For the 11th spectacular year, the Virginia Arts Festival brings a whirlwind weekend of great performances to the historic city of Williamsburg. Co‐presented with the City of Williamsburg and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Festival Williamsburg offers residents and visitors the best of Broadway, jazz, classical music, and more, Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 through 26.2013
This Memorial Day Weekend begins on Thursday, May 23, with the first of a unique new series: the Williamsburg Winery Concerts. There’s a delicious repast for the body and soul in each of these concerts! On Thursday evening, enjoy fine dining and selections from the Williamsburg Winery’s award‐winning wine collection; then savor the superb artistry of the Miami String Quartet, praised in The New York Times for its “rich, precisely balanced sound and broad coloristic palette.” Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Music Director and renowned pianist André‐Michel Schub, along with Virginia Symphony violist Beverly Kane Baker, join the Quartet for an all‐Brahms program, music as rich and beautiful as the offerings on the menu. And if you prefer a 
brunch, enjoy the Friday, May 24 performance, with wine and menu tastings from Williamsburg’s finest restaurants, followed by a performance of Shostakovich and Mozart classics by pianist Schub and the Miami String Quartet. After each performance, concertgoers are invited to linger and meet the artists in this intimate setting.
Friday night, May 24, brings eight‐time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval to the Williamsburg Lodge for a show that dazzles. The versatile, virtuosic performer and composer is an audience favorite across continents, at home in every style of music from his beloved jazz to classical, and master of many instruments, from his phenomenal trumpet to piano, percussion and more. Prepare to be amazed by Sandoval’s musicianship and charmed by his stage presence.
Saturday, it’s Bravo Broadway at the Williamsburg Lodge, when a trio of stars gathers for an evening of favorite show tunes. Debbie Gravitte has charmed audiences from Broadway (Les Miserables) to the movies (The Little Mermaid); Christiane Noll received both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her performance in Ragtime; and Doug LaBrecque has thrilled theater audiences in The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat. Choose from two performances, 5:30 and 8pm and enjoy a cabaret experience with reserved table seating.
Sunday sizzles when the legendary Hot Sardines mix le jazz hot of Paris with the salty stride piano of N’Awlins. This is the kind of music Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller used to make: straight‐up, foot‐stomping fun—and with this band that’s a literal description: a tap dancer’s feet count as two members of the rhythm section. Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy an evening of sheer entertainment with this beguiling band.
Festival Williamsburg Performance Schedule
Festival events may be purchased at www.vafest.org or (757) 282‐2822. Tickets for Festival Williamsburg events may also be purchased at Williamsburg Municipal Building, 410 Lafayette Street, M‐F 8am to 4:30 pm or at the Williamsburg Lodge, May 23‐26, with no service fee.
Williamsburg Lodge hotel packages are available at 1‐800‐447‐8679.
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Glory at the Gardens returns in 2013 to Busch Gardens with a sensational lineup of the top contemporary Christian and Gospel artists. One of the park’s most popular events, Glory at the Gardens combines the best Christian-inspired performances with Busch Gardens’ family-friendly atmosphere for a perfect mix of music and adventure. As always, all concerts are free for park guests.
The Virginia Arts Festival returns to Williamsburg for its 2013 season. Enjoy performances by Arturo Sandoval; Bravo Broadway, featuring Debbie Gravitte, Christiane Noll, and Doug LaBrecque; and the hot jazz sound of Hot Sardines. Subscription tickets for three or more performances on sale now through the Virginia Arts Festival box office. Single tickets to all 2013 performances will go on sale at Ticketmaster on February 8, 2013.
Experience one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time! Winner of eight Grammy Awards and an Emmy, this legendary performer and composer is at home in every style of music, from his beloved jazz to classical."Whether firing volleys into the stratosphere or unspooling long, luscious melody lines, trumpeter Sandoval tends to dominate any room he’s in. Add to this Sandoval’s exuberant stage patter, warmly romantic pianism, robust timbales playing and gleefully maniacal singing, and you have an artist who instantly raises the emotional temperature- Friday, May 24, 8PM 
First Night Williamsburg is a family-oriented, non-alcoholic New Year’s Eve celebration of the performing arts presented throughout the City and on the campus of the College of William & Mary.
Grammy-award-winning singer and songwriter 
The two men’s a cappella groups from William & Mary competed with others from across Virginia to be part of the “A Cappella Sing-Off,” which will take place on Dec. 6 at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. The music and merriment start at 7:30 p.m., and general admission is $25.
The members of Rockapella will serve as judges for the event.
The Williamsburg Great Wolf Lodge is now offering limited-time day passes to its water park through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Virginia Peninsula.
Through the Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraiser visitors can buy day passes, which allow unlimited admission to the water park for a four or five-day period. An overnight stay is not included, and it is not mandatory to use the tickets.
Elisabeth von Trapp in concert
For the sixth year in a row 
The annual Merchants Square Summer Breeze Concert Series returns for the 21st year, featuring special bands and great music. This year the annual Independence Day concert, featuring the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, will take place on July 1. The free outdoor events take place Wednesdays from July 11 to Aug. 29., 2012
Colonial Williamsburg has partnered with the Virginia Arts Festival to create fun-filled musical weekend. From the swinging sounds of the Big Bands, to the majesty of Mahler, to the bravado of Broadway, you’ll experience some of the best of today’s performers. Join us for a weekend of stellar entertainment.
Mahler’s 8th Symphony, A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
There’s towering star power packed into that petite frame, from her hilarious characterization of Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock to her Tony Award-winning performance in Guys and Dolls in London’s West End, and her sold-out cabaret sessions at Feinstein’s at the Regency. Now Jane Krakowski takes her turn in the Festival’s Broadway spotlight. Seating is limited, so order early.
Sunday, May 27, 2012 the Broadway spotlight is on Jane Krakowski, the Tony award-winning and Emmy-nominated star of NBC’s “30 Rock,” who will perform classic Broadway hits under the musical direction of Rob Fisher. Ms. Krakowski has appeared on Broadway in “Guys and Dolls,” “Grand Hotel,” “Company,” “Once upon a Mattress,” “Tartuffe” and “Starlight Express.” In 2003, she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Carla opposite Antonio Banderas in the musical “Nine.” Tickets are $65 and $45 for reserved table seating at 5:30 and 8 p.m. in the Virginia Room of the Williamsburg Lodge.
the great composers and band leaders of the swing era: Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Pops Louie Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lucky Millinder, Earl Fatha Hines, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton and more. The New York Times calls their sound “potent music, tailor-made for dancing.”
In 1753, the Hallam troupe, having broken with London’s New Wells Theatre, arrived in Williamsburg to present The Merchant of Venice, the first professional production of Shakespeare in the New World.
2nd Sundays Arts Festival presented by the Blue Talon Bistro features:
The first Bid ‘n Buy Auction was held in 1978 and raised just over $2,000. Last year, the auction netted over $80,000, with all proceeds going to provide services for children with disabilities or those who are at risk for developmental delays in our community.
The Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg presents SHAMROCK the BLOCK sponsored by ESG, International. Join us for a blockbuster event! For the second year in a row, we’re throwing a St. Patty’s Day party a little early, Saturday, March 10, 2012. We’ll be celebrating with the popular band,
