What's On in Norfolk
Events, markets, games, library and parks programs in and around Norfolk, with times, prices and the organizer's own link.
Featured
Norfolk Fourth of July fireworks 2026
Norfolk's July Fourth: the Great American Picnic at Town Point Park, 5 to 10 p.m., with fireworks over the Elizabeth River at 9:30 p.m. Free. Home fireworks are banned.
Coming up
The full month- Sun. Oct. 25 Halloween Harvest Festival
- Mon. Oct. 26 Lambert's Point Trunk or Treat
- Wed. Oct. 28 Crossroads Fall Festival
- Wed. Oct. 28 Bayview Fall Festival
- Wed. Oct. 28 Halloween Carnival
- Thu. Oct. 29 Treats on Tracks
- Thu. Oct. 29 Pranks on the Plaza trunk or treat
- Thu. Oct. 29 Titustown Trunk or Treat
- Oct. 29 to 31 Recycled Reads Used Book Sale
- Fri. Oct. 30 Howl-o-ween: Dog Day at the Zoo
- Fri. Oct. 30 East Ocean View Trunk or Treat
- Fri. Oct. 30 Sherwood Forest Trunk or Treat
More in What's On
Halloween
Trick-or-treat hours in Norfolk 2026
Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31. Norfolk Police's trunk or treat is Oct. 29 at Scope Plaza, with more at city community centers. Non-emergency: 757-441-5610.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day in Norfolk 2027: events and date ideas
Valentine's Day in Norfolk falls on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027: theater at the Wells, opera at the Harrison, free art at the Chrysler and the city's Valentine socials.
Spring break
Spring break in Norfolk 2027: school dates, camps, things to do
Norfolk Public Schools spring break 2027 is March 29 to April 2, with April 5 a teacher workday. City spring break camp, the zoo, Nauticus and free museums.
Easter
Easter in Norfolk 2027: egg hunts, brunch and services
Easter 2027 is March 28. Norfolk's free Eggs-treme Egg Drop at Tarrallton Park was March 21 in 2026; 2027 dates, city egg hunts, brunch and services.
Mother's Day
Mother's Day in Norfolk 2027: brunch, events and markets
Mother's Day 2027 is May 9. Norfolk's free city Mother's Day luncheon and socials, the botanical garden, the Saturday market at East Beach and brunch.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day in Norfolk 2027: ceremony, closings, trash
Memorial Day 2027 is May 31. Norfolk's city ceremony was at 2 p.m. at the MacArthur Memorial in 2026; trash runs as normal, and Ocean View lifeguards start.
Summer camps
Summer in Norfolk 2027: camps, pools and splash pads
Summer 2027 in Norfolk: city day camps (2026 ran June 8 to Aug. 7), Chesterfield outdoor pool, three indoor pools, splash pads and free Ocean View concerts.
Father's Day
Father's Day in Norfolk 2027: events, zoo rides and brunch
Father's Day 2027 is June 20. The Virginia Zoo gave dads free train rides in 2026; plus the Battleship Wisconsin, city events and brunch in Norfolk.
Labor Day
Labor Day in Norfolk 2027: fireworks, closings, trash
Labor Day 2027 is Sept. 6. Ocean View Beach Park's free Labor Day fireworks were Saturday, Sept. 5, in 2026; trash runs as normal and lifeguards end.
Christmas
Norfolk Christmas parade and holiday lighting 2026
Norfolk's 40th Grand Illumination Parade is 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, downtown, with the skyline lighting at the start. Free. Yule Log Bonfire: Dec. 5.
Friday night football
Friday night football in Norfolk 2026: schedules and tickets
Norfolk's five public high schools play VHSL football on fall Fridays. Schedules are on Arbiter; tickets go on sale an hour before kickoff on GoFan. Clear bags only.
Fall festivals
Fall festivals and pumpkin patches in Norfolk 2026
Norfolk fall festivals: harvest and fall festivals at city rec centers Oct. 22 and 28, Fleet Fest Oct. 24, Beats and Treats Oct. 30, UpCycle Festival Nov. 14. Most free.
Halloween
Halloween events in Norfolk 2026: trunk or treats, parties
Halloween 2026 in Norfolk: city trunk or treats Oct. 26-30, Pranks on the Plaza Oct. 29, the Chrysler's free festival Oct. 25 and Beats and Treats Oct. 30.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in Norfolk 2026: turkey trots, zoo days, trash
Thanksgiving 2026 in Norfolk: Thursday trash moves to Saturday, Nov. 28, turkey trots nearby, Virginia Zoo resident days Nov. 27-29 and the Garden of Lights.
Black Friday
Black Friday and holiday shopping in Norfolk 2026
Holiday shopping in Norfolk 2026: Black Friday Nov. 27, Small Business Saturday Nov. 28, the Yule Log holiday market Dec. 5 and the zoo's market Dec. 13.
Christmas lights
Holiday lights and Christmas events in Norfolk 2026
Norfolk holiday lights 2026: Garden of Lights Nov. 6 to Jan. 3, Winterfest on the Wisconsin, Santa at the Yule Log market Dec. 5 and Cookies with Santa Dec. 12.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve in Norfolk 2026: parties, lights, trash
New Year's Eve 2026 in Norfolk: NYE Live at Waterside District from 7 p.m. Dec. 31 (21+), Garden of Lights through Jan. 3, and Friday trash moves to Jan. 2.
Brunch
Brunch in Norfolk: where to go on weekends
Where to brunch in Norfolk: rooftop buffet at Grain, Saltine, Freemason Abbey, Four Eleven York's monthly Sunday brunch and Little Dog Diner in Ghent.
Dogs
Dog-friendly Norfolk: dog parks, patios, trails and leash rules
Norfolk has 13 city dog parks, 7 of them fenced. Beach dog rules, leash and license rules, the Hermitage gardens and dog nights at the botanical garden.
Kids
Kids' activities in Norfolk: story times, splash pads, rainy days
Kids' activities in Norfolk: free library story times and Babygarten, the WOW Children's Garden, zoo programs, splash pads and rainy-day picks indoors.
Trails
Norfolk walking and biking trails: Elizabeth River Trail and more
Norfolk trails: the 10.5-mile Elizabeth River Trail from Norfolk State to NIT in 11 sections, the Northside Park bike trail, weekly group rides and trail rules.
Downtown Norfolk
A guide to downtown Norfolk: waterfront, NEON District, parking
Downtown Norfolk guide: Town Point Park, Waterside, Nauticus, the NEON arts district, free two-hour garage parking, The Tide, the ferry and the free F.R.E.D. cart.
Live music
Live music and nightlife in Norfolk: venues and where to go
Norfolk's live music and nightlife venues: The NorVa, Chrysler Hall, Scope, the Attucks Theatre, Waterside District, Push Comedy and Granby Street, with addresses.
Free things to do
Free things to do in Norfolk: museums, beaches, trails, events
Free in Norfolk: the Chrysler Museum, MacArthur Memorial and Hermitage, glassmaking demos, 7 miles of beach, the Elizabeth River Trail, library programs and festivals.
Date night
Date night in Norfolk: restaurants, theaters, wine bars, late nights
Date night in Norfolk: dinner downtown and in Ghent, plays at the Wells, opera at the Harrison, films at the Naro, Varia's wine studio and the Garden of Lights.
Harborfest
Norfolk Harborfest: dates, tall ships, fireworks and parking
Norfolk Harborfest is a free three-day maritime festival at Town Point Park each June. 2026 ran June 19-21; 2027 dates not yet announced.
Virginia International Tattoo
Virginia International Tattoo: dates, tickets, parade, parking
The Virginia International Tattoo returns to Norfolk's Scope Arena April 22-25, 2027, with free Hullabaloo shows and the NATO Festival parade.
Town Point Virginia Wine Festival
Town Point Virginia Wine Festival: spring and fall dates, tickets
Norfolk's Town Point Virginia Wine Festival brings 25-plus Virginia wineries to the waterfront each May and October. 2027 dates not yet announced.
Bayou Bon Vivant
Bayou Bon Vivant: Norfolk's Cajun music and crawfish festival
Bayou Bon Vivant, the festival once called Bayou Boogaloo, brings Cajun food and New Orleans music to Town Point Park each May. 2027 dates TBA.
Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival
Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival: dates, tickets and parking
The Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival, the area's longest-running outdoor jazz festival, is two nights each August. 2027 dates not yet announced.
Restaurants
Where to eat in Norfolk: lists by category
Our alphabetical lists of places to eat inside Norfolk city limits: wings, pizza, Mexican, barbecue, breakfast, burgers, Asian, desserts, bakeries, patios.
Wings
Where to get wings in Norfolk: Military Highway to Colley Avenue
15 places to get wings inside Norfolk city limits, from Janaf and North Military Highway to East Little Creek Road and Colley Avenue.
Pizza
Where to get pizza in Norfolk: Colley Avenue to Ocean View
26 pizza places inside Norfolk city limits, from Colley Avenue and Ghent to Ocean View, East Little Creek Road, downtown and Military Highway.
Mexican food
Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in Norfolk: Little Creek to Ghent
20 Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants inside Norfolk city limits, from East Little Creek Road and Janaf to Colley Avenue, Ocean View and downtown.
Barbecue
Where to get barbecue in Norfolk: smokehouses and Korean barbecue
Seven barbecue restaurants inside Norfolk city limits: Doumar's, Redwood Smoke Shack, Mission BBQ, Hank's and three Korean barbecue grills.
Breakfast
Breakfast and coffee in Norfolk: Ghent, downtown and Granby Street
19 breakfast places and coffee shops inside Norfolk city limits, from Ghent and Colley Avenue to downtown, Granby Street and Military Highway.
Burgers
Where to get burgers in Norfolk: Ghent, downtown and Little Creek
Eight burger places inside Norfolk city limits, from West 21st Street in Ghent and Granby Street downtown to East Little Creek Road and Tidewater Drive.
Sushi
Sushi and Asian restaurants in Norfolk: Ghent to Military Highway
39 sushi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese and poke places inside Norfolk city limits, from Ghent to Military Highway.
Ice cream
Ice cream and desserts in Norfolk: Ghent, Granby Street and Waterside
Eight ice cream, donut, cake and candy shops inside Norfolk city limits, from Doumar's and Ghent to Granby Street, Waterside and the outlets.
Bakeries
Bakeries in Norfolk: Ghent, West Ghent and downtown
Seven bakeries inside Norfolk city limits, from French pastry and bagels in Ghent to Chelsea's pastry case, Crave and Selden Market downtown.
Outdoor dining
Patios and outdoor dining in Norfolk: Granby Street and Waterside
16 Norfolk restaurants and bars with outdoor seating, most on Granby Street and at Waterside downtown, plus one in Ghent.