Stockley Gardens Arts Festival – Norfolk, VA

Building community takes art. Music. Food. Laughter. A willingness to work together. Most of all, it takes vision.

Since 1984, Hope House Foundation has been the vision behind the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. Now, the free event is a community tradition proudly presented by Towne Bank, and drawing more than 50,000 visitors annually.

Twice a year, on the third full weekend in May and October, people flock to Stockley Gardens in Norfolk’s historic Ghent neighborhood to browse through jewelry, pottery, paintings, and other works of art by over 130 artists. The park is full of strollers, dogs and tantalizing smells. Music drifts from the stage. Friends stop to chat. Throughout the weekend, there is a feeling of hope.

The money raised during these events helps pay for housing, transportation, medical care, and more for people with developmental disabilities. But the events themselves benefit the entire community.

Each year, a nationally recognized artist or curator judges the artists, who compete for cash prizes. There is also an Emerging Artist Competition, also with cash prizes, for college and high school students, as well as recent graduates. Award winners are announced during the Artists’ Reception, which is held Saturday evening on the Main Stage.

We’re proud to give the community one of the best outdoor arts festivals in the area. In fact, the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival has been voted one of the top two art festivals in eastern Virginia by Virginia Living Magazine readers six years in a row, so don’t miss the upcoming Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. It’s a good time, for a good cause.

Saturday 10-5. Sunday Noon-5.