Spooky season peaks around the Village this week, as does our local events: a glow party to close out the Garden’s Thursday evenings, Poe after dark, a free family trick-or-treat on the Boulevard, and a wine festival under the same roof. There’s also a fall race, a harvest festival, and two free weeknight music options to balance the candy. Here is what is on from Thursday, October 22 through Wednesday, October 28.
1. Flowers After 5: Glow Party (Fidos After 5)
Thursday, October 22, 5:00–8:00 PM Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave, Henrico
The last Flowers After 5 of the season goes out glowing: a DJ, glow gear, and the Garden after hours, with dogs welcome for this Fidos After 5 night. It is a fitting send-off for a Thursday-evening institution — stroll the grounds, bring a picnic or grab food on site, and enjoy the fall color while the season lasts.
Cost: Included with regular Garden admission — $24 adults, $20 seniors/military, $14 youth ages 4–17; free for members and children 3 and under.
More info: Event page
2. Halloween UnHappy Hour
Thursday, October 22, 6:00–9:00 PM The Poe Museum, Enchanted Garden, 1914 E Main St, Richmond
The Poe Museum’s most anticipated UnHappy Hour of the year turns the Enchanted Garden into haunted ground for a night of food, music, and spooky shenanigans. If you only do one Halloween night out in Richmond, this is the one that actually fits the setting — Poe, after dark, in a garden built for it.
Cost: $8–$18.
More info: Event page
3. Trick or Treat at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Friday, October 23, 4:00–7:00 PM Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond
More than 25 local nonprofits set up spooky stations throughout the museum for an evening of safe indoor trick-or-treating, plus crafts, games, a Halloween band, a bounce house, a trackless train, and chocolate-making demos. Best of all, admission is free for the night — including the new Barbie: A Cultural Icon exhibition — so it doubles as a no-cost museum visit.
Cost: Free; registration appreciated but not required.
More info: Event page
4. Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
Friday, October 23, 6:30–8:45 PM Bolling Haxall House, 211 E Franklin St, Richmond
A string quartet plays Thriller, Ghostbusters, Stranger Things, the Halloween theme, and more by candlelight in one of downtown’s grand old houses. It is the grown-up date-night counterpoint to the afternoon’s trick-or-treating — familiar tunes made deliciously eerie, in a room that suits them.
Cost: Tickets from $32.71.
More info: Event page
5. Dominion Energy Cap Trail Classic
Saturday, October 24, 7:00 AM–12:30 PM Virginia Capital Trail, Richmond
Richmond’s fall trail race returns with a new half marathon alongside the 10-miler, 5K, and the kids’ Mummy Mile fun run, followed by a Party Zone with music, local vendors, and an awards ceremony. Even if you are not racing, the finish-line atmosphere and costume contest make it a lively Saturday-morning outing — and a good excuse to cheer on neighbors on the trail.
Cost: $25 Mummy Mile, $55 5K, $70 10-mile, $95 half marathon.
More info: Event page
6. HarvestFest at the Garden
Saturday, October 24, 10:00 AM–2:00 PM Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave, Henrico
A full fall day at the Garden: storytime under the Overcup Oak, pumpkin painting, gourd painting, marigold seed saving, live music, and comfort food from grilled brats to German mac and cheese and Nightingale ice cream sandwiches. It is the family-friendly anchor of the weekend, and everything is included with regular admission.
Cost: Included with regular Garden admission — $24 adults, $20 seniors/military, $14 youth ages 4–17; free for members and children 3 and under.
More info: Event page
7. Virginia Vines
Saturday, October 24, 6:00–9:00 PM Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond
Celebrate Virginia Wine Month at the museum’s fifth annual Virginia Vines wine festival: samples from Virginia wineries and bottle shops, live music, food trucks, a cooperage demonstration, and after-hours access to Barbie: A Cultural Icon. A ticket covers 20 wine samples and a commemorative tasting glass — a polished Saturday night on the Boulevard.
Cost: Ticketed; see the museum’s event page for current pricing. Ages 21 and over.
More info: Event page
8. Chief Adjuah at Christian McBride Jazz Weekend
Sunday, October 25, 5:00 PM Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Center for the Arts, 455 Westhampton Way, Richmond
Trumpeter Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah) closes out the Sunday-afternoon slot of bassist Christian McBride’s curated jazz weekend at the University of Richmond, carrying forward his family’s New Orleans cultural heritage. Pay-what-you-can tickets starting at $5 make this one of the best-value concerts of the month — a serious jazz name at a neighborhood price.
Cost: Pay-what-you-can from $5; University of Richmond students free.
More info: Event page
9. “Pay-What-You-Will” Plein Air Painting in the Gardens
Tuesday, October 27, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM Agecroft Hall & Gardens, 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond
Bring your paints and settle into Agecroft’s gardens for a Tuesday-morning plein air session among the Tudor house and riverfront grounds. No formal instruction, no fixed price — just a beautiful, quiet place to make something, in the company of other painters. A lovely low-key weekday option, and a reason to see the gardens in full fall color.
Cost: Pay-what-you-will.
More info: Event page
10. Dominion Energy Jazz Café: George Cruz Group
Wednesday, October 28, 6:00–8:00 PM Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Cochrane Atrium, 200 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond
The weekly Wednesday jazz series continues with pianist and composer George Cruz, whose music is rooted in the Black American tradition with soul, gospel, and modern harmony. Free, no registration, in the Cochrane Atrium — but seats fill fast, so arrive early. The museum stays open until 9 PM on Wednesdays, so pair the music with the galleries.
Cost: Free; no registration required.
More info: Event page
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Know of an event we should include in a future edition? Send us a tip through the contact page — the more neighborhood the better.
Looking ahead: Halloween itself falls on Saturday, October 31, just past this edition’s window — next week’s digest will cover the neighborhood’s Halloween happenings.
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