Lucky you. You just found RICtoday’s Plan Ahead, a list of some of the biggest events taking place in Richmond each month.
Take out your calendar, grab your day planner, or text all your friends — these are the top events we recommend heading to in April. Psst: Don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back — we update our guide monthly.
Want to keep searching? Check out our full events calendar.
Festival fun
Richmond Poetry Fest | Friday, April 10 + Saturday, April 11 | 11 a.m.-8 p.m. | Visual Arts Center of Richmond | Free | Browse the two-day schedule, which includes numerous readings and workshops, as well as a book club breakfast, drag queen story hour, and a special announcement from Richmond’s Poet Laureate.
Richmond Dance Festival | Friday, April 10 + Saturday, April 11 | Times vary | The Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen | $21 | A weekend of performances celebrates Richmond’s professional dance scene along with our next generation of movers.
African American Book Festival | Saturday, April 11 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Richmond Diversity Center | Free, RSVP | Meet new and established authors, attend discussions and book signings, win door prizes, and celebrate Black voices in our community.
FETCH Fest | Sunday, April 12 | 1-4 p.m. | Hardywood Park Brewing, West Creek | Free entry | Whether you have a dog of your own or not, this nonprofit expo is a field day for pet lovers.
Richmond Renaissance Faire | Saturday, April 18 + Sunday, April 19 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Dorey Park | $27+ | Grab a day pass or two, assemble your costume, and rally your excitement to celebrate the first-ever Richmond Ren Faire.
Fresh spring air
Richmond Night Market | Saturday, April 11 | 5-9 p.m. | 17th Street Market | Free entry | With winter behind us, 17th Street comes back to life for its eighth season of monthly markets.
Kite Day | Sunday, April 12 | 1-4 p.m. | River City Sportsplex | Free, RSVP | Expect an afternoon of music, glitter tattoos, and high-flying kites. The first 1,300 kids (ages 12 and under) will be provided a kite upon entry.
See Yourself Here: VMFA Community Celebration | Sunday, April 12, 2026 | 1-4 p.m. | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | Free | Tag along with friends, family, or a good book to enjoy the museum lawn in the wake of spring.
Concerts + performances
“Macbeth” | Thursday, April 2-Saturday, April 18 | Times vary | Dominion Energy Center’s Gottwald Playhouse | $57 | Richmond Shakespeare presents this classic production about “power, prophecy, and betrayal.”
Waxahatchee + MJ Lenderman | Wednesday, April 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Altria Theater | $42+ | Curb your indie-Americana enthusiasms with this stage pairing.
Juvenile | Thursday, April 16 | 7:30 p.m. | The National | $64+ | “Slow Motion” won’t help you when grabbing tickets to see this 1990s Southern rap icon.
“Disco, Always:" Harry Styles Dance Night | Friday, April 17 | 8:30 p.m. | Canal Club | $24 | This downtown venue is trading out its usual hardcore and punk scene for a night of dance-pop and One Direction throwbacks — “Feather boas encouraged.”
Bellevue Porchella | Saturday, April 18 | 12-6 p.m. | Bellevue Neighborhood | Free | Use a printable map to follow a 36-band lineup from porch to porch, and grab food from 5+ mobile trucks along the way.
St. Paul + The Broken Bones | Tuesday, April 21 | 6-10 p.m. | Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden | $52+ | Editor Elise: I’ve seen this eight-piece soul band perform live, and I think you should take my word for it and go if you’re able.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones will kick off Lewis Ginter’s Groovin’ in the Garden concert season.
Photo by Gus Philippas, via Flickr
Sports
First Flight at CarMax Park | Tuesday, April 7-Sunday, April 12 | CarMax Park | Prices vary | The Squirrels are kicking off opening week at the new stadium with game-day happy hours, fireworks, and giveaways. Plus, a Pregame Blastoff Bash will take place outside the stadium’s main entry each day, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k | Saturday, April 18 | 7 a.m.-12 p.m. | Monument Avenue | Free to attend, registration prices vary | Registration will remain open — even on race day — for those of you looking to participate.
Richmond Kickers Pride Night | Saturday, April 25 | 6-8 p.m. | City Stadium | $20+ | The Kickers’ Pride match always draws a large crowd, and the excitement of the stands is what makes the games so fun.
Share your event
Have an event of your own you’d like to share with us? Follow these easy steps to add your events to our calendar:
- Click or tap this button to go to our Events page.
- Click “Add Event” in the top right corner, beneath our Featured Events.
- Create a login and input your event information. We’ll need the name, link, date(s), time(s), location, price, and a brief description.
- Click “Submit,” and — ta-da — you’ve just added an event to our website calendar.
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