General Info
The Richmond Folk Festival
October 9-11, 2020
Last year this festival attracted more than 220,000 people to downtown Richmond's riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance traditional crafts, storytelling and food. The Richmond Folk Festival has become one of Virginia’s largest and most-loved events of the year and has been voted as the best musical festival in Richmond several years running. The 2020 Festival will bring a new and similarly amazing list of performers, artists and exhibitors.
2019 Site Map (Updated 9/13)
Download a PDF of the 2019 map (Updated 9/13)
Hours of Operation:
Friday: 6 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday: Noon - 9:30 PM
Sunday: Noon - 6:00 PM
Admission
The Richmond Folk Festival is a FREE event – you can enjoy the performances, the Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia Folk Life Area & Stage, and the CarMax Family Area at no cost. Food, drink and merchandise are available for sale.
Bucket Brigade
Help keep the Richmond Folk Festival a FREE event! A group of community volunteers carrying orange buckets will be circulating the festival asking for your support. All donations made through the bucket brigade help directly cover the costs of the festival. Suggested donation is $10 per person per day. Thank you in advance for your support!
NO Pets
DO NOT BRING PETS (other than service animals) to the festival. We expect very large crowds and your pets will be more comfortable at home.
FAQ: What can’t I bring with me?
Items that are not permitted include, but are not limited to:
Pets (service animals are permitted)
Coolers, Large Backpacks
Alcohol
Bottles/glass containers
Contraband (drugs and weapons)
Laser pointers
Bikes, skateboards, inline skates
Flying objects (drones, kites, Frisbees, footballs, etc.)
FREE Shuttles
FREE parking and FREE shuttles, are available from City Stadium for your convenience. All shuttles will stop at two festival locations: one at 2nd Street and one at 7th Street. Buses will leave regularly throughout the day.
Friday: 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Saturday: 11:30 AM - 10:30 PM
Sunday: 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM
The buses will leave regularly throughout the day..
Shuttle hotline: 804-358-4782
GRTC Bus Transportation
Closest Pulse stop is the Convention Center Station, and allows for a nice walk down 2nd or 5th Street to the river.
GRTC buses are a great way to travel to the festival. Check here for routes
Ride-share DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP
The easiest place to be dropped off for the festival is conveniently located at 690 BYRD STREET.
Downtown Parking
Multiple parking lots are available downtown.
Shockoe Bottom, 100 Virginia St. – $7.00
Crowne Plaza, 555 E. Canal St. Varies – $5.00-$10.00
801 E. Cary Street (Lot between 8th & 9th on Cary) – varies $6.00-$10.00
1200 E. Byrd St. (along the flood wall) – $8.00
Richmond Times-Dispatch parking, 300 E. Franklin St – $5.00, cash only
CityParking – $5.00 to $10.00
Main & Foushee
1st & Canal
3rd & Cary
4th & Canal
5th & Canal, 5th & Cary
6th & Main
8th & Cary
FREE Handicap Parking
Handicap parking is available in the Federal Reserve Parking Deck located on the corner of 5th and Byrd Streets. A traffic control officer will be at the intersection to allow properly identified vehicles through.
During the festival, an ADA shuttle will run from the Federal Reserve Parking deck to 5th & Tredegar St.
There will not be onsite transportation available between the various stages.
Bike Parking
Bike parking is available during festival hours; Friday, 6pm – 10pm, Saturday, 12 noon – 9:30pm, Sunday, 12 noon – 6pm.
Option 1: A FREE Bike Valet, operated by I AM RVA, is located at 5th & Tredegar Streets
Option 2: Unsupervised bike parking is located near 2nd and Byrd Street. The area will not be staffed, so please make sure to bring a bike lock.
In the Event of Rain
The Richmond Folk Festival will go on, rain or shine. In the event of rain, please visit information booths located throughout the festival to receive an updated performance schedule.
There are 5 tented stages: The Dominion Energy Dance Pavilion, the CoSstar Stage (both on Brown’s Island), the Community Foundation Stage, the CarMax Family Stage and the Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia Folk Life Area & Stage. So in the event of rain you can enjoy the performances in a dry environment.
Hearing Impaired Interpretation
Check your Pocket Schedule or stop by any of the four Information Booths located throughout the festival for details about which performances will be interpreted.
Emergency Services/First Aid
Emergency service centers will be available at several locations at the Richmond Folk Festival. They will be well-marked on festival maps for download and onsite.
Restrooms
Portable restrooms will be located throughout the festival.
Lost People
If a child or person in your party gets lost please approach a volunteer immediately. Volunteers will have access to persons with radios, who can get you help right away.
Your Presence is Your Permission
Special photographers and videographers have been hired by festival organizers to document the event. Some images may be used in later promotional materials. Your presence at the event is seen as your permission for such promotional use by the non-profit organizers.
Richmond Folk Festival is a green festival
Everywhere you turn at the Richmond Folk Festival, you will be able to help our environment! Recycling is available throughout the festival site.
The Richmond Folk Festival has been certified as part of the Virginia Green program.
Richmond Folk Festival In The Schools
Through the generous support of its sponsors, the Richmond Folk Festival in partnership with JAMinc will fill Richmond area school auditoriums and classrooms with performances and presentations of deeply-rooted cultural expressions.
The week prior to the festival, master musicians and artists visit several area schools. Together, the artists and students share music, song, craft, stories and memories that will last a lifetime.
The American Civil War Museum and the National Park Service Visitor Center
The American Civil War Museum will offer half-priced admissions when you display our “I made a drop in the buckets” sticker during the festival. For more information call 804.780.1865 or visit their website.