Now that Halloween is behind us, it’s time for a cornucopia of holiday happenings, including an art exhibition that serves as a precursor to the Thanksgiving feast, a Christmas card workshop and a festive show from celebrity drag queens. Also in the days ahead, Minimum Wage Recording studio hosts a farewell performance at The Broadberry, and a traveling exhibition brings impressive Lego displays to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Enjoy!
Sleigh, Queen
Queens from the reality competition TV series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are making a stop in Richmond on Nov. 15 at the Dominion Energy Center. Featuring winners and fan favorites from season 16 and “All Stars” 9, “A Drag Queen Christmas” is hosted by Nina West and includes live performances and VIP preshow meet-and-greet opportunities. The 18-and-up show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $51.50.
—Alyssa Hutton, Editorial Intern
Feast Your Eyes
If you’ve got feasts on the brain now that Thanksgiving is in sight, you’re not alone. Crossroads Art Center’s latest juried exhibition, titled “Feast,” opens this Friday, Nov. 15, and explores the meaning of its subject through literal and abstract works of art from artists across the mid-Atlantic. The gallery’s works of photography, sculpture and canvas art are available for purchase during the exhibition’s run through Jan. 5, 2025. Admission is free.
—Kevin Johnson, Lifestyle Editor
DIY Holiday
After handmaking my family’s Christmas cards for the past few years, I’m ready to give my hands a break and try something new. I’ll be joining Studio Two Three at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design this Sunday, Nov. 17, to screenprint and personalize my very own holiday card. The Art of the Card Workshop is free to attend and open to all ages, and everyone gets to leave with a homemade card ready for gifting. The workshop runs from 1 to 3 p.m., and registration is required.
—Melody Yuan, Editorial Intern
One Last Spin
This Sunday, Nov. 17, say farewell to Minimum Wage Recording as Lance Koehler’s studio moves from its home of 23 years in Oregon Hill to Staunton near Charlottesville. Many of Richmond’s finest have recorded there, and several — including Bio Ritmo, No BS! Brass and Justin Golden — will show their appreciation at The Broadberry starting at 8 p.m. All proceeds from the $15 ticket sales benefit MWR.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Building Blocks
Imagine the Titanic built of 200,000 bricks or a cosmos-exploring starship made of 3,500 pieces. Lego creations are having a moment in the culture and in the city. “Traveling Bricks: An Exhibition Made of Lego Bricks,” on exhibit until Jan. 5, 2025, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, contains more than 100 representations of famous and speculative vehicles of land, sea, air and space. Plus, at the end is a playbox where the young or young at heart can make something of their own to display — or make multicolor snow angels. Entrance to “Traveling Bricks” is included with museum admission ($8 to $12).
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Other Suggestions
- Gather & Hem at Hilton Richmond Downtown presents “Yelp Richmond’s Seven Deadly Sips” hosting a Champagne & Canapés event on Nov. 12.
- Richmond Triangle Players presents “A Campy Christmas,” featuring two one-act plays, “Who’s Holiday!” and “With Bells On,” opening Nov. 13-Dec. 22.
- Larry Roeder, co-author of “Dirt Don’t Burn: A Black Community’s Struggle for Educational Equality Under Segregation,” discusses the book at the Library of Virginia on Nov. 14.
- The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s traveling exhibition “Exploring Human Origins: What Does it Mean to be Human?” closes at Union Presbyterian Seminary’s William S. Morton Library Nov. 15.
- The Byrd Theatre presents the Virginia premiere of comedy horror film “Big Shark,” and theatergoers can make it a double feature with a screening of “The Room” on Nov. 16.
- BET star and comedian Ms. Pat brings her “Hot and Flashy Tour” to the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre on Nov. 16.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine’s weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week’s installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
