RICHMOND: CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF RICHMOND: Ring in the new year at CMoR’s Annual New Year’s Eve Bash at all CMoR locations, free with museum admission! Come in costume for your chance to win a private Story Time with Elsa and Anna at the Snow Days Festival at CMoR Central on January 10! Join in the fun – character appearances, story time, contests, and a Countdown to Noon With A Juicebox Toast! All CMoR locations close at 2pm on Wednesday, December 31st. CMoR LOCATIONS: CMoR Central: 2626 West Broad Street; CMoR Short Pump: 2200 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen, (804) 474-7070; CMoR Chesterfield: 6629 Lake Harbour Drive, Midlothian, (804) 474-7075; CMoR Fredericksburg: 1275 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, (540) 656-2233. Details http://www.c-mor.org/ or 804-474-7000.
LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN: New Year’s Eve activities at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: New Year’s Eve Family Frolic, Wednesday, December 31, Family activities & live music from 2-5 p.m. Fun for all ages! All activities are inside the warm and cozy Kelly Education Center. Activities include: Live concert by the Ululating Mummies, Continuing our “Rolling in the New Year’s” tradition of rolling down the hill to the Rose Garden (weather permitting), Photo opportunities with the Garden Keeper & the Butterfly Fairy — bring your cameras! Make your own New Year’s party hat, Write your wish for 2015 and add it to the “wishing chain”. Trains in classroom II in the Kelly Education Center & in the Conservatory
Regular Garden admission; all activities included with regular Garden admission. Those who attend the New Year’s Eve Family Frolic and who are already in the Garden can stay to attend Dominion GardenFest of Lights (5 -10 p.m.). Details http://www.lewisginter.org/ or 804-262-9887.
SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA: Ring in the Noon Year at the Science Museum of Virginia, event where revelers don’t count down to midnight – they count down to noon. With a distinctive ball drop – that boasts not one but 2,015 bouncy balls dropped from three stories above – and confetti cannons . Guests can create their own noisemakers and join in a juice toast as the clock counts down to midday.
Special activities include launching ping-pong balls using liquid Nitrogen, building geodesic globes like the iconic ball dropped in Times Square and learning about different cultural New Year traditions and practices from around the world. Richmond Family Magazine’s Photo Booth will be on site for families to take commemorative pictures and guests will be able to write their resolutions on a giant banner displayed in the Museum. Noon Year’s Eve is included with exhibit admission. Tickets are $11 with $1 discounts for ages 4-12 and 60+. For more information visit http://www.smv.org. Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 West Broad Street, 804.864.1400, http://www.smv.org.
CBS 6 SPONSORED Event: Ring in the New Year on Brown’s Island, a free RVA New Year’s Eve Party with the whole town. The Tradition started uptown now continues downtown with a night of entertainment, community, and a complete brand new RVA Ball. The event starts at 7pm, BioRide will provide shuttle rides to and from the Island (organizers could not tell me if they were charging) and Napoleon Taxi will provide free rides home (not to another party) between 10pm and 5am. To ride call 804-354-8294 or 354-TAXI and ask for SOBER RIDE. RVA New Year’s Eve is a free event but VIP tickets are being sold for an up close experience. For more details visit http://www.rvanye.co. (this website is correct). CBS 6’s Anchor Bill Fitzgerald will help ring in the New Year from 11pm to 12:15am.
Illuminate Light Show at Meadow Event Park, Doswell: open through Jan. 3, 2015, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., nightly, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Santa’s Village is closed. This drive-through light show is designed to be enjoyed from the comfort of your vehicle. The lights are synchronized to holiday music that plays through your car radio and show is built using nearly a million LED lights and more than 22 miles of cable. The show features an 80-foot tunnel of lights, 50-foot Christmas trees, dancing snowmen, singing trees, giant candy canes and more. It takes close to 30 minutes to drive through the entire show. Details visit http://www.illuminatelightshow.com/ or call 804-994-2866.
RVA On Ice, Richmond’s Outdoor Ice Skating Rink – open through January 3rd, 12pm – 11pm, and Sunday January 4th, 12pm-9pm, weather permitting, at 6th and Broad Streets. Open New Year’s Eve and Pajama Party Thursday, New Year’s Day. Saturday, January 3, 2015, members of Richmond Synchro and the Richmond Figure Skating Club will offer a short exhibition at 12pm followed by an opportunity for skaters to spend some time on the ice with club members, This exhibition is in advance of the South Atlantic Synchro Open at the Richmond Coliseum on Sunday, January 11. Details http://rvaonice.net/index.html.
Downton Abbey Crosses the Pond Early for Season Five Preview Celebration at Altria Theater. Richmond’s favorite British-American period drama is back. Two days ahead of the official U.S. television premiere of Downton Abbey, The Community Idea Stations will host a free preview of the show’s highly anticipated fifth season on Friday, January 2nd at 8pm at the newly-renovated Altria Theater. The episode will air on WCVE-PBS/WHTJ-PBS on Sunday, January 4 at 9 p.m. Last year’s event drew more than 1,700 attendees and organizers expect to double with the expanded capacity of the 3,600 seat Altria Theater. Once again attendees are encouraged to wear hats, gloves and other period dress. If Richmonders fill up all 3,600 seats of the theater, it will be the largest Downton Abbey screening in the U.S. Period dress is encouraged. Information about the Downton Abbey season five broadcasts & preview celebration is available at ideastations.org/downton or by calling (804) 320-1301.
Puppets Off-Broad Street, First Ever RVA Winter Puppetfest, through January 3rd at Richmond Triangle Players Theatre. Tuesday, December 30 at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., & a special 7 p.m. Pajama Party Performance: Dreamtime; Friday, January 2 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.: Little Red & the Gingerbread Man and Saturday, January 3 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.: Squirrel Stole My Underpants! Tickets $10 each (except for Dec. 26, where you pay-as-you-“can” with a donation to the Food Pantry) through Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.puppetsoffbroadstreet.org or call 804-852-2810 about group sales, or back-stage tours.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts “Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum Beijing” open through January 11, 2015, for details visit http://vmfa.museum/ or call 804-340-1400.
A Richmond Tradition – Victorian Holidays at Maymont, experience the wonders of the season now through January 4, 2015. Maymont Mansion Holiday Tours: Tuesdays – Sundays through January 4, 2015 from 12 – 5p.m., closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. A 12-foot Christmas Tree, dining room set for a feast, evergreen decorations and gifts in grand Victorian Style as the Dooley’s would have celebrated Christmas. Call 804-358-7166, ext 329.
ComedySportz, New Year’s Eve Improvin’ Eve with Two ComedySportz Matches, December 31, 7 p.m. All Ages & 10 p.m., for tickets and more information about shows in January visit http://www.comedysportzrichmond.com.
The world famous Harlem Globetrotters, will bring their unrivaled family show to Richmond Coliseum on January 4th, at 3PM during the Harlem Globetrotters 2015 “Washington Generals’ Revenge” Tour. In addition to the highly-anticipated matchup on the court, the Globetrotters, known worldwide as the Ambassadors of Goodwill™, will honor a Harlem Globetrotters Hometown Hero. The team is searching for active, wounded or retired members of the military who have made their community proud with their brave service and exemplary character. Fans can nominate a Harlem Globetrotters Hometown Hero at http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com. The Globetrotters will also play a portion of each game with a camouflage basketball as a sign of respect to all who protect our freedom. Tickets start at $25 at http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com, Ticketmaster.com, the Ford Box Office at the Richmond Coliseum, or 800-745-3000. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com.
