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The Light That Never Went Out 

There is a spotlight still mounted in the rafters of 528 N. 2nd Street. It has been there since 1914. It has outlasted segregation, fire, the highway that cut Jackson Ward in two, and decades of silence. On the nights when the Hippodrome Theater fills up, that light...

Virginia’s New Marijuana Law: Everything You Need to Know

After years of legislative battles, vetoes, compromise negotiations, and numerous articles, Virginia finally has a roadmap for legal recreational marijuana sales. The state budget signed into law earlier this week establishes a regulated cannabis marketplace beginning...

Review | ‘As You Like It’ is Just How I Like It

If you’ve been reading these reviews for a while, you’ll notice I love me some context. Especially surrounding William Shakespeare’s plays. One of my favorite things about the existence of Richmond Shakespeare is that they’ve forced me to go back to the English Lit...

Fourth of July 2026 in Richmond: Fireworks, Festivals, and More

The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...

IllumiNATION Tells America’s Story on a Monumental Scale

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 IllumiNation. It's hard to impress people with just a building. Yet standing in front of the...

Blöthar: “GWAR Didn’t Change. The World Freakin Changed.”

Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...

Field Trip Bikes and the Long Ride of Richmond’s Cycling Culture

I recently bought my first bicycle in more than a decade. Like most people, I started my search online, comparing models, reading reviews, and trying to figure out what kind of rider I actually wanted to be. Eventually I visited several local bike shops before...

Protest or Parade, Richmond Likes to Get ‘Fancy’

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...

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Fancy_-Costumes-Characters-and-the-Richmond-Masque-at-The-Valentine_photo-by-Michael-Simon_RVA-Magazine-2025

Get JURASS-ic to Science on Tap! Dino Night

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...

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Sound Check | Miramar, New Lions, Friday Junior & More!

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...

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Miramar-at-Get-Tight-Lounge_RVA-Magazine-2025

When the Music Ends, The Bukit Hedz Begin

I came across them one night, sitting in the grass at Kanawha Plaza. Two men, buckets stacked like makeshift toms, a lone snare resting in one lap, framed by the warm glow skyline of downtown Richmond. Beside them, a sign made the economics clear: VENMO DRUMKEEM. PAYPAL DRUMMERVA. CASHAPP DRUMKING7. They weren’t playing yet. Just waiting....

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The Bukit Hedz Richmond VA_photo by R Anthony Harris RVA Magazine 2025

Because None of This is Important, All of It Is.

Amid feedback loops, flickering lights, and fleeting connections at Get Tight Lounge, a local sound tech finds clarity in the chaos and meaning in the impermanence. by Eric Kalata I had to go across town first, to a different venue, to grab the microphones and monitors that I would need for the night. There were six speakers, and I was to take...

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Eric Kalata writing_photo by R Anthony Harris_RVA Magazine 2025

What Does Trust Look Like? Richmond Artists Offer an Answer

A 100-foot brick wall in Richmond’s Fan District now carries a word in bold ghost-sign lettering: RELIABILITY. Painted by local artists Noah Scalin and Alfonso Pérez Acosta, it’s the first in a four-part series of murals under the banner Trust Buildings, part of the Mending Walls RVA public art initiative. Each mural will center on one...

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Trust Buildings Mending Walls_photos Katrina Hecksher Jones_RVA Magazine 2025