Richmond Hosts an Early Birthday Party With ‘IllumiNATION’

Virginia was at the forefront of American history back in 1776, and it remains ahead of the curve as Independence Day approaches next week. This weekend, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture is hosting a block party to honor the upcoming anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The celebration centers around “IllumiNATION,” a specially created video art project that will be beamed onto the surface of the building itself.

“At 9 p.m. each night, we’ll use the entire front of the building as the canvas to project an illuminative trip through the first 250 years of the country’s history,” Anne Culbertson, director of events at the museum, told the Daily Signal. “Virginians played a major role in that history.”

The 20-minute presentation isn’t a straightforward documentary. It is a celebratory series of illuminations designed to bring history to life. It highlights famous Virginians such as George Washington, but it also introduces some of the everyday people who helped write our country’s history.

“This is not just your middle-school textbook,” Sam Florer, the museum’s director of public programs, told WWBT. “We’re including social history, cultural history, so no matter who you are, where you are from, what your background is, our goal is that something from this show will speak to you.”

Richmond is the ideal location for a semiquincentennial bash.

“Much of the nation’s founding story happened here. The people, places, and ideas that shaped the United States are woven throughout Virginia’s landscape,” R. Anthony Harris wrote in RVA Magazine after seeing a preview of IllumiNATION. “The projection captures that sense of scale. It moves between intimate moments and larger historical narratives, blending artwork, imagery, music, and pyrotechnics into something that feels less like a museum exhibit and more like a civic spectacle.”

There will be plenty of other attractions, both before and after the presentation of IllumiNATION. The four-day celebration on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture will also include Richmond-area bands on stage and food and drinks for sale.

Its art and cultural displays will include Virginia Salt Glaze Pottery, African American Quilting, Blue Ridge Mountain Instrument Making, and Mattaponi Pottery, depending upon the day. There will also be attractions for the kids, including a bounce house and petting zoo.

The museum promises that the free community event “will invite every viewer to see themselves within the fabric of American history—deepening understanding, sparking reflection, and inspiring a lasting appreciation for our shared past.” IllumiNATION will set the stage for the larger birthday party that’s planned a couple of hours north on I-95 next week.

The presentation will run through Sunday evening.