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. See listings for the second Friday of each month (below).

ON-GOING

Storytime
Fridays & Saturdays
10 a.m.
Gather with us for storytime outside under the oaks in front of the Kelly Education Center each Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. Children can also participate in a craft or hands-on activity. (Weather permitting; indoor location is the Library).

M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE!
April 15–October 9, 2023
Experience hundreds of tropical butterflies inside the North Wing of the Conservatory.   

AUGUST
*NEW! Evening hours Wednesday-Saturday until 9 p.m.; May-October

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. 

Wednesdays Alfresco
Wednesdays nights; May 3-Oct. 25, 2023
Open until 9 p.m.
Wind down on Wednesday nights with a glass of wine and a stroll through the Garden to see the Incanto exhibit. Food and drink available for purchase.

Flowers After 5
Thursday nights; May 18-October 26, 2023 (no concert Sept. 14 or Oct. 12)
Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Fidos Nights are Aug. 10 & 24)
5 – 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). 

Family Friday Nights
Fridays; Aug. 11, 18, 25, Sept. 1, Sept. 8
Starting Friday, Aug. 11: on Friday nights in August and early-September, the Garden is open until 9 p.m. and has extended hours for Waterway (until 7 p.m.) M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE! (until 8 p.m.; last entry at 7:45 p.m.)

Gallery 5 Presents An Incanto Evening of Body and Mind
Friday, Aug. 11, 2023
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

Sips Under the Stars
Saturdays, 5 – 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy a special “pop-up” Adult Happy Hour at the Garden! Be among the first guests to experience the Garden Café’s newly styled outdoor patio, complete with comfortable furniture and shady umbrellas. Garden admission is required. Full bar with drinks available for purchase; complimentary snacks; order from the full Garden Cafe menu.

Lessons From Nature: Finding Connection Through Awe
Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023
6 – 7:30 p.m.
This Adult Learning Class connects with the Incanto exhibit and our interdependence with nature. We will share our moments of awe, unearth our feelings around nature through photos, explore our ecological self through a series of reflective questions, and find awe in the Garden by observing through different perspectives.

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
*NEW! Evening hours Wednesday-Saturday until 9 p.m.; May-October

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

Wednesdays Alfresco
Wednesday nights; May 3-Oct. 25, 2023
Open until 9 p.m.
Wind down on Wednesday nights with a glass of wine and a stroll through the Garden to see the Incanto exhibit. Food and drink available for purchase.

Flowers After 5
Thursday nights; May 18-October 26, 2023 (no concerts on Sept. 14 or Oct. 12)
5 – 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

Sips Under the Stars
Saturdays, 5 – 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy a special “pop-up” Adult Happy Hour at the Garden! Be among the first guests to experience the Garden Café’s newly styled outdoor patio, complete with comfortable furniture and shady umbrellas. Garden admission is required. Full bar with drinks available for purchase; complimentary snacks; order from the full Garden Cafe menu.

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

Fall Plant Sale
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. 

Flashlight Fridays
Fridays, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27
Bring your flashlights to this family-friendly scavenger hunt to find all five sculptures of the Incanto exhibit.

Groovin’ in the Garden
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023
7 p.m.
National recording artist Gregory Alan Isakov will perform in the Cochrane Rose Garden with special guest Lucius. 

HarvestFest
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023
Celebrate all fall has to offer! This year’s theme is inspired by Dia de los Muertos. This event has a festival vibe with live music, food, adult beverages, and family-friendly activities.

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

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