We've ranked our favorite moments from another great year in the River City!
10 .15 YEARS OF RIVER ROCK
This year we celebrated 15 years of Dominion Energy Riverrock, one of our favorite Richmond Traditions! River Rock is known as the premier outdoor sports and music festivals. Each year, thousands come to Brown’s Island to celebrate their love of paddling, climbing, biking, fishing, beer, music, food, dogs, and of course Richmond! The festival is put on by Sports Backers and Venture Richmond and shows off the lifestyle that we get to enjoy along the James.
The Folk Festival is Richmond’s biggest annual festival featuring performers representing cultures from around the world. This year was the 20th anniversary of the festival that got its start in 2005 as the National Council for the Traditional Arts’ National Folk Festival. Thousands converged in the River City to vibe out at the festival’s six stages to celebrate over 30 cultures through music, dance, art, storytelling, and of course food! Hosted primarily at Browns Island, the weekend-long festival poured into the streets around downtown and even into the classrooms and auditoriums of various schools in Richmond. To properly close out the second night, the Tremé Brass Band of New Orleans lead a parade to celebrate the 20th anniversary.
8. 60 YEARS OF CRAFT + DESIGNEach year, thousands gather in Richmond for the Craft + Design, a celebration and showcase of museum quality craftsmanship and artistry. This year was the 60th anniversary of the event, as rows of vendors filled Main Street Station offering a shopping experience unlike anything else. Over 160 artists from across the country opened shops for us to browse. The weekend was full of art, music, design, and spirits! Awards in ceramics, precious metals, glass, wood and recycled materials, contemporary design, innovative use of traditional craft materials and fiber are presented to the artists, and this year, Pride & Archive took home the first ever Craft + Design People’s Choice Award! The event is hosted by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond who have been helping Richmond make great art since 1963.
7. 15 YEARS OF MAMA J’SIf you know anything about Richmond, then you know that Mama J’s Kitchen is THE staple of Jackson Ward. In 2009, Lester Johnson and Jonathan Mayo opened Mama J’s to honor Lester’s mother, Velma Johnson, and their family recipes. The three have been holding it down ever since. Back in October, the team at Mama J’s celebrated their 15th year with an anniversary block party. They shut down 1st Street in Jackson Ward with delicious eats, live music, party games, and good vibes. It was a damn time! Mama J’s is one of a kind. We, the locals love it (best pork chops in town, you can hold me to that), and tourists and critics remember the name. Few words can describe how special October 27th, 2024 was for the community, so we’ll just say this: cheers to 15 years of Mama J’s, and here’s to 15 more!
6. FALL LINE TRAILAfter years of planning, work finally began on the Fall Line Trail, Central Virginia’s Transformative Trail. The 43-mile trail will connect people with schools, jobs, and parks across the five localities that surround Richmond. Beginning in Ashland, the trail will run through Hanover, Henrico, Downtown Richmond, Chesterfield, and finally Petersburg! Soon the trail will connect 95 schools, 6 College/Universities, 2 major regional trails, 3 rivers, more than 10 parks, and hundreds of transit stops and we just can’t wait! Led by Sports Backers, the Fall Line Trail will transform how we get around, not just Richmond, but the entire region.
5. CARYTOWN
When the wooden, dilapidated sign marking the beginning of the city’s most iconic shopping district, it was obvious that something had to be done to replace the landmark. It would’ve been too easy to just put up another wooden sign. So, this time, the sign would need to reflect everything that Carytown is presently and has always been. The new Carytown sign now hangs across the entrance to Carytown and properly sets the tone for any stroll through the area.
For the fifth year, Richmond raised the Pride flag at City Hall to display the City’s commitment to celebrating inclusivity and diversity. The River City is home to hundreds who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and we are proud to call this city our home. This year’s pride celebration was formalized when June was officially named Pride Month in Richmond. This designation comes after years of effort from leaders in the community who championed the partnerships that made it possible. One presenter, at the flag raising ceremony, reminded the crowd of the words of Margaret Meade that summed up the event well. She said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
3. SQUIRRELS
Richmond’s favorite pastime is getting a facelift and we couldn’t be more excited. In September, the Richmond Flying Squirrels broke ground on their new stadium that will replace the aging Diamond. The new stadium will be named Carmax Park and it will usher in a new era for not only the squirrels, but also the Rams as VCU Baseball will also call the new park home. The entire neighborhood east of Scott’s addition has been nicknamed the Diamond District, and we will soon see multiple new apartment buildings rise in the area surrounding the new park. A new multi-acre park will be created that will stretch across the entire district. Across Hermitage from the Diamond District, VCU has begun the first phase of their new Athletic Village that will be home to new state of the facilities for the VCU athletic teams.
2. IVYEveryone in Richmond was watching Women’s sports as the Richmond Ivy kicked off their inaugural year. City Stadium was alive as we packed into the stands to cheer on the team. Made of many, the team's official slogan, represents the club’s namesake twisting vines that grow in bunches as they tangle and climb; but as fans filled every seat in the stands, it became clear that this club was truly made of many as well. The Ivy’s roster represents players from more than 15 different universities and clubs. The club even hosted a NWSL match up at City Stadium where the Chicago Red Stars took on the Washington Spirit as part of the NWSL Summer Cup. We can’t wait for another record breaking year of women's soccer in Richmond as the Ivy take the pitch for the 2025 season.
1. TOWNCNN recently named Richmond, VA as the 2024 #1 town to visit and we couldn’t agree more. This city has everything! We are rich with culture, art, music, and food - so of course people from all over are flocking here to experience the place that we’re lucky to call home. Some of the most iconic tourist activities include the historic tours through Church Hill, Downtown, and The Fan, with stops along the way at the site of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech and the famous Hollywood Cemetery, there’s plenty to do out here. Richmond also boasts a plethora of reasonably priced (and some free) museums, like the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (VMFA), The Valentine Museum, The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), The Science Museum of Virginia, and many, many more.