ON-GOING

Storytime
Librarian Kat Spears reads a few of her favorite stories outside in the Garden each Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. Children can also participate in a craft or hands-on activity (weather permitting).

APRIL 2023

Richmond African Violets Society Show and Sale
Sale:

• Friday, March 31, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 1, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 2, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Show: 

• Saturday, April 1, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 2, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

A pre-admission location, open free to the public

A Million Blooms
April 1 – June 1, 2023
Included with regular Garden admission
The Garden’s celebration of spring! Events throughout the season include Butterflies LIVE!, Spring PlantFest (formerly Spring Plant Sale) and plant shows.

Pinwheels for Prevention Garden
April 1-30, 2023
In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, 3,000+ pinwheels will be “planted” in the Terrace Lawn; in partnership with Families Forward and Prevent Child Abuse Virginia.

Plant Swap
April 2, 2023
1-4 p.m.
Location: Kelly Education Center Auditorium; event is free and open to the public. Regular admission to enter the Garden.
Join RVA Tropical and Exotic Plants for a plant swap at the Garden. General admission is required to enter the Garden. Table registration is required for vendors due to a limited number of tables. Register to be a vendor.

KEC Exhibit Ginter Gallery II
April 1 – May 29
Artist Em White displays a collection of tintype photography  

M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE!
April 15–October 9
Experience hundreds of tropical butterflies inside the North Wing of the Conservatory.  

Free Community Day for Nature & Healing
Saturday, April 22, 2023
On Earth Day, the Garden has free admission and the community is invited to visit and reflect on the healing power of Nature. The day honors the memory of Jonah Holland, our Garden colleague who passed away in 2022.  

Incanto: An Oasis of Lyrical Sculpture
April 29-October 29, 2023
(Members-Only Preview: April 28)
Included with Garden admission
Incanto is a journey through a sculptural, epic poem embraced by nature. Five intricately designed, allegorical sculptures are accompanied by poetry, inviting you on a journey of self-discovery and connection with others and the natural world. This is the premiere exhibition of New York City-based artists Kate Raudenbush and Sha Michele in a friendship born from the legendary Burning Man community. Each piece has been specially created in dialogue with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s landscape.

• Evening Hours: Dramatically lit from within, the Incanto sculptures offer multi-sensory experiences inviting further exploration at night. The Garden has evening hours May 3-Oct. 28; Wednesdays through Saturdays; until 9 p.m. Food will be available for purchase on these evenings.
• Gallery 5 at the Garden: on the second Friday evening of each month (May-September), the Garden collaborates with Gallery 5 and other community partners on programming related to the Incanto exhibit. Stay tuned for details!

MAY  

Wednesdays Alfresco
May 3-Oct. 25, 2023
Extended hours until 9 p.m. on Wednesday nights
Escape to a garden paradise in the evening with food and drink available for purchase.  

Gallery 5 Presents An Incanto Evening of Fire
Friday, May 12 (rain date Wednesday, May 17)
Location: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
6 – 9 p.m. Welcoming ceremonies at 6, and music from PLF DJ’s Crenshaw
Sunset – Projections and PyroCircus Fire Performers and live DJ sets
In true burn fashion, spectators will be encouraged to become participants by dancing, taking photos with the fire sculptures, hooting and hollering for the performers, and/or liberating their wild sides.

Flowers After 5
May 18-September 7, 2023; Thursday Nights
May 18 & 25 (Fidos Night is May 25)
Relax on summer evenings; stroll through the gardens; enjoy live music, wine and beer, dining and shopping. Garden partners with Richmond SPCA on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and allows leashed pets (Fidos After 5). 

Fidos After 5 (second and fourth Thursday nights)
May 25; June 8 & 22; July 13 & 27; August 10 & 24, 2023
The Garden partners with the Richmond SPCA and leashed pets are allowed during Flowers After 5 on these special nights only (second and fourth Thursdays of each month). 

Spring PlantFest
May 5 & 6, 2023
(Members-Only Presale: May 4)
PlantFest features vendors selling plants ranging from well-known favorites to rare exotics and other garden-related items. Presented by Garden volunteers. 

Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Mother’s Day at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offers many opportunities to spend time with loved ones.  

Richmond Rose Society Show
May 20-21, 2023
Saturday, May 20, 1 – 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 21, 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Included with regular admission

JUNE  

Pride Month Programs and Events
June 1–June 30, 2023
Celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community  

• Pride Illumination Night
  June 1, 2023
  
• Pridos (Fidos After 5)
  June 8, 2023

Flowers After 5
May 18-September 7, 2023; Thursday Nights
June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Fidos Nights are June 8 (also Pridos, see above) & June 22)
4 – 9 p.m.
Relax on summer evenings; stroll through the gardens; enjoy live music, wine and beer, dining and shopping. Garden partners with Richmond SPCA on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and allows leashed pets (Fidos After 5). 

Gallery 5 Presents An Incanto Evening of Jazz
Friday, June 9 (rain date Wednesday, June 14)
Location: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
6 – 9 p.m. – Art 180 live painting and community connection table
6:15 – 7:15 p.m. – Ayinde Williams: Jazz set 1
7:45 – 8:45 p.m. – join Ayinde Williams: Jazz set 2

KEC Exhibit Ginter Gallery II
June 1 – July 31, 2023
Local artist Lucy Kilpatrick displays textile art, which incorporates themes of ancestry and family.  

JULY  

CarMax Free Fourth of July
July 4, 2023
FREE admission to the Garden on this day. This event is sponsored by CarMax.  

Flowers After 5
May 18-September 7, 2023; Thursday Nights
July 6, 13, 20, 27 (Fidos Nights are July 13 & 27)
4 – 9 p.m.
Relax on summer evenings; stroll through the gardens; enjoy live music, wine and beer, dining and shopping. Garden partners with Richmond SPCA on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and allows leashed pets (Fidos After 5). 

Gallery 5 Presents An Evening of Classical
Friday, July 14 (rain date Wednesday, July 19)
Location: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
6 – 9 p.m. – Scrap RVA painting and community connection table
Classical Revolution RVA has been curating pop up classical music concerts in Richmond for over a decade now. On July 14, CRRVA will take over the Flagler Lawn area. There will be two sets of music, both will be classical music variety shows spotlighting many of the region’s finest talents in the world of orchestral and vocal performance!
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Set 1
7:45 – 8:45p.m. – Set 2

AUGUST 

KEC Exhibit Ginter Gallery II
August 3 – October 30, 2023
Alfonso Perez 6 Mandalas / Crossroads Art Gallery exhibits community/local artists’ work that ties in with the Garden’s mission and/or season’s theme. Using mandalas as a way to heal, connect with ancestors. 

Flowers After 5
May 18-September 7, 2023; Thursday Nights
Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Fidos Nights are Aug. 10 & 24)
4 – 9 p.m.
Relax on summer evenings; stroll through the gardens; enjoy live music, wine and beer, dining and shopping. Garden partners with Richmond SPCA on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and allows leashed pets (Fidos After 5). 

Gallery 5 Presents An Incanto Evening of Body and Mind
Friday, Aug. 11 (rain date Wednesday, Aug. 16)
Location: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Yoga and meditation guides from The Art Of Us studios in Carytown on hand for a large group yoga and meditation session in the gardens. This event will also include a workshop curated by Richmond Young Writers to help young minds express themselves through literature. To close out this event we’ll also have a special Poetry Reading curated by gallery5.
6 – 6:30 p.m. YOGA session 1 Rose Garden
6:30 – 8 p.m. – Richmond Young Writers Workshop in Library
7 – 7:30 p.m. YOGA session 2 Rose Garden
7:30 – 8 p.m. – meditation session TBA
8:30 – 9 p.m. – Poetry TBA

SEPTEMBER 

Genworth Free Community Day
September 4, 2023
Free admission all day 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. This event is sponsored by Genworth.

Flowers After 5
May 18-September 7, 2023; Thursday Nights
Sept. 7
4 – 9 p.m.
Relax on summer evenings; stroll through the gardens; enjoy live music, wine and beer, dining and shopping. Garden partners with Richmond SPCA on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and allows leashed pets (Fidos After 5). 

Gallery 5 Presents an Incanto Evening of Music
Friday, Sept. 8 (rain date Wednesday, Sept. 13)
Come enjoy live music from Jonathan Brown, Chris and Trey of Dharma Bombs, and The Sweet Potatoes. While you’re there, come explore the many vendors curated by Richmond Moon Market., dedicated to showcasing some of the area’s finest makers and crafty-creators
6 – 9 p.m. – Richmond Moon Market
6 – 6:45 p.m.- Jonathan Brown
7 – 7:45 p.m. – Chris and Trey of Dharma Bombs
8 – 8:50 p.m. – The Sweet Potatoes

Fall Flair
September 20 – October 31, 2023
The Garden celebrates the fall season with events and other harvest-themed activities. 

Fall PlantFest
September 15 & 16, 2023
(Members-Only Presale: Sept. 14)
PlantFest features vendors selling plants ranging from well-known favorites to rare exotics and other garden-related items. Presented by Garden volunteers. 

Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights
Monday, November 20, 2023-Sunday, January 7, 2024 (Members-Only Preview: Nov. 17-19, 2023)