Shenandoah Valley Events
Your weekly guide to what is happening in Harrisonburg, Staunton, Augusta, and Rockingham, with weekday checks for new events and service opportunities.
The free Friday street party is the sneaky-best part of this weekend — smaller crowds than Saturday, the same blues on the sidewalk, and...
The free Friday street party is the sneaky-best part of this weekend — smaller crowds than Saturday, the same blues on the sidewalk, and you can actually get a beer without waiting fifteen minutes. Come hungry, park a couple blocks off Main, and treat it as your reconnaissance mission for Saturday's ticketed festival at Lumos Plaza. If you're only doing one night, do this one.
Event page →Bright Box is Old Town Winchester's best small venue, and improv here punches above its weight — the room is small enough that the crowd...
Bright Box is Old Town Winchester's best small venue, and improv here punches above its weight — the room is small enough that the crowd energy becomes part of the show. 13+ makes it a rare option for high schoolers looking for a real night out. Grab a drink at one of the Loudoun Street bars beforehand and walk over.
Event page →Cut your own dahlias in an Instagram-perfect flower field while eating dessert. Small, quiet, romantic — the kind of low-key date night...
Cut your own dahlias in an Instagram-perfect flower field while eating dessert. Small, quiet, romantic — the kind of low-key date night that doesn't require a plan B. An hour is exactly the right length.
Event page →Free evening music at a rural Shenandoah County brewery — worth the drive for the setting alone.
Free evening music at a rural Shenandoah County brewery — worth the drive for the setting alone.
Event page →Guided walk through Staunton's Victorian and Beaux-Arts downtown — one of the best-preserved streetscapes in the state.
Guided walk through Staunton's Victorian and Beaux-Arts downtown — one of the best-preserved streetscapes in the state.
Event page →Haunted-history walking tour that leans into Staunton's darker stories. Solid pre-Halloween mood-setter.
Haunted-history walking tour that leans into Staunton's darker stories. Solid pre-Halloween mood-setter.
Event page →The ASC doing *The Tempest* in the only re-creation of Shakespeare's indoor theater in the world, with the lights on and the actors...
The ASC doing The Tempest in the only re-creation of Shakespeare's indoor theater in the world, with the lights on and the actors interacting with the audience — this is still the single best cultural night out in the Valley and it should not be taken for granted. Sit on the gallants' stools onstage if you want the full experience; otherwise the wooden benches are honest but bring a cushion.
Event page →Six hours of music, food vendors, and community programming in Ralph Sampson Park, named for the JMU basketball icon. Free...
Six hours of music, food vendors, and community programming in Ralph Sampson Park, named for the JMU basketball icon. Free, family-oriented, and one of the more genuinely community-rooted festivals of the year. Come hungry — the food is the reason people show up early.
Event page →Yes, it's a festival about pickles. Yes, there are contests. Yes, you should go. Free entry, dog-friendly, and the exact right kind of...
Yes, it's a festival about pickles. Yes, there are contests. Yes, you should go. Free entry, dog-friendly, and the exact right kind of weird — the sort of thing you tell people about for months. Fried pickles, pickle-themed vendors, live music, and a general Warren County fairgrounds vibe that's worth the drive from anywhere in the Valley.
Event page →Sunflower fields at peak, farm store, sugar shack, and enough photo backdrops to fill a year of Instagram. Go early — the light is better...
Sunflower fields at peak, farm store, sugar shack, and enough photo backdrops to fill a year of Instagram. Go early — the light is better before noon and you'll beat the wedding-photo crowds that descend by mid-afternoon. Wear closed shoes; the rows are dusty.
Event page →Producer-only, downtown, peak-tomato season. Arrive by 9 for the good stuff.
Producer-only, downtown, peak-tomato season. Arrive by 9 for the good stuff.
Event page →Vineyard-and-lavender-farm setting for early-evening live music — bring a picnic blanket.
Vineyard-and-lavender-farm setting for early-evening live music — bring a picnic blanket.
Event page →Small-town street festival — classic cars, crafts, and food.
Small-town street festival — classic cars, crafts, and food.
Event page →Winery celebration with wine, food, and long countryside views.
Winery celebration with wine, food, and long countryside views.
Event page →Social group run from Black Sheep, which happens to make the best coffee in Harrisonburg. Bring both shoes and cash.
Social group run from Black Sheep, which happens to make the best coffee in Harrisonburg. Bring both shoes and cash.
Event page →Hands-on clay pumpkin-making for families. Kid-friendly, mess-friendly.
Hands-on clay pumpkin-making for families. Kid-friendly, mess-friendly.
Event page →Free state-certified hunter safety course.
Free state-certified hunter safety course.
Event page →How often do you get to run down an actual airport runway? Benefits the Explore More Discovery Museum, $20–30, and the flat course means...
How often do you get to run down an actual airport runway? Benefits the Explore More Discovery Museum, $20–30, and the flat course means it's beginner-friendly. Weird premise, great cause, better memory.
Event page →Alt listing for the runway race with post-race festivities.
Alt listing for the runway race with post-race festivities.
Event page →Weekly volunteer harvest shift; produce goes to a local food pantry.
Weekly volunteer harvest shift; produce goes to a local food pantry.
Event page →Wellness class in a historic-theatre setting.
Wellness class in a historic-theatre setting.
Event page →Angel Du$t bringing their hardcore-adjacent power-pop to a cidery is exactly the kind of unhinged booking that makes Harrisonburg's scene...
Angel Du$t bringing their hardcore-adjacent power-pop to a cidery is exactly the kind of unhinged booking that makes Harrisonburg's scene worth paying attention to. All ages, which means high schoolers and JMU freshmen can actually get in — a rarity for a touring band of this caliber. Sage Bird's cider is genuinely good; get the dry one and stand near the front.
Event page →Pale Fire's beer is genuinely among the best in the Valley, and the Wednesday trivia crowd is the exact right mix of JMU grad students and...
Pale Fire's beer is genuinely among the best in the Valley, and the Wednesday trivia crowd is the exact right mix of JMU grad students and locals who take it a little too seriously. Show up with three friends and one weirdly specific area of knowledge and you're in the mix.
Event page →Alt listing for the same Pale Fire trivia night — reliable weekly plan.
Alt listing for the same Pale Fire trivia night — reliable weekly plan.
Event page →A genuine country legend in an intimate room — $63 to hear "Maybe It Was Memphis" from twenty feet away is the kind of math that only works...
A genuine country legend in an intimate room — $63 to hear "Maybe It Was Memphis" from twenty feet away is the kind of math that only works in the Valley. Backseat is small enough that there's no bad sightline; the trick is arriving early enough to grab a spot with a table. This will sell through if it hasn't already.
Event page →Weekly cider-and-trivia at Sage Bird. Rotates from Pale Fire's Wednesday crowd.
Weekly cider-and-trivia at Sage Bird. Rotates from Pale Fire's Wednesday crowd.
Event page →CATEGORIES: United Way's biggest volunteer push of the year, capped with a proper after-party at West Oaks Farm Market. High schoolers get...
CATEGORIES: United Way's biggest volunteer push of the year, capped with a proper after-party at West Oaks Farm Market. High schoolers get service hours, college students get a resume line and free food, everyone gets to feel useful. Sign up in advance.
Event page →Winchester's love letter to apple country. Cider donuts, crafts, kettle corn, live music, and enough kid activities to burn off a morning...
Winchester's love letter to apple country. Cider donuts, crafts, kettle corn, live music, and enough kid activities to burn off a morning easily. Go Saturday morning before the fairgrounds get baked in the afternoon sun — parking is easier and the food lines haven't formed. Bring cash and a cooler; you will leave with a half-bushel of something.
Event page →A one-woman show about Nannerl Mozart — the sister who was every bit the prodigy and got erased by history — that's toured internationally...
A one-woman show about Nannerl Mozart — the sister who was every bit the prodigy and got erased by history — that's toured internationally to serious acclaim. The Forbes Center is the best theater room in the region and this is exactly the kind of booking that makes a JMU-adjacent night worth planning around.
Event page →Every food truck in a fifty-mile radius, one field, all day. Bring cash, bring an appetite, and bring friends so you can split more things...
Every food truck in a fifty-mile radius, one field, all day. Bring cash, bring an appetite, and bring friends so you can split more things. The 1 PM–3 PM window is peak; lines get real, but so does the variety.
Event page →Free soul music under the bandstand at Gypsy Hill on a September evening — this is one of the most quintessentially Staunton experiences...
Free soul music under the bandstand at Gypsy Hill on a September evening — this is one of the most quintessentially Staunton experiences available. Bring a blanket, bring a picnic, and stake out grass early.
Event page →Reenactors, period demonstrations, and open access to a well-preserved earthwork fort. Free, and if you have curious kids or...
Reenactors, period demonstrations, and open access to a well-preserved earthwork fort. Free, and if you have curious kids or history-inclined visiting relatives, this delivers.
Event page →The Valley's biggest inclusive celebration and one of the warmest crowds you'll find all year. Turner Pavilion fills up with vendors, drag...
The Valley's biggest inclusive celebration and one of the warmest crowds you'll find all year. Turner Pavilion fills up with vendors, drag performances, community organizations, food trucks, and a soundtrack you can hear from two blocks over. Bring cash for the small-business vendors, sunscreen for the exposed pavilion, and a group of friends — this one is more fun with three or more.
Event page →Big Shows
Pam Tillis at Backseat Events — Thursday, September 17 · Backseat Events, Winchester · Country hall-of-fame-caliber act in a small room — book now.
Angel Du$t w/ Krode (All Ages) — Wednesday, September 16 · Sage Bird Ciderworks, Harrisonburg · Rare all-ages touring hardcore/power-pop bill in the Valley.
The Other Mozart — Saturday, September 19 · JMU Forbes Center, Harrisonburg · Internationally toured solo theater piece — the Forbes room deserves it.
- Sep 19 25th Anniversary Lights ON Blackfriars & Fall Season Event - Blackfriars Playhouse (American Shakespeare Center), Staunton
- Sep 19 Squirrel Fest - 780 University Blvd (JMU area), Harrisonburg