Festivals & Fairs

Celebrating AAPI Month at Fairfax’s Asian Festival on Main

Old Town Fairfax’s Asian Festival on Main returns on May 17 to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. For one day only, attendees can immerse themselves in a diverse range of Asian cuisines, including Thai, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian dishes, along with live music and dance performances. Since its inception, Asian […]

by Abby Borgeson

Williamsburg’s Winter Blues Jazz Fest 2026 Returns

Christmas has come and gone. The New Year’s Eve Ball has dropped. Work and school have begun again, and what seems to lie ahead in the month of January is merely a bleak post-holiday season slump. In Williamsburg, however, jazz-lovers gather together for the town’s 12th annual Winter Blues Jazz Fest. Nonprofit organization CultureFix has […]

by Abby Borgeson

Ghost Tours, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches to Visit This Fall

In autumn, Virginia becomes a playground for spine-tingling adventures and harvest celebrations galore. With ghost tours, sprawling corn mazes, and pumpkin patches, the Commonwealth’s unforgettable seasonal experiences blend rich history with fall festivity. This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue.

by Madeline Mayhood

Staunton’s Queen City Mischief & Magic Celebrates 10 Years

You’ll hear the festival before you see it, mostly through the excited shouts of even more excited children. You’ll feel your footsteps fastening almost of their own accord, driven by the anticipation that hangs like a spell over the town of Staunton. And as the buildings of Beverley Street envelop you, some centuries old, you’ll […]

by Hope Cartwright

Top Summer Mountain Events in Virginia

Making the most of summer’s fleeting sweetness reaches new heights in a mountaintop setting. From the Blue Ridge to the Alleghenies, sun-soaked adventures unfold among soaring trees and peaks. Discover what Virginia’s ridges offer at mountain venues this summer. Chairlift Sunset Sessions, Roseland July 12 & Aug. 16 Take in sunset views of misty blue […]

by Hope Cartwright

Virginia’s Top 10 Summer Festivals and Events 2025

STAUNTON – Festival of Concerts June 26–Aug. 2: The stunning strums and resounding chords of classical music echo through Staunton’s mountain landscape as Heifetz International Music Institute students from around the world take the stage, with new concerts every day. HeifetzInstitute.org GLOUCESTER – Food Truck Frenzy July 13: Virginia’s most mouthwatering food trucks descend on […]

by Hope Cartwright

Plucking the heartstrings of Virginia folk at Appaloosa Festival

Find a different kind of music festival in Front Royal this summer at Appaloosa. Bluegrass, Americana, and Celtic tunes pour out from the stages, the acoustic strumming and folksy strains filling the late summer air. Over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31–Sept. 1, retreat to the nostalgic Skyline Ranch Resort, where authentic American homegrown music converges […]

by Hope Cartwright

Sweet Summertime

The 46th Lakefest makes a splash in downtown Clarksville. Clarksville’s lakefront scene heats up in summer with the Virginia Lake Festival. Known as Lakefest, it’s been named one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast. Virginia’s only lakeside city, Clarksville rests on the banks of Buggs Island Lake, the largest in […]

by Staff

Virginia’s Best Sunflower Festivals

The flowers are coming out for these beautiful festivals around the state. July is prime sunflower season at Sinkland Farms in Christiansburg. Over three weekends from July 14-30, enjoy their third annual Sunflower Festival where more than eight acres of sunflowers are in full bloom and perfect for picking. The festival also […]

by Konstantin Rega

Local Cheer

Some must-visit Christmas celebrations around the state. From iconic markets like Richmond’s Bizarre Bazaar to fledgling events like Middletown’s Kris Kringle Market at Belle Grove, Virginia plays host to a bevy of holiday artist hubs teeming with locally made goods. You’ll find baked treats and jewelry from more than 60 vendors at […]

by Staff

A Parade All Day

Virginia Zoo brings animals to life with light. The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk is lighting up the season with its first-ever ZooLumination, a showcase of giant inflatable animals. Executive Director Greg Bockheim says the winter exhibition—which includes a trio of 30-foot giraffes—“furthers our mission by educating people about wildlife.” Visitors can walk […]

by Konstantin Rega

Food, Festivals, and the Great Outdoors

Events for January and February.

by Staff

24 Hours at Lambstock

Eating around the clock at the South’s greatest summer camp for chefs.

by Phaedra Hise

Just Folks

For nearly 50 years the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival has attracted visitors to experience rural Virginia folkways.

by Eric J. Wallace

Craving Comfort

Food festivals celebrating barbecue, bivalves, and beyond.

by Staff

Go Outside!

Festival in Roanoke encourages healthy outdoor recreation.

by Ashley Hunter

Seeds of the South

Explore the deep roots of Southern cuisine at the Heritage Harvest Festival.

by Staff

Out in the Autumn Air

Outdoors events around the Commonwealth for September and October.

by Staff

Festivals of Fall

Celebrate the harvest season at these events around the state.

by Staff

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Buc-ee’s Opens Its First Virginia Location

If you happened to be standing near the I-81 exit for Mt. Crawford in the early morning hours of this past June 30, you’d have witnessed a spectacle. Shoppers flooded into the parking lot and shuffled into block-long lines in hopes of being among the first through the doors of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s travel station. […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Norfolk Harborfest Returns for Its 50th Anniversary

From June 19–21, Downtown Norfolk welcomes a fleet of over 60 international and U.S. tall ships to celebrate VA250. “Harborfest celebrates the rich maritime and naval heritage that defines Norfolk and the Hampton Roads region,” says Jordan Lett, marketing director of Norfolk Festevents. “With something happening throughout the waterfront each day, Harborfest offers an immersive […]

by Abby Borgeson

U.S. News & World Report Names This Virginia School as One of The Best in The Nation

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology’s streak of hard-hitting accolades continues this year with a glowing review from U.S. News & World Report. The outlet recently crowned it the top high school in Virginia—and fifth best in the nation—for 2026. The ranking praised the Fairfax-based magnet school’s STEM-focused curriculum that builds toward a […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Festivals & Fairs

Celebrating AAPI Month at Fairfax’s Asian Festival on Main

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Buc-ee’s Opens Its First Virginia Location

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Festivals & Fairs

Celebrating AAPI Month at Fairfax’s Asian Festival on Main

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