Free & Open to the Public
Gallery5 and Virago Alley, the nonprofit behind the Richmond Ren Faire, are joining forces for a massive First Fridays celebration and collaborative season kickoff, bringing the entire building and surrounding streets to life for one unforgettable night in Historic Jackson Ward.
Gallery5 kicks off its new season while welcoming Virago Alley, a new creative community space opening upstairs. Together, we’re filling the building and surrounding streets with art, live music, makers, food, performances, combat demonstrations, and more.
DOWNSTAIRS AT GALLERY5: VIRAGO: AN EXHIBITION
Explore VIRAGO: An Exhibition, featuring more than a dozen artists from the Richmond Ren Faire and Virago Alley community. Each artist was invited to explore what the word virago means to them, considering its historical origins, evolution, and continued representation today.
Featuring: Amanda Robinson, Betsy Ebson, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Brandi Walker, Brent Stubblefield, Brit Austin, Cheryn Rapp, Chiara Scuro, Emily Miller, Kale Jeffery, Keith Barch, Kevin Berry, Kiersten Thomas (O’Wisteria), Lady Octavia, and Nico Cathcart.
LIVE MUSIC ON THE GALLERY5 MAIN STAGE
The celebration continues downstairs with an evening of live music on Gallery5’s main stage. The stage is positioned so performances can also be enjoyed from the surrounding outdoor areas, letting you catch the music while exploring the vendors and festivities outside.
5 PM — WRIR set with DJ Boy Lichtenstein
7 PM — Caroline Scruggs
8 PM — Velvet Ruin
9 PM — Forest of Wires
10 PM — Shagwüf
UPSTAIRS AT VIRAGO ALLEY
Head upstairs for the grand opening of Virago Alley and get a first look at the new space and its upcoming fall education programming. Guests can also participate in a mead tasting competition with Black Heath Meadery to help select the official Virago Alley mead.
LIVE COMBAT ON MARSHALL STREET | 6-9PM
Marshall Street comes to life outside Gallery5 with live combat demonstrations throughout the evening. Step into our outdoor combat arena and watch skilled fighters face off in choreographed bouts inspired by historical martial traditions and the spectacle of the Renaissance faire.
The demonstrations offer a glimpse into the world of armored combat, historical swordplay, and performance fighting. Whether you’re a longtime Ren Faire fan or have never seen live combat before, there will be plenty to watch, cheer for, and photograph.
RICHMOND MOON MARKET
The celebration spills into the surrounding streets with 40+ artisan and food vendors from Richmond Moon Market, alongside Richmond Ren Faire guilds, live combat, and First Fridays festivities.
Come celebrate the start of a new season at Gallery5, welcome Virago Alley to Jackson Ward, explore VIRAGO: An Exhibition, catch live music, shop local makers, watch live combat, grab some food, and wander through everything happening throughout the building and surrounding streets.