Looking for something to do this summer? The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) is sure to have an event or program to kick start your summer along with great, free activities for everyone in your family!

This year, the department will host the inaugural Jubilation in June Festival, with the kickoff beginning at the 65^th annual Festival of Arts on Friday, June 17 at 8 p.m. with a performance from the R&B cover band Legacy Band at Dogwood Dell, 600 S. Arthur Ashe Blvd. For those not able to make it to the amphitheater, the department will also have a live stream on Facebook. On Saturday, June 18, the department will host “Shared History in Stories” at 17^th Street Market beginning at 10 a.m. as part of the Jubilation in June weekend celebration. “Shared History in Stories” will have a theater production titled “Journey to Freedom” performed by students from the Journey- Mapping Your Career program from the Cultural Arts division. On Sunday June 19, Jubilation in June will culminate with a festival on at Deepwater Terminal (3101 Wharf Street) beginning at 4 p.m. This festival will feature performances from local artist Bee Bouiseou and national recording artists The Hamiltones performing from their album “1964”. The festival will end with a fireworks show beginning at 9:15 p.m.

Saturday night for the Festival of Arts brings out the Kings of Swing (better known as KOS) to the Dell stage playing pop and beach music. The full season schedule can be found on the Parks and Recreation website.

On Thursday, June 23, residents are invited to join PRCF for the introduction of RVA Summer Nights starting at Monroe Park. Local band, Weekend Plans will kick off this new addition to our summer line up. The full schedule is listed on the full Festival of Arts schedule on the department website.

The department is also hosting summer camps that are slated to begin on July 5. There are still slots available for the Great Summer Escape, Hickory Hill Theater Intensive, Summer Dance Intensive, Summer Quest for Teens, and Nature Film Camp.  More information can be found on our registration site parksandrecreation.richmondgov.com under the “Summer Camp” tab.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Looking for something to do this summer? The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) is sure to have an event or program to kick start your summer along with great, free activities for everyone in your family!

For the second year, 4 city pools will open Memorial Day weekend for everyone to enjoy. Blackwell, Fairmount, Hotchkiss, and Randolph pools will be open from noon – 6 p.m. on weekends only until June 12. The remainder of the city outdoor pools will open June 18 with week day hours from 1 – 8 p.m., noon – 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The department is also hosting summer camps that are slated to begin on July 5. There are still slots available for the Great Summer Escape, Hickory Hill Theater Intensive, Summer Dance Intensive, Summer Quest for Teens, and Nature Film Camp.  More information can be found on our registration site parksandrecreation.richmondgov.com under the “Summer Camp” tab.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

During the height of the pandemic in April 2020, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) limited traffic in Byrd Park on the weekends, using road closures to ensure the safety of individuals visiting the park. Gates were put in place on Stollers Lane, Westover Road, and Trafford Road to limit vehicular traffic and allow visitors to walk or bike safely.

Effective Saturday, May 14, 2022, PRCF will implement the additional following road closures in Byrd Park:
- S. Arthur Ashe Jr. Blvd. at Paddle Boat Lane;
- S. Robinson Street at Boat Lake Drive; and
- Lakeview Avenue at S. Robinson Street.

These new closures will be in effect through the summer. Parking is available at Rueger Field, located at Grant and S. Sheppard Streets.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF) has received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program. These funds will support a two-year project called The Richmond Environment: Students as Teachers in Their Watershed (REST) whose primary objective is to give Richmond Public School (RPS) students a greater understanding and sense of ownership of their local watershed. The project’s key partners, James River Park System, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and RPS, will engage our community as a whole to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for RPS that is rooted in environmental justice and is specific to this unique urban landscape, fraught with historic inequity and gifted with wild land.   

 “We’re thrilled that this funding will continue the work of making environmental literacy part of every public school student’s education in Richmond,” says Chris Frelke, Director of PRCF. “This project aligns with Richmond’s existing initiatives to improve the health of each City resident through access to green spaces.”

Working closely with students, teachers, and community members, the key partners on this project will create an ELP for the entire RPS school district rooted at the hyper-local level that centers black and brown voices that have historically been suppressed throughout Richmond. This kind of comprehensive planning document will positively impact science education for all 24,000 RPS students in the years to come, seeking to determine what environmental literacy and justice mean for our community.

"We are excited at the scale and depth of work proposed by the REST Planning Team and specifically their commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through the development of their Environmental Literacy Plan," said Elise Trelegan, B-WET Program Coordinator from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. "Environmental Literacy Plans are an important strategy for documenting and codifying where environmental education experiences and teacher professional development occur as well as how partners support those efforts."

This project foregrounds the City of Richmond as a regional leader in 21st century environmental education. We are excited about the work ahead, and look forward not just to the next two years, but to a long future continuing our support of RPS as they give students knowledge and skills to spur them to civic action.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

City to Host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Program Virtually and Encourages Residents to Safely Volunteer on National Day of Service

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday, held this year on Monday, January 17, is celebrated as a National Day of Service. Residents are encouraged to view Richmond’s recognition ceremony, “A Day On, Not a Day Off”, featuring Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, and City Council members. The presentation can be viewed online on the City of Richmond’s Facebook page beginning on Monday.

This National Day of Service celebration is being organized by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Office on Volunteerism (Neighbor-To-Neighbor), the AmeriCorps program, the Black History Museum, and the Valentine Museum.

Parks and Recreation has coordinated service projects at G.H. Reid Elementary School and at the Historic Slave Trail, weather dependent. COVID-19 protocols will be in place at both locations.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.