Don your finest green garb and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with events from bar crawls to dance parties throughout Richmond. Hear bagpipe performances around town and Irish-inspired sounds in Ashland. Also this week, we have an espresso pop-up, an art lecture, short plays written by military veterans, high-flying acrobats, a Shakespeare workshop and more. Enjoy!
The Hearing o’ the Green
Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums has been performing around the region since 1996 and is the largest competition and performance bagpipe and drum band in the commonwealth. I’ve always enjoyed listening to them at annual events, but if you’ve never experienced their sounds in person, St. Patrick’s Day brings multiple chances to catch them live. They have a packed schedule beginning on Thursday, March 16, at O’Tooles in Forest Hill. On Friday, March 17, the band will play all day, with seven performances divided between Rosie Connolly’s, Legend Brewing Co., O’Tooles, Park Lane Tavern and the West Broad Marketplace Wegmans.
—Nicole Cohen, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Caffeinated Classics
There is something that feels inherently cool about buying coffee from a street vendor; it’s a big-city vibe, very Brooklyn — but wait: On Friday, March 17, the espresso pop-up Paix is slinging cortados, doppios and more right here in Richmond at 405 E. Grace St. from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A duo of Roastology baristas are hitting the streets with their La Marzocco machine and offering a tight menu of cafe classics — no caramel drizzle, mocha sauce or whipped cream here — along with a few specialty drinks TBA.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
Powerful Portraiture
Join the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on March 17 for its speaker series featuring Dr. Rhea Combs, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s director of curatorial affairs, who will be discussing “The Power of Portraiture.” During her presentation, Combs will examine Frederick Douglass’ relationship with portraiture and its modern relevance. Admission to the in-person program is $8 ($5 for members), and a free virtual option is also available.
—Olympia Theofanos, Editorial Intern
Veterans’ Words
Four short plays written by military veterans, under the production title of “War in Pieces,” will be presented in seven performances from Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 26, at the Virginia War Memorial. The works are from the Mighty Pen Project in collaboration with Virginia Repertory Theatre. These true stories include a woman who served as a chaplain for forward Marine units in Iraq and aboard Navy ships; a frontline medic first to arrive after a Baghdad explosion; a recently discharged Marine returning to the family bar with obstreperous patrons; and festivities on a Navy vessel overshadowed by a Chinese destroyer. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for veterans.
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
A Cirque-tacular Spectacle
They bend, flip, twist and fly! The Acrobats of Cirque-tacular are bringing their spectacular, death-defying show to The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen on Saturday, March 18. In this experience like no other, watch as aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, fire artists, illusionists, singers and dancers perform one dazzling circus feat after another. Their breathtaking aerial and ground acrobatic performances delight audiences of all ages. Tickets are $40.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
‘This Great Stage of Fools’
Agecroft Hall & Gardens is making “Instant Shakespeare” and needs just one more ingredient: actors. At the workshop on March 18, participants will wear nametags and “Shakespeare-like” costume pieces to act out edited scripts of the Bard of Avon’s tragedy “King Lear.” The focus from 1 to 3 p.m. is on the physical aspects of the play and the language itself before a reading among the group (not before an audience) that lasts until 5 p.m. Tickets are $5.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Other Suggestions
- The world premiere of the debut play written by former Richmond residents Sanam Laila Hashemi and Steven Burneson, “Cross Stitch Bandits,” continues through March 19 at Dominion Energy Center’s Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse.
- The RVA Environmental Film Festival continues with free screenings at venues around town through March 21.
- Hear Irish-inspired music during the Ashland Soundtracks outdoor concert series on March 17 in downtown Ashland and check out other St. Patrick’s Day festivities at nearby businesses.
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.
