Editor's Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America's 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and the upcoming IllumiNation. Also, filmmaker Justin Black of Headwaters Down is sailing aboard...
“The rebel yell, reinforced by a glorification of the lost cause was everywhere manifest,” reported John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet, an African American weekly newspaper, at the time of the Robert E. Lee monument’s unveiling. It was the spring of 1890. Boxes adorned with Confederate flags held the 12-ton bust, as a faithful...
Fifty million shows this week. I usually try to keep it to three or four, but there’s just too much unmissable stuff on the docket, I had to throw it all in. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGB3Evw_-wg Skorts, Tentative Decisions, Shagg...
Don’t let the name fool you, the Richmond Jazz & Music Festival, happening August 8–10, 2025, isn’t just about jazz. This year, hip hop isn’t just part of the mix, it’s taking center stage. It’s been moving in that direction for a while, but now the shift feels complete. As the festival continues to evolve, it’s embracing the full...
Sun’s up, we ain’t dead yet. Plenty of good stuff on the bills -- your favorites, my favorites, maybe even your next favorite. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtZ8kwWtUfI Spooky Cool, Fight Cloud, Raavi, Ducctape JesusFriday July 25th,...
Why federal arts funding keeps the city’s creative economy alive. by Catie-Reagan King, Ed.D. On any given weekend in Richmond, you can find a stage lit up with stories, some bold and provocative, others warm and familiar. Whether it’s a world premiere at Firehouse Theatre, a boundary-pushing musical at Richmond Triangle Players, or a Shakespeare...
As Shockoe Bottom has continued to be ground zero for unmanaged nightlife, armed youth, and disappearing oversight business owners and community leaders warn that Richmond’s failure to act isn’t just bad policy, it’s a dangerous gamble with the city’s future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeevJeoM91k On paper, Shockoe Bottom should be thriving....
For the Richmond we know, “fancy” doesn’t belong to the country club set. It doesn’t sip cocktails under chandeliers or care much about matching buttons. Here, fancy has dirt on its boots and glitter in its hair. It shows up to a protest in drag. It haunts the streets on Halloween in a costume held together with duct tape and conviction. The...
Drink like a grown-up. Wonder like a kid. No children, no judgment, just dinosaurs. Ah, dinosaurs. We never outgrow them. They’re the original fascination and the gateway drug into the natural world. When we were kids, they were terrifying and magical. Now? They’re still magical. Just with better science and slightly more plausible theories about...
The rain can’t keep us down. Even though it has been pouring for a week, the shows are still going on, life continues despite it all! Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twshwb1oXbM MiramarSunday July 20th, 2025Get Tight Lounge Few concert...
