VMFA proudly announces After 5 Fridays. The one name says it all and includes VMFA’s popular Friday-night events:
First Fridays
Dance After Work
Taste of Art
Summer Breeze
Note: When weather forecasts dictate, outdoor events will move inside.
After 5 Fridays is the perfect way to kick off the weekend. Relax with a beverage, visit the galleries for an art escape, and take part in the following featured attractions.
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After 5 Fridays | Dance After Work: Tango
Fri, Apr 19, 2024 | 6–8 pm
Cochrane Atrium
Our longstanding dance partners return for another evening of tango. Discover this celebrated Argentine dance form and a learn a few steps. And after the tango lesson, try your hand at the milonga, an Argentine ballroom dance that preceded the tango early in the 20th century. Also enjoy drink specials from Best Café beginning at 5:30 pm.
Free, no tickets required.
After 5 Fridays | First Friday: Cosplay
Fri, May 3, 2024 | 6–8 pm
Robins Sculpture Garden
Celebrate your favorite anime-inspired characters as we remember the Japanese samurai. DJ Jay Dion will be spinning Japanese music from TV, film, and video games—as well as popular city pop and Japanese funk—while you and your best cosplay looks bring in the rest of the fun.
Free; no tickets required.
After 5 Fridays | Dance After Work: Taiko
Fri, May 17, 2024 | 6–8 pm
Robins Sculpture garden
Experience the spectacular Japanese tradition of taiko drumming, which dates back to the 6th century, with the River City Taiko Drummers. Joined by the Richmond Kimono Club, these taiko drummers' powerful percussion stylings will take you back in time. The performance starts at 6 pm.
Free; no tickets required.
View all previous virtual events on YouTube.
Past In-person Events
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Join as we welcome six Virginia guitarists of various backgrounds and the strings that help to tell their stories. Each musician will take us through their own musical journey, sharing their personal experiences with the power of “storied strings.” Dinner and drink specials, available from Best Café, begin at 5:30 pm and the music begins at 6 pm.
6–8 pm
Location: Best Café
It’s holiday party time! Enjoy drink specials at Best Café. Then take a trip to the Lewis Decorative Art Galleries and check out this punch bowl by the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Tango returns to VMFA! The ever-popular dance is showcased as a Dance After Work event. Join us in the Cochrane Atrium for a free 30-minute group class at 6 pm with local instructors Anna and Christian and introducing Medio Caliente, Richmond’s best (and only) tango ensemble. Drink specials are available in Best Café. Bring a partner or come solo for an evening of fun social dancing.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Enjoy drink specials at Best Café then explore the galleries with a guided highlight tour. Meet at Visitor Services at 7 pm or 7:30 pm to participate.
6–7 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
The Reveille Ringers are back at VMFA for a third time to perform an evening of holiday music. Their delightful handbells produce music that heralds in the season with celebration and quiet reflection. Drink specials from Best Café begin at 5:30 pm. The Reveille Ringers play at 6 pm and 6:30 pm. They will be joined by Robert Phanord, VMFA’s Performing Arts Coordinator.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Join us for an evening of travel as we visit the ancient land of Egypt. Introducing belly dancing to the Dance After Work series, we’ll learn about its history and movements, exploring traditional and modern forms of the dance. Drinks specials from Best Café begin at 5:30 pm. Join us in the group lesson, from 6 to 6:45 pm, and then have fun practicing what you’ve learned until 8 pm.
6–8 pm
Location: Best Café
Enjoy drink specials at Best Café then explore the galleries with a guided highlight tour. Meet at the Visitor Services desk at 7 or 7:30 pm to participate.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Join us as we celebrate Disabilities Awareness Month with local music in honor of the new special exhibition Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art, which opens October 8. Enjoy the sounds of the local band Ben and the Bajas, led by VMFA staff member Ben Butterworth. Marna Kalman, another member of the VMFA team, will share her story and the importance of this event to her and the community she represents. Drink specials from Best Café begin at 5:30 pm and the show begins at 6 pm.
5–9 pm
Location: Sculpture Garden
Join us in the Robins Sculpture Garden to celebrate the end of summer and be the first to shop the latest VMFA x Chilalay capsule collection. Grab a drink, shop, and dance to the sounds of Shanel the DJ and Markus Gold. Enjoy free admission to the exhibition Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
The Navratri Celebration is an annual festival in India that celebrates the female deities of Hinduism. VMFA welcomes the return of Shahank and Swati Fadnis to lead those interested in learning. This dance, performed in a circle, involves a small dowel which participants use to connect with one another as well as create rhythmic sound to the beat of the music. Drink specials from Best Café begin at 5:30 pm. Dancing begins at 6 pm.
6–8 pm
Location: Best Café
Enjoy drink specials at Best Café then explore the galleries with a guided highlight tour. Meet at the Visitor Services desk at 7 or 7:30 pm to participate.
6–8 pm
Location: Sculpture Garden
Just ahead of what would have been Patsy Cline’s 90th birthday, join us for a concert celebrating the Virginia native and country music legend. All the way from Los Angeles and featured in Rolling Stone magazine, vocalist Staci Griesbach blends jazz and country for a signature style you don’t want to miss in this exciting After 5 Fridays debut. Drink specials from Best Café begin at 5:30 pm. The concert begins at 6 pm.
5:30–8:30 pm
Location: Pauley Center Patio
It’s Summertime! Join us in the Robins Sculpture Garden for an evening of music. DJ Marc J on the spin will be coming at you live from the Pauley Patio. Grab a drink and enjoy. Dancing is encouraged.
6–8 pm
Location: Sculpture Garden
It’s a summertime two-hour EDM outdoor dance party in the Sculpture Garden. DJ Jay Dion will help you party your summer blues away with an evening of electronic music—bringing the club to the garden! Best Café has drink specials.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
First Friday at VMFA invites you to a relaxing summer evening in the River City. Enjoy a range of musical genres, from R&B to metal, our own fresh and seasoned artists of sight and sound bring their stories to the Cochrane Atrium. and DJ Jay Dion brings this musical collage to the evening. Enjoy drink specials from Best Café.
5:30–8:30 pm
Location: Pauley Center Patio
It’s Summertime! Join us in the Robins Sculpture Garden for an evening of music. Markus Gold on the spin will be coming at you live from the Pauley Patio. Grab a drink and enjoy. Dancing is encouraged.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
The long-standing tradition of tango dancing at VMFA returns to the Cochrane Atrium for another exciting Dance After Work. Free 30-minute group class at 6 pm and drink specials from Best Café. Come with or find a dance partner for an evening of social dancing.
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Need a hot look this summer? Join us at the pop-up shop on July 8 and be among the first to own new Chilalay streetwear. VMFA has partnered with Richmond based streetwear company Chilalay on an exclusive capsule collection of streetwear fashion inspired by the works in Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits. Chilalay serves as an outlet of creative expression through Art, Fashion, and Culture.
Learn more.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Back to back in-person dancing at VMFA in the Cochrane Atrium. Our long-running and ever popular tango night returns for this exciting Dance After Work! Drink specials will be available from Best Café.
5–9 pm
Location: Best Café
Free; no registration required
Beer here! Friday night, visit Best Café for a glass of Radapils, a Väsen Brewing Company pilsner made with Czech hops. This malty brew is named after Radagast, the old Slavic god of hospitality, fire, and the evening sky. To your “Taste of Art” experience, add a visit to the nighttime scenes featured in Landscapes and Architecture: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Kawase Hasui.
6–8 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Come back to in-person dancing at VMFA in the Cochrane Atrium. Our long-running and ever-popular tango night returns for this exciting Dance After Work! Drink specials will be available from Best Café.
6 pm
Location: Aumse Restaurant
Free; no registration required
This Friday’s special in Amuse Restaurant is the 2018 vintage of Five Forks, by Virginia winery, Early Mountain Vineyard. Before or after enjoying this Sauvignon Blanc, visit the dazzling Schlumberger necklace nicknamed “Breath of Spring.”
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Get into the holiday spirit with a performance by the Reveille Ringers. Robert Phanord, VMFA’s Performing Arts Coordinator, welcomes the group for an evening of hanbell music. Stop by for a festive and relaxing night that kicks off the weekend just right.
Nov 19, 2021
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Man Ray’s 1934 photograph of Prou del Pilar depicts the Spanish flamenco dancer encircled by the billowing ruffles of her dress, just after she has completed a dynamic performance. Join us for an evening of flamenco dance (baile) inspired by the portrait of Prou del Pilar in the Man Ray exhibition.
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Join us for this month’s First Friday, as we welcome Classical Revolution RVA back to VMFA as part of After 5 Fridays presented by Chase. Grab a glass of wine from Best Café if you wish or simply enjoy the sounds of chamber music in the museum’s Cochrane Atrium.
Free, no registration required
Get ready for Halloween with a look at artists’ imaginings of the supernatural and spooky. Enjoy watching a past Taste of Art program that features the Virginia Beer Company. Then visit VMFA’s Best Café to grab a glass of their Elbow Patches Oatmeal Stout, which is highlighted in the video, and visit the Decorative Arts Galleries to find two of the haunting works from the video. If you make it to the Decorative Arts Galleries between 5 pm and 7 pm, we’ll greet you with a free gift to take home!
Selected works of art to find:
Elbow Patches Oatmeal Stout | 6.2% ABV
Williamsburg, VA
Roasty, Creamy, Chocolatey. An Oatmeal Stout to be enjoyed with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anytime in between. A smooth, velvety base sets the stage for pronounced aromas of Chocolate and Coffee.
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Join us in-person in the Cochrane Atrium for a salsa dance party that begins with a 30-minute lesson led by the multitalented Adele Broom.
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Maurice “Tito” Sanabria returns to VMFA to help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Groove in the start of the fall season with a mix of Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms and learn a bit about the history that brings them to VMFA.
5:30 pm
Free; no registration required
It’s Summertime! Join us back in the Sculpture Garden for an evening of music featuring DJ Marc on the spin! Grab a drink and enjoy. Visit the Chase Lounge on the Pauley Patio to relax, cool off, and enjoy complimentary snacks and water. To learn about VMFA’s COVID-19 safety protocols, please click here.
5:30 pm
Free; no registration required
It’s Summertime! Join us back in the Sculpture Garden for an evening of music featuring DJ Mikemetic on the spin! Grab a drink and enjoy. The Pauley Patio is open for dancing.
6 pm
Location: Cochrane Atrium
Free; no registration required
Come get your body moving at VMFA with Gerald Andrews. Following our previous conversation on hip-hop and its colision with line-dancing, Gerald brings his energy and passion for the dance to VMFA’s Robins Sculpture Garden.
6 pm
Location: Sculpture Garden
Free, no registration required
Artists from around the River City come together in VMFA’s Robins Sculpture Garden to celebrate home-grown talent and help us welcome the community back to concerts at the museum. Dj Jay Dion brings a full line-up of artists to showcase some of Richmond’s hidden talent and VMFA’s performing arts coordinator talks live with esteemed guests about the impact of music on our town.