Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby perform at Funhouse Fest, presented by Virginia Arts Festival and Bruce Hornsby.
When I heard about Funhouse Fest coming to the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg—I got excited about this creative concept from Bruce Hornsby and the Virginia Arts Festival. Anything we can do to add to the music and arts scene in Williamsburg, is great.
I watched the frame of the pavilion go up—a little bit each day, as I drove by it with my kids on our way to start our days. The lawn is lovely, but that green expanse of lawn makes the museum entrance seem very far away.
The first event I’d heard of that was set up on the lawn (besides the colonial firetruck) was Spoke & Art, a CultureFix event during the Richmond bicycle race in 2015. The venue is not on a main street but it’s close to so much downtown. I feel Williamsburgers forget about it—and the amazing museums attached to it—because they aren’t part of their natural traffic pattern.
Knowing how close Funhouse Fest would be to where I live, I didn’t think my extroverted self would be able to resist going to see what was happening. I volunteered with the Virginia Arts Festival all weekend—and had a great time. I put on wristbands at the front gate, sold CDs and merchandise and put my bartending skills to work in the VIP tent.
I met a large number of people from out of the area—from North Carolina, DC, Norfolk and western VA—who travel for music festivals. It was great to see that we’d created something to bring them here. I also saw many locals enjoying themselves—some dressed up for a summer night out, others in shorts with lawn chairs. It was a cultural event as well as a community one.
The event had a lot of seatingoptions—and since the weather was gorgeous—it was perfect for sitting outside in the sunshine with a breeze and live music. What could be better?
This year’s Fest is June 23-25—get your tickets now! I, for one, can’t wait to see Sheryl Crow!