This weekend in Lynchburg (Oct 9-11)

60 or so events this weekend. Chase Matthew plays the Amphitheater on Friday night, Come From Away opens at Commerce Street Theater, and the Hill City Howlers start their fall concert series at City Stadium with a Taylor Swift tribute. Saturday brings the Clay Festival at the Academy, a skate competition at Riverfront Park, a daytime Pride party at Three Roads and a mentalist show at the Historic Academy Theatre, and the Appomattox Railroad Festival runs all three days a short drive south. If I'm missing something, or you've got an event you're hosting or want to share, let me know.

Times and details can change after this is sent. For the latest, view this post on the web (the "view in browser" link up top). I post corrections there.

Loving this? Forward this email to a friend who's new to town or always bored on weekends. Filter events on the new calendar → lyhevents.com

Run a local business? I've got room for a sponsor or two in the newsletter. If you'd like to get in front of a few hundred Lynchburg locals who read this every week, just reply and I'll send the details.

Chase Matthew, Fri · 7:00pm at the Lynchburg Amphitheater at Riverfront Park · with Austin Snell and Austin Williams, gates around 5:30pm.

Come From Away, opening night Fri · 7:30pm at Commerce Street Theater · the musical about the Newfoundland town that took in stranded travelers on September 11, 2001, runs weekends through October 25th.

Clay Festival, Sat · 9:00am-3:00pm at the Academy Center of the Arts · a free family day of clay demonstrations.

Appomattox Railroad Festival, Fri-Sun · Courtland Festival Park in Appomattox · live music on several stages, a parade, train exhibits and food vendors, free.

🟢 free · 🟠 paid · 🎤 karaoke

🟠 Open Studio · 10:00am-2:00pm · Hammer & Stain Lynchburg · $25-$50 by project · paint, mosaic, pressed flower, doormat or book vase tiers

🟢 Tiny Tabletops · 10:30am-12:30pm · Miller Center Library Hub · ages 3-5 with a parent or guardian, rotating board and card games

🟠 Little Picasso Art Club · 10:30am · Scrappy Elephant · $13 · toddler art club

🟠 Basic Alterations & Repairs (beginner) · 11:00am-1:00pm · Needle Ninja Sewing Studio · $68 · two weekly sessions

🟠 Archaeology Behind the Scenes Tours · 11:00am and 2:00pm · Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest · $30 in advance, $35 day-of · walking tour of the latest dig sites, with a look at artifacts in the archaeology lab

🟢 Live Music: Jodie + Bo · 5:30pm · Charley's Restaurant & Catering · Live in the Tavern series

🟢 Live Music: Andrew Beverly · 6:00-9:00pm · Starr Hill On Main

🟠 Trivia Night with Kittens · 6:00-8:00pm · Lynchburg Humane Society · $25 · teams of 6 or fewer, drinks, snacks, door prizes and kitten cuddles, all ticket sales go to LHS pets

🟠 Fall Flower Wreaths · 6:00-8:00pm · Hammer & Stain Lynchburg · $45 · wood flower wreath workshop, or a $50 decor broom

🟠 Pottery Night Out · 6:00-8:00pm · May Carter Pottery Studio · $52 · Academy Center of the Arts

🟠 Candlelight Tours · 6:25-8:30pm tours leave every 25 minutes · Old City Cemetery · $27 · 19th annual tours with Endstation Theatre, six haunted histories plus ginger cookies and hot cider, through October 23rd

🟢 Live Music: The Skyler McCurley Band · 6:30-9:30pm · The Trailhead

🟠 Chase Matthew · 7:00pm · Lynchburg Amphitheater at Riverfront Park · with special guests Austin Snell and Austin Williams, gates around 5:30pm

🟠 Digimon Weekly Locals · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · a pack per win, weekly Friday TCG locals

🟠 FNM Weekly Booster Draft · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $23.99 · three packs to draft plus a pack per win, Friday Night Magic

🟢 Final Forest Friday Cheers: Big Matt & the Time Machine · 7:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works, Forest · the last Forest Friday Cheers of 2026

🟢 Friday Night Magic: Commander · 7:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop, Forest · weekly Magic: The Gathering Commander night

🟢 Hill City Mindfulness Recovery Group · 7:00pm · The Clarity House · certified peer-led support group, ages 18+, doors 6:30pm, free coffee

🟠 Star Wars Unlimited Weekly Play · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · weekly Friday TCG locals

🟢 Live Music: Starfire Live · 7:00pm · 801 Raw Bar on Rivermont · acoustic set (Star and Lara Crist)

🟠 Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience · 7:30pm · City Stadium · $21.50-$76.50 · Taylor Swift tribute recreating the Eras Tour, night one of the Hill City Howlers' first Fall Concert Series

🟠 Come From Away · 7:30pm · Commerce Street Theater · opening night of the musical about the Newfoundland town that took in stranded travelers on September 11, 2001, runs weekends through October 25th

🟠 Pub Crawl · 7:30-9:30pm · The Historic Bragassa Toy Store · $35 · two-hour haunted downtown pub crawl with live group readings (Hill City Tours)

🎤 Karaoke: Scoreboards 8:00pm

🟢 Saturday Market · 8:00am · Lynchburg Community Market · weekly farmers and artisan market

🟢 Forest Farmers Market · 8:00am · Forest Farmers Market, Forest · locally grown produce, meats, honey, flowers, breads and artisan goods

🟢 Clay Festival · 9:00am-3:00pm · Academy Center of the Arts · family day of clay demonstrations in the Historic Theatre mezzanine lot

🟠 Mindful Movement Saturday Yoga · 9:45-10:45am · Sattva Yoga & Wellness Center · $10-$15 drop-in · weekly class, free for members (Gary)

🟠 Book Vase · 10:00am-12:00pm · Hammer & Stain Lynchburg · $50

🟠 Fall Palette Knife Painting Class · 10:00am · Scrappy Elephant · $35

🟠 Archaeology Behind the Scenes Tours · 11:00am and 2:00pm · Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest · $30 in advance, $35 day-of · walking tour of the latest dig sites, with a look at artifacts in the archaeology lab

🟢 Waterstone October Pizza Party · 12:00-5:00pm · Waterstone Pizza · LoveLYH's arts market along Jefferson Street, with an afterparty

🟢 Oktoberfest · 1:00-10:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works, Forest · contests, a keg-holding competition, live music and German-inspired food

🟠 Pokemon Casual League Play · 1:30pm · Dragon Fire Games · $4.99 · entry includes league packs

🟢 Touch-a-Truck · 2:00-5:00pm · Forest Presbyterian Church parking lot, Forest · kids climb into trucks from local agencies, food trucks including the craveABLEs ice cream truck, prize wheel and raffle, no registration needed

🟠 Yu-Gi-Oh! Weekly Locals · 2:30pm · Dragon Fire Games · $4.99 · entry includes a prize pack

🟠 Amigurumi Creature Creation · 3:00pm · Scrappy Elephant · $30

🟠 Fall Sk8 Competition (in honor of Ryan Massie) · 3:00pm · Riverfront Skate Park · $10 per class · ages 8+, street and ramp and bowl categories, cash prizes for first through third, helmets required

🟢 Lynchburg Daytime Pride · 3:00-7:00pm · Three Roads Brewing · DJ Jade Monroe, hosted by Angel Mugler-Attenshun with queens and performers, family friendly

🟠 Riftbound Nexus Nights Weekly Play · 6:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · weekly Saturday TCG locals

🟠 Candlelight Tours · 6:25-8:30pm tours leave every 25 minutes · Old City Cemetery · $27 · 19th annual tours with Endstation Theatre, six haunted histories plus ginger cookies and hot cider, through October 23rd

🟢 Live Music: The Dock Wizards · 6:30-9:30pm · The Trailhead

🟠 Disney Lorcana League Play · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · weekly Saturday league

🟠 Riverside String Band Benefit Concert · 7:00-9:00pm · Sattva Yoga & Wellness Center · $25 · live music, proceeds support Sattva Center's nonprofit activities

🟠 Spidey · 7:30pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $37 · mind-reading mentalist show from the YouTube star with a Las Vegas residency

🟠 Locked in Time · 8:00-9:30pm · 1104 Church St · $25 · haunted history tour (Hill City Tours)

🟠 Ghosts of Gallows Hill · 8:00-9:30pm · Old Court House Steps · $25 · lantern-led haunted history walking tour (Hill City Tours)

🟠 Babe Haven + White Beast + F-Certified · 8:00pm · Super Rad Arcade Bar · $20 · doors 7:00pm

🟠 HOPECHELLA (Lynchburg Pride night party) · 8:00pm-12:00am · Three Roads Brewing · $25 GA / $30 VIP · 21+, live DJ and drag performances

🎤 Karaoke: Lola's 7:00pm (Mogu Entertainment) · 801 Raw Bar on Rivermont 7:00pm (DJ Mike)

🟠 Fiber Laser Engraving · 1:00-4:00pm · Vector Space · $55 · $45 for members · requires prior Lightburn or CO2 laser class experience, ages 16+

🟢 Sunday Session: Gabriel Van · 1:00-4:00pm · The Water Dog · weekly Sunday live music, no cover

🟠 Candlelight Tours · 2:00pm · Old City Cemetery · $27 · seated, non-walking matinee of the Endstation Theatre tours

🟢 Brunch DJ · 2:00-5:00pm · Tiger Sun Restaurant & Lounge · weekly Sunday brunch DJ

🟠 Mosaic Lamps · 2:00-4:00pm · Hammer & Stain Lynchburg · $75

🟠 Fabric Mosaics: Create Your Own Kinusaiga Art · 3:00pm · Scrappy Elephant · $30 · ages 16+

🟢 Riftbound Play · 3:00pm, alongside Weekly Lorcana Play at the same time · Underground Cards & Disc Shop, Forest · weekly TCG play

🟢 Live Music: Phil West of The Ragnarockers · 4:00-7:00pm · The Trailhead

🎤 Karaoke: The World Famous Stadium Inn 8:00-11:00pm (Rhodey Entertainment)

All weekend

🟠 Smith's Pumpkin Patch · Fri-Sat 10:00am-8:00pm, Sun 12:00-8:00pm · Smith's Pumpkin Patch · $40 per child season pass · adults ride the hayride free with a pass, play area and hayrides, open daily through October 31st

🟢 Botanical Alchemy: Echo Prints by Beth Stinson and That Which Forms · Fri-Sun 12:00-4:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · both shows run through October 18th

🚗 Worth the Drive

🟢 Appomattox Railroad Festival · Fri-Sun · Courtland Festival Park, Appomattox · parade, live music on several stages, food vendors, shopping and train exhibits, pets not permitted

🟢 Big Otter Mill Harvest Festival · Sat 10:00am · Big Otter Mill, Bedford · the 19th annual free, family-friendly community harvest festival

🟢 Cab Kids Opera on the James Presents Cinderella · Sat 12:00pm · Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford · free family opera

🟠 Big Band of the Blue Ridge · Sat 6:00pm · Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford · $20 in advance, $25 at the door

🟢 Oktoberfest Weekend at Devils Backbone · Fri-Sun · Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland · live Bavarian music, stein hoisting, a craft vendor market and games, camp sites available

🟠 A Toadally Corntastic Fall Day · Sat 10:00am-10:00pm · Blue Toad Hard Cider, Roseland · $16 maze admission · 5-acre corn maze, live music 6:00-9:00pm, pony rides noon to 4:00pm and karaoke

🟢 Harvest Fest · Fri-Sun · Harvest Moon Marketplace, Smith Mountain Lake · live music Fri 6:00-9:00pm (Fretwell), Sat 1:30-5:30pm (Rarely Available Band) and Sun 1:30-5:30pm (Blue Connection), store open 11:00am-5:00pm daily

🗓️ Coming up next week (the full list lands in Tuesday's email)

🟠 Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue · Wed Oct 14, 7:00pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $41.75-$110 · Outback Presents

🟠 The SteelDrivers · Thu Oct 15, 7:30pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $24.50-$75 · bluegrass band

🟢 Opera on the James: The Bremen Town Musicians · Thu Oct 15, 6:00pm · Second Stage Amherst · free family opera, supper at 5:30pm, RSVP required

🟠 Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox · Fri Oct 16, 7:30pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $29.50-$85 · The Future Is Vintage World Tour

Enjoying the roundup? It takes a good chunk of my week to put together. If it pointed you to a good night out and you feel like tossing a few bucks in the tip jar, here's my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lyhevents. No pressure, and thanks for reading either way.