If South By Southwest hosted TED talks, was almost entirely free, and was held in Charlottesville, would you go? Because that’s what the TomTom Founder’s Festival’s schedule looks like as it returns for its second year starting Thursday, April 11.
If South By Southwest hosted TED talks, was almost entirely free, and was held in Charlottesville, would you go? Because that’s what the TomTom Founder’s Festival’s schedule looks like as it returns for its second year starting Thursday, April 11. TomTom has definitely grown up a bit.
A block party with 25 musical acts at the historic McGuffey Art Center will kick off more than 60 concerts that will transform several downtown stages with multi-genre sounds of Latin, hip hop, folk, Americana, electronic and rock. RVA Magazine readers should be familiar with the localvore movement’s champion, Relay Foods, who are sponsoring Picnic Day at Lee Park, beginning at noon on Saturday, April 13.
Speaking of local foods, Forbes magazine named C’ville the localvore capital of the world, and to be frank, it’s absolutely true. Charlottesville hosts one of the best farmer’s markets in the country, Charlottesville’s City Market, and on Saturday, April 13 during TomTom, it will expand for Tom Yum: Local. Food. Innovation, showcasing local farmers, fresh food, local chefs, and a pop-up park, with Appalachian roots & Americana music to accompany the gastronomical delights. On Sunday, local food trucks from C’ville and RVA, including Babes in the Woods, Greenie’s, Mouth Wide Open and more, will literally circle their wagons for a truck-off.
I may have forgotten to mention that TomTom is also giving away ten thousand dollars. It’s a pretty simple idea; a bunch of people get into a room, listen to ten different ideas, and then give ten grand to the best one. This is one of the only events that has a ticket price- ten bucks to vote–but it’s worth it. Just ask the woman who won last year–she owns one of the food trucks coming on Sunday! Sponsored by the Batten Institute at U.Va.’s Darden School of Business, U.Pitch. C’ville Decides will kick off the festival at the i.Lab at U.Va on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 PM.
Some of Charlottesville’s best creative minds will be showcased through McGuffey’s Public Mural Contest, Urban Sketching, Design Marathon, Piedmont Council for the Arts Gallery Walk, Public Art Bike Tour, pop-up dance performances, and the Virginia Film Festival screening of Making Good, a series of short documentaries on local makers and crafters.
There’s plenty more. For complete festival details go to www.tomtomfest.com.
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