Announcing 60+ Community-Led Programs at Tom Tom 2026!

The 2026 Tom Tom Festival is set to bring the Charlottesville community together with over 60 diverse and engaging community-led programs. These events, organized by local organizations, businesses, and passionate individuals, offer something for everyone—whether you're looking to explore arts and culture, engage in meaningful discussions, or participate in hands-on experiences.

Community Partner Programs You Don’t Want to Miss

Fairytale Gathering: Storytime with The Charlottesville Ballet 

 April 22, 10:30 - 11:00 AM

The Central Library

Professional ballerinas pirouette into the Central Library for a special interactive reading and dance class. There will be live readings of some of your favorite fairytale stories, along with dancers performing excerpts from Charlottesville Ballet's original ballet: "A Fairytale Gathering" during this 30 minute event.

Holding the Line, Speaker Panel with Citizen’s Climate Lobby 

April 22, 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Level 10

As national climate efforts stall, local action and courage has never mattered more. This event spotlights local leaders and the real work happening right here to advance cleaner energy, smarter development, and healthier neighborhoods. Join neighbors, local leaders, and newcomers alike for an energizing evening focused on practical climate solutions—plus take in views of the Charlottesville skyline from Level 10.

Courage Inside, from PVCC’s Higher Education in Prison Program 

April 23, 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Piedmont VA Community College

Join PVCC students, faculty, staff, and members of the wider Charlottesville community for an evening of courageous dialogue and creative expressions about prison education and the power of second chances. Bring your questions and engage in inspiring and thought-provoking stories, creative works, and reflections. This event, held in recognition of Second Chance Month, aims to elevate community awareness and engagement at the intersection of incarceration and education while celebrating the opportunities that learning can provide for individuals seeking a new path forward.

Walking Tours of Downtown Charlottesville 

April 23, 24, 25, 11:30 AM - 12:30PM

Ting Pavilion/City Hall

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Historical Society invites you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Downtown Mall by learning about our local history. Take a casual eight block walk around Charlottesville’s historic pedestrian Downtown Mall. Surrounded by original buildings, discover the local history of three important Presidents, learn about the development and expansion of local businesses along Main Street before and after the Civil War, and finish with stories of the growth of a lively restaurant, theater and live music scene. There is local history on every corner.

Wordplay: Community Trivia Game to Support Literacy Empowerment

April 23, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

The Paramount Theater

Join Literacy Volunteers for an evening that brings together members of Charlottesville to compete in a trivia night  that relates to the heart of Literacy Volunteers' mission. Audience members can play along while everyone learns a bit more about the community that LVCA serves, the issues they face, and the topics they learn as students within our organization.

Kid*Vention: Annual Family Science Festival with the Virginia Discovery Museum 

April 25, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Key Rec Center

Strap on your goggles and slip into your lab coat for Kid*Vention, the Virginia Discovery Museum’s annual celebration of everything science! Children explore the world around them with all their senses. Meet over 40 local exhibitors as you investigate biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, physics, zoology, and more through fun, hands-on demonstrations, experiments, and games.

Civic Circles: Courage to Participate with the League of Women’s Voters 

April 25, 2:30 - 3:15 PM

The Central Library

This interactive Civic Circles session invites participants into a facilitated, small-group dialogue exploring what courage looks like in civic life today—in our communities, our neighborhoods, and our daily interactions. Grounded in our 2026 festival theme–COURAGE, the session creates space for participants to reflect, listen, and learn from one another through shared stories and thoughtful conversation.

Sounds of Courage: Co-Creating Songs of Bravery  

April 25, 4:00 - 6:00 PM

The Front Porch

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore themes of courage by collaboratively creating a song. Together, attendees will reflect on stories of bravery- whether from individuals, movements, or personal experiences, and co-write lyrics that give voice to those acts of courage.

Discover Your Strength: A Community Lift on the Downtown Mall

April 25th, 3:00 - 5:00 PM

Downtown Mall Block Party

Join The Strength Initiative for a welcoming, high-energy strength experience on the Downtown Mall. Designed especially to invite women and community members to try something new, this hands-on event celebrates confidence, courage, and community—no lifting experience required.

Anyone Can Play, Let’s Make Space: Adaptive Sports & Games with Bennett’s Village

April 26, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Key Rec Center

Come join Bennett’s Village, The Charlottesville Cardinals, UVA Kinesiology, and Charlottesville Adaptive Parks & Rec, for a morning of wheelchair basketball, sports, and games to highlight that there are many ways to play, to deepen community understanding, and inspire action toward creating recreational spaces and playgrounds where everyone—of every ability—has the opportunity to play!

Learn More about the Community Partner Program

This year’s festival lineup ensures that every attendee can find an event that resonates with their interests. Whether you're drawn to the arts, social justice, wellness, or community engagement, Tom Tom 2026 is a celebration of courage, collaboration, creativity, and civic pride.

Join us as we come together to learn, connect, and be inspired by the passionate individuals shaping our community!