Red, White and Lights to feature Richmond Symphony, fireworks and laser light show
Henrico County’s celebration of Independence Day — Red, White and Lights — will be held for the first time at Dorey Park on Wednesday, July 4.
The free event will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature family activities and live music, including a performance by the Richmond Symphony set to a fireworks and laser light show finale. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and bring blankets or chairs.
“Henrico County is thrilled to celebrate our nation’s 242nd birthday in a setting as beautiful and spacious as Dorey Park,” County Manager John A. Vithoulkas said. “Red, White and Lights is part of a wonderful summer tradition in Henrico. We invite the entire community to join us for an evening of patriotic, family fun.”
Henrico has held a Fourth of July celebration at the Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park on Mountain Road each year since 1981. Beginning in 2016, the event was scheduled later in the day to include the Richmond Symphony performing with a laser light show. Last year’s Red, White and Lights attracted an audience estimated at 10,700 to the Meadow Farm site.
For 2018, Red, White and Lights is shifting to Dorey Park, 2999 Darbytown Road, and will include an enhanced fireworks and laser light show. Spread across 400 acres, Dorey is Henrico’s largest park, with athletic fields, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a disc golf course, a dog park, a lake and trails, including a link to the Virginia Capital Trail.
Red, White and Lights will include a Family Fun Zone from 5 to 8 p.m., with contests and games, inflatables, an obstacle course, airbrush tattoos, juggler Jonathan Austin, Miss Sheri the Clown and Uncle Sam on Stilts.
DJ Lonnie B will provide music starting at 5 p.m., followed by the Afro-funk jazz group Plunky & Oneness at 6 p.m. Kelli Lemon, a personality for Radio One Richmond’s Kiss FM and iPower Richmond and host of the “Coffee with Strangers” podcast, will serve as emcee. The Richmond Symphony will perform beginning at 8 p.m. under a state-of-the-art mobile covered stage that allows the orchestra to share its music with more communities.
Red, White, and Lights is sponsored by Henrico County and Genworth. The Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks offers the following tips for an enjoyable evening:
- Wear comfortable shoes. Dorey is a large park. Guests may walk up to a quarter-mile from parking areas;
- Bring chairs and blankets to set on the lawn in front of the symphony tent;
- Bring plenty of water to stay hydrated;
- Concessions will be available for purchase. Guests also may bring food into the park. All coolers must have soft sides; and
- As always, no alcohol is permitted in Henrico’s parks.
For more information on Red, White and Lights, go to henrico.us/calendar/red-white-and-lights.
