Brown's Island is an amazing, six acre riverfront space that accommodates up to 16,000 people and provides a beautiful backdrop for a variety of events. The event space has been home to events like the Richmond Marathon, Virginia Pride, Stone's Throwdown in RVA and the Annual Komen Central Virginia Race for the Cure! Brown's Island is located in the heart of Downtown Richmond, and also serves as the venue for one of Richmond's favorite summertime concert series, Friday Cheers.

Did you know that Venture Richmond supports Downtown Richmond events that draw more than 1 million people each year? We champion the Downtown Richmond area in all that we do, and strive to bring events to the city that will showcase Richmond’s beautiful downtown riverfront. However, while we handle the rental of some beautiful and unique downtown spaces, we do not serve as an event production company.

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To have your application processed, your event date must be at least 90 days from the submission of your application.

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As you prepare to rent Brown’s Island for a special event, we want to share with you all of the things you should consider before deciding to hold an event in our public space. Putting on an event usually takes months of preparation because of the need to consider the following:

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In order to conduct any event on Brown’s Island, you will need to acquire several permits and/or licenses, including:

• The City of Richmond now requires that ALL event producers holding an event in the City have a business license from the city of Richmond
• $1 million insurance policy through your insurance company
• ABC license if you will serve or sell alcohol
• Health permit for the sales/distribution of any type of food
• Peddler’s license if you plan to sell or have vendors sell any merchandise
• Building permits, when necessary, for staging or tenting that is larger than normal (specs can be provided for you)

Each one of these licenses has an application and approval process that can take several weeks to several months. There are also fees associated with acquiring each of these permits.

Parking, Traffic & Street Closings

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In order for event staff, volunteers, VIPs and general event attendees to get to the event, they need to have a place to park. Several different parking areas accommodate varying numbers of vehicles. We will gladly provide you with information about who to contact for each of these needs.

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Security, Fire & Medical Services

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We can help you arrange basic security for the event. However, you are required to contact RMC Events three to six weeks before the event to ensure adequate security staffing for the number of attendees expected at the event. The cost of additional security is your responsibility.

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Creating an Event Set-up Map & Site Plan

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In order to hold an event, you must provide a copy of a site plan or event map of exactly where everything will be positioned on Brown’s Island.

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This site plan must be presented to us three weeks prior to the date of the event. Failure to do so will mean cancellation of the event.

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Setting Up & Taking Down

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The following is a list of things that many events held on Brown’s Island and the Turning Basin require:

• Staging
• Sound (speakers, microphones, sound mixer, sound board operator)
• Tents
• Tables/chairs
• Signage
• Tickets

We can provide you with a comprehensive list of local companies who can help set up particular needs for the event. However, these and many other aspects of the event coordination and set-up are the sole responsibility of the Brown’s Island renter.

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Payments for Brown's Island Rentals

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Rental fees* for events include:

• $5,500 for renting the island for one day
• $2,000 fee to be able to set up your event the day before

*These fees are current and are subject to change without notice.

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Interested in Filming on Brown's Island?

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If you have additional questions, please feel free to email us at contactus@venturerichmond.com

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Rental Application

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The 2025 Brown's Island Event Rental will become available on December 18, 2024.

Please Note: Completion of the application does not guarantee approval.