April; that most transitional of seasons when the chill gives way to warmth, when rain is a welcome sight and when festival season kicks off in Norfolk. Here’s a look at some of our favorite events slated for April 2025.
Norfolk Admirals
Three Dates in April
It’s last call for Norfolk Admirals action, as the city’s ECHL team takes on Reading Royals at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, April 9; then a two-game home-stand to close out the season against South Carolina Stingrays at 7:05 p.m. April 11-12. Playoff games would follow throughout April if applicable, but don’t miss your last guaranteed chance to see the on-ice action.
Norfolk Tides
Eleven Home Games in April
Harbor Park
As we transition from hockey to baseball season, Norfolk’s Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles
Basketball Madness
Through April 8, 2025
Waterside District
Catch all the NCAA tournament hoops action on 30+ TVs in the Market, a 20×16-foot TV wall and more than 70 other TVs throughout the District so you don’t miss a second of the action. Food and drink specials offered, VIP packages available.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Through April 5, 2025
Chrysler Hall
Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Norfolk in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film, MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.
Momix: Alice
April 2, 2025
Chrysler Hall
Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. “I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story” Pendleton says, “but to use it as a taking off point for invention.” Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure, as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises. Filled with visual splendor and startling creative movement, Alice reveals that nothing in MOMIX’s world is as it seems!
Brian Regan
April 4, 2025
CHrysler Hall
Critics, fans and fellow comedians agree: Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in the country with Vanity Fair calling Brian, “The funniest stand-up alive,” and Entertainment Weekly calling him, “Your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian.” Having built his 30-plus year career on the strength of his material alone, Brian’s non-stop theater tour continuously fills the most beautiful venues across North America, visiting close to 100 cities each year.
Pride & Prejudice & Dragons
April 3-5, 2025
Hermitage Museum & Gardens
Pride & Prejudice & Dragons transports you to the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s England, where regency balls and courtship blend with quests and dragons. With a roll of the dice, the story unfolds in unexpected ways — will Elizabeth charm Mr. Darcy or leave him behind to battle mythical creatures?
Adult Night at Virginia Zoo
April 5, 2025
Virginia Zoo
Unleash your inner wild child during our adults-only evening at the Zoo! Trails and exhibits will be open late* and there will be drinks, a DJ, food trucks, and local vendors alongside yard games and a bounce house to enjoy in our Event Field. To celebrate springtime, our education team and community vendors will host plant-themed trivia, scavenger hunts and more for prizes! Event is Ages 21+ and takes place rain or shine.
Sound of Music Sing-A-Long
April 6, 2025
Chrysler Hall
Grab your lederhosen, practice your best Maria von Trapp impression and get ready to enjoy Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long! Join us in your city for a screening of the smash-hit 1965 movie musical in glorious, full-screen technicolor, complete with onscreen lyrics. Based on the amazing true story of The Trapp Family Singers, The Sound of Music is a cinematic landmark and winner of five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the film features timeless songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and more.
Flatland Cavalry
April 11, 2025
The NorVa
For the past decade, Flatland Cavalry has built a reputation as “one of the most dynamic presences in country music” (Rolling Stone) with their signature “Easy on the ears, heavy on the heart” sound. In 2024, the sextet celebrated 10 years together with Flatland Forever, an acclaimed album that pays tribute to their journey, revisiting fan favorites while introducing new songs that showcase how far they’ve come.
Jazz At Lincoln Center w/Wynton Marsalis
April 11, 2025
Chrysler Hall
Led by nine-time GRAMMY winner (with an astonishing 32 nominations!) and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Medal of the Arts Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is the emblem of jazz for the United States and the world – and a swingin’ great time for audiences. With veteran and virtuoso musicians bound by years of performing and touring together and an abiding love and respect for the art form, this legendary band is “an immense and perfectly balanced engine,” says the Guardian, UK.
Battleship Wisconsin 81st Birthday
April 12, 2025
Nauticus BB-64
Nauticis celebrates 81 years of history aboard the mighty Battleship Wisconsin. Enjoy special activities, exclusive tours, and hands-on experiences in honor of this iconic vessel. Tours, talks and ice cream and a chess workshop will be offered.
Mermaid City Craft Beer & Wine FEst
April 12, 2025
Waterside District
Try some of the best beer & wine in town, all at Waterside District, for a Veteran’s Day Weekend celebration like no other. Enjoy specially curated exhibitors, including top breweries and wineries, as they share with you some of the best craft beers, wines, and more. All tickets include unlimited sampling of over 40 beers, multiple food trucks, live music including karaoke, DJs, and more.
JEssie Montgomery w/VAF Chamber Players
April 15, 2025
Robin Hixon Theater
Presented by Virginia Arts Festival. Composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery has won accolades across the U.S. and around the world, creating vibrant works that engage audiences and are defining a new classical canon. As she completes her residency as the Virginia Arts Festival Composer in Residence, Montgomery will curate and perform in a program that includes her own chamber music and works by her contemporaries. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear this important composer’s engaging works!
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
April 16, 2025
Norfolk Academy
Co-presented with Tidewater Classical Guitar and Virginia Arts Festival. With a repertoire that ranges from Bach to bluegrass, this dazzlingly gifted ensemble plays to sold-out houses around the world, bringing “unrivaled joy, technical élan, and a questing spirit” (Los Angeles Times) to every performance. Their musical appetites encompass music from every age and nearly every corner of the earth, and “the effect is astonishing. If it’s true that variety is the very spice of life, it follows that the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a habañero chili pepper” (The Berkshire Edge).
Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion
April 17, 2025
Perry Pavilion
Presented by Virginia Arts Festival. Known globally for his mastery of the tabla—“the drum with a thousand voices”—Zakir Hussain has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Béla Fleck, Van Morrison, and George Harrison. For this Festival return engagement, Hussain has gathered a dream team of percussionists representing music and cultures from around the world, including Indian sarangi player Sabir Khan; Colombian-born jazz master Tupac Mantilla; balafon, barra, djembe, and conga player Melissa Hié, and master of the dholak and tabla, Navin Sharma. A global journey in sound!
Train Rides with the Easter Bunny
April 19, 2025
Virginia Zoo
Climb aboard the Virginia Zoo Express and take a *photo with the Easter Bunny! Easter train rides will be offered on April 19th from 11am-2pm. Also enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt at the train station at 12pm; eggs will include candies, train punch cards, and coupons for the Virginia Zoo Gift Shop! We encourage guests to sign up for the Easter Egg Hunt at the train station before 12pm.
Virginia International Tattoo
April 24-27, 2025
Scope Arena
For centuries, the cry “Tattoo” echoed throughout Europe — first a call by to innkeepers to “Turn off the taps!” — and then as the name for a grand display of military bands and drill teams. The legendary Tattoos of Edinburgh and Nova Scotia are now rivaled by the largest Tattoo in the U.S. — our own Virginia International Tattoo. Mounting a mighty spectacle that changes every year, the Virginia International Tattoo summons more than 1,000 performers including fife and drum corps, bagpipers, military bands, precision drill teams, and performing ensembles ranging from step dancers to motorcycle stunt drivers.
72nd Annual Parade of Nations
April 26, 2025
Downtown Norfolk
The only parade in the U.S. to honor NATO features over 100 parade units including U.S. and international bands, military units, community groups and floats representing ever NATO Member Nation! The Parade is free and open to the public, but reserved seating is available for purchase.
NoCo Spring Wine Fest
April 26, 2025
Hank’s Filling Station
The NoCo (North Colley) Spring Wine Fest gives you the opportunity to taste and order wines for all of your Spring and Summer festivities. With 40 different wines spanning the globe, you will not find more selections to impress your family and friends this season. Wine professionals will complete the experience by offering expert recommendations.
Bob & Lee Woodruff
April 29, 2025
Chrysler Hall
Award-winning journalist Bob Woodruff has covered the most influential stories and breaking news around the globe for more than 30 years. He has reported from the White House to war zones and conflicts, from some of the planet’s most remote areas to some of the most prominent events. Bob and Lee founded the Bob Woodruff Foundation to assist post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families heal from the physical and silent wounds of war. To date, the non-profit foundation has invested more than $20 million, funding and shaping innovative programs across the country that are helping veterans successfully integrate back into their communities.
The Tallis Scholars
April 29, 2025
Christ and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Co-presented with Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Virginia Arts Festival. Dubbed “the rock stars of Renaissance vocal music” by The New York Times and “one of the UK’s greatest cultural exports” by BBC Radio 3, this legendary ensemble has perhaps done more than any other group to establish sacred vocal music of the Renaissance as one of the great repertoires of Western classical music. Norfolk’s historic Christ & St. Luke’s Church makes the perfect setting for their beautiful sound, which summons the echoes of the past and reveals new delights in works by contemporary composers.
