The 10th Annual NEON Festival

• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Snacks from local food trucks and more
• 7:00pm - 8:00pm Norfolk Tour Company Art Tour leaving from Grace Street
• 7:00pm AMI Dance Performance outside the Studio
• 7:30pm The Governor's School for the Arts Dance Performance

Hot glass and live music come together for memorable evenings as the Perry Glass Studio kicks off the first night of NEON Festival with Glass After Dark.

Cash bar. Free, registration recommended.

• Entire night: Community programming from TCC Art Students, Caricature Artists, the Maury Photo Club and WHRO
• 6:00pm The Governor's School for the Arts Jazz Band, Studio Lobby
• 6:20pm Strolling Strings, upstairs inside Studio
• 6:30pm NEON 10th Anniversary Celebration Toast inside the Meredith Hot Shop
• 6:30pm Melodic Meditation outside on the Studio loading dock
• 7:00pm - 10:00pm Glass After Dark in the Hot Shop
• 7:45pm Strolling Strings at the Studio entrance
• 8:00pm Glow Yoga with Vee and Bhav Brigade outside on the Studio loading dock
• 8:00pm Bread Collectors Band in the Hot Shop, alongside Glass After Dark

• 6:00pm - 8:00pm Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era Exhibition Preview Celebration (ticketed)

Walk over to Favor Nation Church at 759 Yarmouth Street, across from Chrysler Museum of Art, for It's Electric! A Dance Concert.

• 6:30pm - 8:30pm Free dance performances from Beverly Moody, Twinkle Toes and more.

Live Music, Art, and Community at The Plot
The Plot comes alive for the NEON Festival with an evening of live performances, local art, and community activations presented by Fresh Radio and Freshtopia. Enjoy a diverse lineup featuring classical voices, youth talent, and high-energy DJ sets that keep the block moving all night long.

Event Schedule
6:00pm - 6:30pm Melanie Dubil and Maggie Kinabrew from Virginia Opera’s Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists program, accompanied by Oleg Bellini
6:30pm - 7:00pm Teens With a Purpose
7:00pm - 9:00pm Fresh Radio with Selecta 720
9:00pm - 10:00pm DJ Chef Dro

On-Site Organizations & Vendors
Elizabeth River Trail
Action in Motion
Teens With a Purpose
Freshtopia
Fresh Art Exhibit

• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Beer Garden with food trucks, vendors and sponsor booths
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Hampton Roads Quilting Guild
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Doodlefest in Granby Street
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Immortalize Yourself in Art!
  • Local artist Rowena Federico Finn invites everyone to contribute to her upcoming art exhibition "Crowd Control."  By adding a single anonymous fingerprint onto a translucent capiz shell, you become part of the work—adding to the collective while maintaining your individuality.  Together, the fingerprints create a powerful meditation on privacy in a data-driven age and the tension between personal identity and belonging to a larger whole.

• 6:00pm - 7:00pm Chalk art and temporary arm tattoos with The Governor's School for the Arts visual art students
• 7:00pm - 8:00pm Norfolk Tour Company Art Tour leaving from Cementiscope sculpture at the Plot

• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Festival beer garden
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm TEN: Time, Transformation, and Togetherness Art Exhibition
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm DJ sets by House Revival Project

• 6:30pm - 7:00pm The Hurrah Players take the stage with a spirited selection of scenes from The Addams Family. This lively musical comedy follows everyone’s favorite quirky family through a tale of love, laughter, and a touch of the macabre. Expect catchy tunes, playful choreography, and the signature energy that makes The Hurrah Players a Downtown Norfolk favorite.
• 8:00pm - 10:00pm Heard Productions presents Truth Be Told: Virginia Season 5 Launch. Step inside the Hugh Copeland Center for an evening of storytelling, performance, and community. Listen to three new episodes from Truth Be Told: Virginia, featuring stories from Black faces, places, and spaces along the Elizabeth River Trail. Guests are invited to take a story and leave a story, adding their own voice to this living archive of truth and connection. Supported by the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation through a National Parks Service Chesapeake Gateways Grant, and a grant from Virginia Humanities.

That’s Flee Vol. 8 (NEON Edition)
Goodsociety brings its signature streetwear and culture-forward energy to the NEON Festival with That’s Flee Vol. 8. This special NEON Edition transforms The Plot into a vibrant open-air market featuring local designers, artists, and creatives shaping the 757’s fashion and lifestyle scene.

Discover exclusive drops, vintage finds, and independent brands alongside live music, food, and community. More than just a market, That’s Flee is a celebration of style, creativity, and connection in the heart of the NEON District.

• 5:00pm - 9:00pm VIVID Exhibition Opening with live painting, fairy hair, a DJ, beverages and snacks
• 6:00pm VIVID Exhibition Award announcements

• 6:00pm - 10:00pm The Doper Show
• 9:30pm Foster Beauty Fashion Show Finale Walk

Lunatique
Bienvenue! Step into Lunatique, a graveyard lounge inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, offering a serene refuge during the NEON Festival’s 10th anniversary. This atmospheric activation blends art, mysticism, and reflection, featuring tarot readings, henna, mojo bags, and coping skill sessions led by a licensed social worker. Thematic libations and treats will be available for purchase throughout the evening.

Inside Zeke’s, explore Black Out, a juried group exhibition showcasing work from more than 60 Hampton Roads artists, on view all month long. Whether you come for the art, the atmosphere, or the conversation, Lunatique invites you to slow down and connect.

Event Schedule
6:00pm - 10:00pm Lunatique: La Fête du Soir
6:00pm - 10:00pm Black Out Juried Group Exhibition
9:30pm Winners Announcement

• 6:30pm - 9:30pm Free Improv Shows every 30 minutes featuring The Pushers and some of the Push Comedy Theater's funniest improvisers. Totally FREE!

The Path Within: Where Courage Grows
Step into a colorful alley filled with towering flowers and fluttering story sheets that dance in the breeze. Begin your journey by letting go of a fear, then wander through stories of real courage, raw, human, and heartfelt. Each visitor is invited to pause, read, and add their own reflection, creating a shared field of bravery. The Path Within invites you to consider what courage looks like in your own life and how it grows when it is shared.

• 6:00pm - 8:00pm Celebrate the 12th Annual Hat-tober

• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Grab a taco or marg from NEON's classic dive bar

• 6:00pm - 9:00pm Old Dominion University Art Therapy Make and Take
• 6:00pm - 9:00pm Old Dominion University Pottery Sale & Fundraiser for 757 Community Fridges
• 7:00pm - 8:00pm ODU Writers in Community Poetry Reading

Recon Music Lab presented by Darknight Ent x XIMERAx
Recon Music Lab transforms Glow Juice Bar into an immersive music discovery experience that celebrates artistry, storytelling, and community. In collaboration with XIMERA Agency, this live activation is the culmination of an intentional artist development program where five performers rehearse, refine, and shape their stories in the weeks leading up to the NEON Festival.

Powered by partnerships with 103 Jamz, Darknight ENT, and Baila Fuzion Dance & Creative Arts Center, the event blends live performance, brand development, and media storytelling into one dynamic experience. Expect intimate performances, creative collaboration, and a voter registration tie-in with NextGen.

Rollin’ Through the Decades Fashion Show
Experience an unforgettable night of art, fashion, and movement at Rollin’ Through the Decades, part of the 10th Annual NEON Festival. Presented by Rollbounce Rollout, the 757’s all-wheels community celebration, this high-energy evening transforms Magazine Lane into a glowing runway and skate floor. All wheels. All welcome.

Hosted by Judi KO and Trulee Fresh, with music by DJ Hitman and DJ Kellie, the event features runway shows sponsored by She’s a 10 and Karma Skate Shop, live performances, demos, and interactive art. Ride, skate, and dance through the illuminated lane while exploring the Rolling Art Gallery, Cardinal Skate Shop ramp area, Glow Bar, and Moke America Bike Show.

In a reprisal of his original mural New Energy of Norfolk, Rick Nickel's smiling houses once again grace the NEON District. Painted in honor of the tenth anniversary of NEON, the new iteration of the mural now faces the northern entrance to the neighborhood but still is the friendliest of murals.

The NEON District and the condo owners of the Gray Building partner on providing a rotating window gallery space for young and emerging artists. This fall features students from Solstice Hybrid Academy.

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NEON is an acronym for New Energy of Norfolk, which represents the energetic and creative community of Norfolk’s arts district.

Please contact neonnfk@downtownnorfolk.org for more information about the NEON District and the NEON Festival.

You can also reach festival organizers at the Downtown Norfolk Council at 757-623-1757.

Yes! We will need volunteers on Friday, October 17, 2025. We need beer pourers, festival guides and more! Stay tuned for a link to register this fall.

Thursday, October 16 the festival runs from 6pm-10pm at the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Friday, October 17 the festival runs from 6pm-10pm on Granby Street, Wilson Avenue and at The Plot.

The NEON Festival is a great place to bring kids for early evening festivities. There will be live music, arts and crafts, and other fun activities for kids and families.

Yes, the NEON Festival’s events are all free and open to the public.

Great question! On Thursday evening, the focus of the festival will be on the newly reopened Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Chrysler Museum of Art will be open late for a member exhibition preview so non-members will have to pay a small entry fee.

On Friday evening, festivities include street activations. Granby Street in front of the Plot and W. Wilson Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic so that festival visitors can enjoy activities, shop, wander and drink an adult beverage throughout the street closure. It adds so much more space for vendors, visitors and lots more fun.

A LOT! Festival attendees can visit one of the NEON District eateries or find a snack at one of the food trucks or vendors around the festival.

You can also try one of the NEON businesses staying open late like Zeke's NFK, Commune or Sanctuary.

Yes! Both evenings of the festival offer many indoor activities in a variety of venues. In the advent of serious inclement weather, some outdoor programming may be moved indoors. Please follow @neonnfk or visit the festival page for updates.