How do you celebrate the very best that Richmond has to offer? By throwing a party and inviting the community out to celebrate! Style Weekly hosted its annual Best Fest on Aug. 15 at The Branch Museum of Design bringing together Richmonders, local artists, restaurants and businesses for a celebration of the city’s favorite things.
Check out a slide show of photos (above) from Style Weekly’s award-winning photographer Scott Elmquist for a special look inside the event!
“Best Fest is always such a fun and festive opportunity to celebrate the local businesses and people who make Richmond shine,” said Style Weekly general manager Macaulay Hammond. “It brings our issue off the page and into real life, giving you the chance to see it all in action. There’s no other night that leaves me more excited and energized to be part of such a vibrant, talented community.”
Each year, Style Weekly asks readers to vote for their Richmond favorites in four different categories: arts and culture, people and places, food and drink and goods and services, all of which are featured in Style’s annual ‘Best of Richmond’ issue. With nearly 110,000 votes cast in 2025, the community wasn’t shy about making its voice heard!
This year’s celebration featured food from several Best of Richmond winners, including: 1115 Mobile Kitchen, Birdie’s + Common House, Blue Atlas Restaurant and Market, Bryan Park Bar & Grill, Charlotte’s Southern Deli, Gold Lion Community Cafe, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, ICA Cafe, Jamaica House Restaurant, Mama J’s, Nate’s Bagels, Penny’s Wine Shop, Philly Vegan, Ruby Scoops Ice Cream & Sweets, Sweet P’s RVA, The Roosevelt and more.
Attendees were also treated to live music from Afro-Zen Allstars and Deau Eyes, as well as performances by Qing Blaze and Michelle Livigne.
Learn more about the event and see more photos in this article from Style Weekly.
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VPM Media Corporation, the parent company of VPM, Virginia’s home for public media, acquired Style Weekly in November of 2021. Driven by a shared commitment to local storytelling that reflects the interests of the public, the acquisition deepens VPM’s arts and culture coverage and expands its digital footprint to include StyleWeekly.com and Style Weekly’s social media properties.
