2024 Fall Events & Festivals in Richmond, VA

2024 Fall Events & Festivals in Richmond, VA

This fall, get ready to reacquaint yourself with fun! If summer festivals are for loud music, outdoor sports, and sweating, then fall festivals are for eating, culture, and enjoying the last few weeks before it’s too cold to be outside. Here, you can celebrate anything and everything in RVA. So grab your calendar and a pencil, and start marking down the dates of these fall events and festivals in Richmond. (Pro tip: don’t make out-of-town plans October 5 because it’s going to be an incredible day of events!)

Looking for festivals in other seasons? Check out our guides to Spring, Summer, and Winter.

Nitrocross Richmond: September 7-8

Nitrocross, a racing series founded in 2018, is the perfect blend of fast-paced competition and exhilarating action sports. Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2024/2025 race series opener will take place at the Richmond Raceway this September. Nitrocross stands out by offering challenging courses with massive jumps designed for the Group E all-electric rally race cars, and a unique race setting featuring the side-by-sides and the crowd favorite, the Baja Bugs. It’s not just a race; it’s a full festival experience with live entertainment.

VA PrideFest: September 14

This free, family-friendly festival takes place at Brown’s Island and is planned and implemented by Virginia Pride, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources and an open and approachable forum for the LGBT Community. VA Pridefest 2024 will feature national, regional and local entertainment on two stages, more than 120 vendors, food, drinks and fun!

St. Benedict Oktoberfest: September 20-22

Nothing says Fall quite like the arrival of the St. Benedict Oktoberfest! Test your feats of strength with a stein-holding contest (we totally haven’t been practicing all year), eat authentic and sehr-delicious German food, and of course enjoy loads of German beers, both local and not! Prost!

Richmond Folk Festival: September 27-29

If you can only go to one festival all year, this one has to be a contender. Some say it’s THE festival in Richmond. The Richmond Folk Festival brings together more than 200,000 people to celebrate great music along the James at Brown’s Island. As the east coast’s largest folk festival, it’s got an impressive lineup of performers, food, beer, wine, and activities. Don’t miss it!

Festival of India: September 28-29

Did you know that India is so large, it takes up to 30 hours to drive across from east to west and more than 40 hours to get across from north to south?! With such a huge area, it’s no wonder there are so many different subcultures and traditions within the country. The Festival of India, since 1981, has done it’s best to give a well-rounded display of Indian culture, food, music, and dance!

Armenian Food Festival: October 4-5

The Armenian Food Festival has been put on each year (save for 2020) for almost 65 years, so you know it must be amazing! And it is – we think the secret is in the philo dough. Armenian culture isn’t one you might be exposed to very often, so this festival is an exciting opportunity to experience Armenian food and traditions first hand. You’ll probably dream about the Derev (stuffed grape leaves), Lamajoon (Armenian Meat Pie), or the Bourma (rolled philo dough filled with walnuts) all year long.

OystoberFest: October 5

It’s pretty simple; if you like oysters, you have to go! The OystoberFest in Ginter Park features live music, good beer, and – you guessed it – lots of oysters (raw, steamed, and fried!) The event is free to attend but a suggested $2 donation will support St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church outreach programs.

Powhatan’s Festival of the Grape: October 5

We love wine, and we love festivals celebrating wine, and we especially love festivals celebrating wine in beautiful weather. Check out the 21st (Mostly) Annual Festival of the Grape! Celebrate in the streets with 7,000 of your closest friends while tasting the best whites, reds, roses, and more that Virginia has to offer.

Richmond Veg Fest: October 5

Vegans, a food festival just for you! You can attend the Richmond Veg Fest at Byrd Park with the knowledge that you’ll be able to eat anything and everything on the menu, with more than 100 vegan-friendly vendors. Richmond Veg Fest’s mission is “to highlight a vegan diet along with the resources that exist in RVA that make veganism a positive and easy choice.” 

2nd Street Festival: October 5-6

The 36th annual 2nd Street Festival returns in October to celebrate the rich culture of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood! This free festival is put on by Venture Richmond and has grown to be one of Richmond’s (and the Mid-Atlantic’s!) largest festivals, with nearly 30,000 folks visiting Jackson Ward. This year’s festival features headliner Arrested Development, the multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning group (including the first-ever Hip-Hop artist to receive the “best new artist” Grammy).

Richmond Oktoberfest: October 18-19

Wait, isn’t Oktoberfest supposed to be in September? Ja, genau, but we’re not in Munich, are we? Celebrate like the Bavarians a month later with all the brats, beers, and oompa music you can handle. The Richmond Oktoberfest at Meadow Event Park in Doswell, VA, has plenty of all your lieblingsessen in stock: bratwurst, knockwurst, pork roast, potato pancakes, apfelkuchen, and of course, beer. 

Scott’s Addition Pumpkin Festival: October 19

The free Scott’s Addition Pumpkin Festival is a true celebration of this most notable of fall flavors – pumpkin! Pumpkin everything is accompanied by music good enough to dance to, drinks, and (maybe, but no promises) food that doesn’t include pumpkin.

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: October 18-20

Richmond is one of the most tattooed cities in the country, and for good reason. RVA boasts some incredible tattoo artists, and what better way to celebrate that than the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention? The convention has been a gathering place for industry founders, tattoo enthusiasts, artists, collectors, and fans since 1988. Today, it showcases the latest trends and innovations in tattooing while honoring the legacy of its founders. World-renowned (and locally located) tattoo artist Jesse Smith is hosting this year’s celebration so you can guarantee it will be a truly unforgettable weekend.

Richmond Zombie Walk: October 26

We can only imagine this event began when someone thought, “What if we got a bunch of people – erm zombies – together to just walk down the street…” Well, 19 years later, the Zombie Walk is quite a hit! To join, all you have to do is show up in Carytown as a zombie or a victim at the walk’s starting point, and scare as many unsuspecting passersby as you can! Plus, event donations go toward suicide prevention and awareness, so you know you’re scaring for a charitable cause.

Lewis Ginter HarvestFest: October 27

Lewis Ginter’s HarvestFest will get you in the fall spirit! Included in the general admission ticket, HarvestFest will have live music, food, adult beverages, and family-friendly activities! Plus, the Garden Cafe and Bloemendaal House tent will feature German fare in the Oktoberfest spirit!

Halloween on Hanover: October 31

Halloween on Hanover Avenue is truly special, as the residents of 1800-2200 blocks come together each year to create a larger than life halloween trick-or-treating experience. Past years have featured a full pirate ship, complete with the characters of Pirates of the Caribbean giving out candy. And the rest of the neighborhood doesn’t like to be outdone, so you know it’s 4 blocks of all-out Halloween madness!

InLight Richmond: November 8-9

Put on by 1708 Gallery since 2008, InLight Richmond has illuminated Richmond’s streets with light-based installations, performances, and interactive projects over the course of a weekend. The theme for InLight 2024 is “Grounds for Clearing” and will take place at Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center in Richmond’s Northside.

Richmond Jewish Food Festival: November 10-11

Back after a one-year hiatus, the Richmond Jewish Food Festival is back for 2024! The festival is returning to it’s roots at Keneseth Beth Israel at 6300 Patterson Avenue. There will be tons of food in the form of dinners, side dishes, and of course, baked goods. You’ll find live music and market vendors, plus much larger seating capacity and expanded hours (noon-9PM)! Admission is free.

You Might Also Like: