DOWNTOWN RVA




more in culture

Richmond’s Funniest Weekend Returns With 2nd Best Comedy Fest

It’s time for the 9th Annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest running June 11–13, 2026. The Coalition Theater hosts this annual event, and is the brick-and-mortar heart of Richmond's alternative comedy ecosystem. Calling it the 2nd Best Fest is a beautifully defensive undersell...

Stay Hungry pt. 1 | Band on the Road

Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. In Stay Hungry, Richmond local Eric Kalata looks back on a cross-country tour and the restless optimism of...

Local, Latino and A New Richmond Cosmos

Tucked into the alley behind 2512 West Main Street, a fever dream of the cosmos has taken shape across a brick wall. The mural is the collaborative work of four Latino artists working in and around Richmond: Visibly Hidden, Monolith, Mars, and Sol. A distant Earth...

The Mayor of Sunny Mart

There are certain people who become part of a neighborhood so slowly that nobody notices it happening until one day they realize the place would feel strange without them.   If you’ve spent enough time around The Fan late at night, then you probably know Sunny Mart....

‘Songs of Truth’ Brings Sojourner Truth to the Hippodrome

Editor's Note: For more on the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth, read Christian Detres' companion essay HERE. This has been an inspirational season for Richmond’s homegrown theatre. We are following up the sold-out run of Witchduck with the mid-project musical...

Review | Get In My Boca! What’s Happening at the Triangle?

Every time I go to the Aldi on Arthur Ashe at Broad St., En Su Boca tries to seduce me with its tequila and tacos perfume. It doesn’t work all the time, but I feel the pull when I’m browsing the nonsense in Aldi’s middle aisle. I once bought sweatpants there. I’m not...

What a Chilean Traveler Found in Richmond

Editor’s Note: We occasionally make space for outside voices whose perspectives help us see Richmond differently. This piece was submitted by Chilean journalist and multimedia storyteller Natalia Freire. Hidden gems. I like that expression. It’s the first thing that...

Richmond’s Funniest Weekend Returns With 2nd Best Comedy Fest

It’s time for the 9th Annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest running June 11–13, 2026. The Coalition Theater hosts this annual event, and is the brick-and-mortar heart of Richmond's alternative comedy ecosystem. Calling it the 2nd Best Fest is a beautifully defensive undersell that sets the stage for a cultural blowout.Meet the man who has spent a decade...

Read More

2nd-Best-Fest-2025_RVA-Magazine-2026

Richmond Had a General Strike and a First Friday on the Same Night

It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High energy, high discipline” was the chant from activists from the Richmond chapter of the...

Read More

May Day 2026 by Quentin Rice_RVA Magazine 2026

The Richmond Gun Hole Goes to The Valentine

What started as a Twitter joke has officially entered the city’s canon. The Valentine announced this week that the now-famous “Richmond Gun Hole”, a gun-shaped indentation in the sidewalk on South Addison Street, will be part of the museum’s “This Is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition when it reopens with new additions later this month. According to...

Read More

The-Richmond-Gun-Hole-at-Valentine-Museum_RVA-Magazine-2025

SKORTS Talk Origins, Ethos, and Why They Love Richmond

Earlier this week, I sat down with Alli and Char of NYC rock band SKORTS to talk about their origins as a band, the ethos they carry, and their shared love of Richmond. The conversation was in preparation for their upcoming show at Get Tight Lounge this Friday with Deathcat and Human Worm. Alli Walls was serving in a multitude of roles on a...

Read More

SKORTS-by-Griffin-Smalley__photo-by-Nico-Malvaldi_RVA-Magazine-2025

Virginia Pride Festival 2025: Everything You Need to Know 🏳️‍🌈

Richmond will come alive with color, music, and community as Virginia Pride Fest 2025 takes over Midtown Green 2401 West Leigh Street on Saturday, September 27, from noon to 8 p.m. The day caps off more than a week of events organized by VA Pride to celebrate Richmond’s LGBTQ community, culminating in the state’s largest LGBTQ festival. Headlined...

Read More

Virginia-Pride-Festival-2025_RVA-Magazine-2025