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...
“On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people,” reads the main page on the No Kings website. This Saturday, October 18, Richmond will again find itself on the frontlines of a national movement. Thousands are expected to gather at the Virginia State Capitol at 1 p.m....
Editor’s note: A quick distinction matters here. When Virginia lawmakers talk about “cannabis,” they’re really talking about two overlapping but very different markets. Hemp, low-THC cannabis that’s federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill signed by President Trump, is what thousands of small Virginia retailers currently sell in the form of...
by Catie-Reagan King This October, artoberVA turns ten. That’s ten years of murals and music, plays and poetry, galleries and gatherings. Ten years of Richmond and the Tri-Cities showing off just how creative, bold, and welcoming this region really is. When the idea for artoberVA launched in 2016, it was a bit of a leap. Could one month-long...
In a quiet office inside Health Brigade, Edward Peters talks about the city the way someone might describe a long, strange dream that’s familiar, unpredictable, and filled with people he still can’t stop caring about. “I’m an HIV test counselor,” he says, “and my title is IDU Outreach Specialist.” IDU stands for injection drug use, but Peters...
For a few weeks this fall, Richmond was missing one of its own. Francine, the cat who’s lived at the Lowe’s on West Broad for eight years, had vanished. You probably saw the flyers, or the posts online. People worried. Customers stopped by the store just to ask. And somehow, in a city that can’t agree on parking or politics, everyone agreed that...
Richmond once got called one of the most hipster cities in America, number five in the country, number twenty in the world, apparently. Depending on your disposition, that either made you proud or made you roll your eyes so hard you risked permanent damage. The thing is, it wasn’t wrong. From 2005 to 2015, this city leaned into an identity it...
This story was originally published in Virginia Pride Guide 2025. Virginia Pride Festival 2025 is presented with the support of Out RVA, Allianz, Hit Play, Virginia Lottery, CarMax, Bank of America, CoStar Group, Genworth, CapTech, and Bar West, with media support from Richmond...
Editor’s note: This is an op-ed. The views belong to the author and not necessarily RVA Magazine. We publish opinion pieces to spark conversation, share perspectives, and give space to voices in our community. by Jacob Sherrod Richmond’s zoning code, the policies which govern what buildings can be built and where, is being rewritten as per a...
Francine, a well-known shop cat at Lowe’s in Richmond and a beloved fixture of the community, has gone missing, sparking a cross-state search effort. According to posts from staff and supporters, Francine disappeared on September 18 after walking onto a distribution truck bound for Garysburg, North Carolina. When the truck returned, warehouse...
