such classics as “Moon River,” “The Days of Wine and Roses,” and “The Pink Panther.” Feb. 18, 8 p.m., at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

“Murmurs in Time.” In a world premiere, Chicago-based percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion performs a work by tabla player Zakir Hussain, who will also perform. Feb. 21, 2025, at Modlin Center for the Arts, University of Richmond.

“On the Battlefield” 2025 Symposium. Includes a program on significant battlefield artifacts from the ACWM collection, a reception with symposium speakers, scholars’ lectures on the course of the Civil War as part of the ACWM initiative ‘The Civil War & Remaking America,’ and a panel discussion. Feb. 21 and 22 at the American Civil War Museum, Richmond.

Kadencia! With their unique brand of Afro-Puerto Rican bomba, plena, and salsa music, you’ll find it impossible to sit still. Pay what you can. Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m., at Perkinson Center, Chester.

Virginia Wine Expo 2025. A multi-day event celebrating Virginia wine, spirits, and food – taste, learn, enjoy, at an eclectic mix of curated experiences, seminars, dinners, and the walk-around tasting. Feb. 28 to March 9, at various venues around Richmond.

March and beyond

Wild & Scenic Film Festival Tickets. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay presents its annual film festival, including its own short film, “Surf & Turk: A Chesapeake Bay Watershed Story.” Virtual showing, March 4 to 8. March 6, 6 to 8 p.m., at Studio Two Three, Richmond.

Broadway in Richmond Presents Its 2024 to 2025 Season. The new season includes five Richmond-area premieres with three of them in their first year of touring along with the return of a popular rom-com, pop musical. Still to come:

• The 10-time Tony Award-winning hit “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” entertains March 4 to 16, 2025.
• “A Beautiful Noise,” in its first year of touring, entertains in RVA from April 15 to 20, 2025.
• Song and dance spectacular “Some Like It Hot” comes to Richmond, June 3 to 8, 2025.
• “Chicago The Musical” returns, May 9 to 11, 2025 (can be added to any six-show season ticket package).

“Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine” and Related Events. The new exhibition opens on the 550th anniversary of Michelangelo’s birth and will be the first major exhibition presented in the newly renovated Muscarelle. Exhibition runs March 6 to May 28 at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg.

• “Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine” Curator’s Opening Lecture with Adriano Marinazzo: March 18, 5 p.m.
• Virtual Book Talk: “Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling” with Muscarelle Director David Brashear and New York Times-bestselling author Ross King: March 30, 2 p.m.
• “Michelangelo & Titian: A Tale of Titans,” a lecture with internationally recognized Michelangelo scholar William E. Wallace: April 8, 5 p.m.
• “Michelangelo: The Tomb and the Vault,” a lecture with exhibition curator Adriano Marinazzo about connections between Michelangelo’s original project for the Tomb of Pope Julius II and his Sistine ceiling paintings: April 28, 5 p.m.

“A Loving Community.” Presented in partnership with Virginia Opera, the play with music features music and history relevant to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The program will include excerpts from the new opera, “Loving v. Virginia,” which premieres April 2025. Q&A with performers follows. Accompanied by display panels to enhance understanding of the historical context. FREE, registration required. March 7, 6:30 p.m., at Perkinson Center, Chester.

Richmond Shakespeare’s 26th Season. Classic and contemporary plays and musicals. At varying locations in Richmond. Still to come:

• “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again],” March 13 to 30
• “Cyrano De Bergerac,” Summer, dates TBA
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Summer, dates TBA

Adult Night Hike. Ever wonder who stays awake while you sleep? Meet some of Maymont’s nighttime residents and learn about their nocturnal adaptations through experiments, games, and a hike. Owls, bats, frogs, and other creatures of the dark help shed some light onto their mysterious ways. 21+ with adult beverages available for purchase. March 14, 2025, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Maymont, Richmond.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture Kicks Off 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. March 22 to Jan. 4, 2026, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

• Virginia Explorer Virtual Tour: Launches winter 2025
• Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865: June 14 to July 5, 2026
• 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

Documentary Preview with Ken Burns. The award-winning filmmaker and his co-director, Sarah Botstein, preview the upcoming documentary, “The American Revolution,” with a screening (official release is fall 2025), followed by a panel discussion including Burns, his co-director, and three historians who participated in the film. March 23, 7 p.m., at Altria Theater, Richmond.

RTP’s 2024-2025 Spotlight Cabaret Series. Richmond Triangle Players presents four cabaret performances for the season. At Robert B. Moss Theatre, Richmond. Still to come:

• Georgia Rogers Farmer: Perfect Pair. March 27 to 29, 2025
• Nationally Renowned Act To be Announced. May 30 to 31, 2025

“STOMP.” A combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy, STOMP uses  household and industrial objects find as musical instruments in the hands of a band of body percussionists. It’s a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum. The international percussion sensation will offer three performances, March 28 and 29, at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

“Aguas da Amazonia.” Third Coast Percussion and dancers of the Twyla Tharp Dance company will perform an original adaptation of Philip Glass’s work for percussion quartet and flute. April 5, 2025, at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond.

Colonial Williamsburg’s Annual Garden Symposium. Curators, archaeologists, and gardeners from Colonial Williamsburg, plus award-winning authors, gardeners, landscape architects, naturalists, and horticulturalists. Presentations address topics such as the influence of imported prints on Virginia’s early gardens, spring flowering bulbs, gardening in the context of the Age of Exploration, and the horticultural impact of three cultures fusing into a new world during the 17th and 18th centuries. Virtual option. April 10 to 12 in Colonial Williamsburg.

“The Impending Crisis.” A dynamic exhibit of events, people, and circumstances that led America to a pivotal point in its history, exploring differing viewpoints from across the nation in pre-civil war America. Opening April 27 at the American Civil War Museum, Tredegar, 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:

• “Which Way to the Stage” by Ana Nogueira. What happens when dreams fall just out of reach, in a playful yet profound comedy of friendship and ambition. April 23 to May 17, 2025.
• “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.

Run Wild Races. In honor of Poppy, the new pygmy hippo, Metro Richmond Zoo presents three races: the one-miler Mini, a sprint inside the zoo; the Run Wild 5k through and around the zoo; and the Wild Ninja objstacle course around the zoo, with 41 obstacles over approximately 2 miles. May 3 at 8, 8:45, and 10 a.m., at the Metro Richmond Zoo, Moseley.

“Loving v. Virginia.” Virginia Opera premieres the operatic retelling of a young couple’s interracial marriage in 1958 that sparks a case which leads to the Supreme Court and a victory for civil rights in the United States. Based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving. Sung in English with English surtitles. May 9 to 11, 2025, at Dominion Energy Center, 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.

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 21: Dwight Yoakam
• June 26: Parker McCollum – What Kinda Man Tour 2025
• July 15 and 16 – Dave Matthews Band
• July 19: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• Aug. 6: Styx & Kevin Cronin + Don Felder the Brotherhood of Rock Tour
• Aug. 23: Bailey Zimmerman – New to Country Summer Tour
• Aug. 29: Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
• Sept. 22: “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour

Ongoing Events

Around Richmond, and a few worth a road trip

Ken Ludwig’s “Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure.” An investigation into the Bohemian king’s stolen letters cascades into an international mystery filled with spies, blackmail, and intrigue. With world peace at stake, Holmes and Dr. Watson join forces with an American actress to take down the cunning criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. Five actors play over 40 roles in this brand new adventure of danger and laughter. Through Jan. 26 at Hanover Tavern, Hanover.

Israeli & Jewish Film Festival. Six films with Israeli and Jewish connections. Through Jan. 26, at various venues, Richmond.

“The Diary of Anne Frank.” The award-winning drama has been newly adapted, for an even deeper exploration of a Jewish family’s claustrohobic and tragic existence during World War II. Heartwarming, honest, and impassioned. Jan. 24 to Feb. 15 at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, South Chesterfield.

A Prescription for Change: Black Voices Shaping Healthcare in Virginia. This exhibition will highlight the significant yet often overlooked contributions of Black professionals in the health fields. Through March 15, 2025, at the Black History Museum of Virginia, Richmond.

“A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools That Changed America.” Exhibition honoring the Rosenwald program, a unique school program established to provide educational opportunities for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. One of the most transformative educational initiatives in American history was forged by Booker T. Washington, a Black educator, and Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist. The exhibition features photographs and stories of the schools alongside a Virginia-based collection of related artifacts, images, and more. Through April 20, 2025, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.

Portraits: The “Style Weekly” Photograph Archive. Richmond’s alternative source of culture, arts, opinion, and local issues started in 1982, through words and photographs. This exhibition includes portraits selected from the archive. Through May 16, 2025, at The Valentine, 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, 2025 at the Library of Virginia, Richmond.

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.

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.

“‘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.

“Sculpting History.” The new 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.