Discover OutRVA: Richmond's LGBTQ+ Tourism Initiative
OutRVA is Richmond's LGBTQ+ tourism initiative, dedicated to celebrating the people, places, and experiences that make the Richmond region welcoming to LGBTQ+ residents and visitors alike.
Since 2014, OutRVA has served as a trusted resource for discovering queer-friendly events, businesses, attractions, and stories throughout the region. Whether you're planning your first trip to Richmond or have called the city home for years, OutRVA exists to help you Go Out. Stay Out. Live Out.
Who Is OutRVA For?
The short answer? Everyone.
OutRVA exists to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ people across the Richmond region while also welcoming visitors who want to experience the city through a queer lens. Richmond has earned a reputation as one of the South's most inclusive and creative destinations, and OutRVA helps ensure that residents and travelers alike can easily connect with the community.
For locals, that might mean finding your next favorite event, learning about LGBTQ+-owned businesses, or staying connected to community initiatives.
For visitors, it means having a trusted resource for planning a trip, whether that's finding queer-friendly accommodations, discovering Richmond's arts scene, or understanding the history and culture that make this city unique.
Why Does OutRVA Matter?
Communities don't thrive by accident, they thrive when people invest in them, celebrate them, and tell their stories.
For more than a decade, OutRVA has helped shine a spotlight on Richmond's LGBTQ+ community, elevating local voices and reinforcing the message that queer people belong here. That visibility matters. It supports local businesses, strengthens tourism, fosters connection, and helps create a region where people feel seen, welcomed, and valued.
OutRVA's work extends beyond tourism. Through partnerships with local organizations, community leaders, and its recently established Advisory Committee, the initiative continues to ensure that its storytelling and programming remain authentic, representative, and rooted in the people who make Richmond what it is.
What Does OutRVA Support?
Throughout the year, OutRVA partners with and promotes many of the events, organizations, and experiences that define LGBTQ+ life in Richmond.
Some of the community's biggest annual celebrations include:
PrideFest, one of Virginia's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Dine Out for Pride, an annual week-long initiative connecting diners with participating restaurants while supporting LGBTQ+ causes.
Black Pride RVA, a multi-day celebration uplifting Richmond's Black LGBTQ+ community.
Richmond's growing calendar of drag performances, queer markets, film screenings, community gatherings, and cultural events.
Ongoing spotlights on LGBTQ+-owned businesses, artists, nonprofits, and community leaders throughout the region.
OutRVA also maintains an active events calendar, making it easy to discover what's happening this weekend, or six months from now. Whether you're interested in nightlife, family-friendly activities, outdoor adventures, or arts and culture, there's always something to add to your calendar.
More Than a Website
At the end of the day, OutRVA isn't just a website or a social media account. It's a reflection of Richmond's LGBTQ+ community– past, present, and future.
It's the drag performer taking the stage for the first time. The couple planning a weekend getaway. The small business owner opening their doors. The volunteer organizing a community event. The visitor who arrives in Richmond and realizes they've found a place where they can simply be themselves.
Richmond's queer community has always helped shape the culture of this city. OutRVA exists to help tell those stories and ensure they're seen by the people who need them most.
So whether you're here for a weekend or a lifetime, consider this your invitation: Go Out. Stay Out. Live Out.