2017 Tom Tom Highlights – The Year in Concerts and Parties

by: Tom Tom Staff

In 2017, Tom Tom once again proved that we throw the best party in town. Over 23,000 people attended our Block Parties in April and 14,000 of you joined us for our Fall Festival Block Party in September. The free Block Parties have always been at the heart of the festival, with non-stop concerts, a craft beer garden, and food truck rallies in downtown Charlottesville. Here are a few reasons why our concerts and parties were better than ever in 2017, and why you should plan to join us in 2018 (April 9-15th).

More Music

In April the festival hosted 69 concerts throughout the week, ranging from local favorites like

Adar to indie rock Friday night headliners, Sleepwalkers, to a downtown parade with ELBY Brass leading concertgoers from Emancipation Park down the pedestrian mall. Our Fall Festival showcased an incredible lineup of up-and-coming artists that included Australian blues rocker Hamish Anderson, reggae heavy-hitters The Movement and New Kingston, and high energy crowd favorites, Footwerk. When we say our free concerts are the can’t-miss events of the year, we mean it.

More Venues

Our downtown concert series featured local artists are bars and restaurants along the downtown mall with great music happening everywhere. Some of our favorite venues during the week were in Belmont during

Porchella, where neighbors host local folk and bluegrass bands on their front porch. This beloved annual concert series was the final event of the week and we loved sharing it with friends as the sun set on Sunday.

More Air

For the third year in a row, the Tom Tom Founders Festival included the best metal showcase in the Mid-Atlantic. With a loyal following, the

Metal Showcase at Champion Brewing Company puts together an incredible lineup of the best thrash metal in the region. This year the showcase featured a custom built half-pipe skate ramp with eight professional skateboarders that only amped up the awesome factor.

More Reasons to Cheers

While the Block Parties have always featured the best craft and local beers and wines, this year we added a new way to toast your friends – cocktails. Thanks to Virginia-made

Belle Isle Moonshine, our Fall Festival included a tiki bar serving libations created by the winners of our 2017 Craft Cocktail Competition and featuring Belle Isle spirits.

A More Fun Way to Network

Sure, you’ve been a job fair before, but there’s nothing like our

Tech Mixers. 70 of the region’s top creative and innovative firms and organizations set up tents at the block party where you can meet the staff and share your resume over a beer. We think it’s the best way to network in Charlottesville, and we have heard enough hiring success stories to prove it.

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