Your Kid-Friendly Itinerary: Bringing the Fam to Tom Tom
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
Make great family memories at the 2026 Tom Tom COURAGE Festival!
With 190+ performances and activities in this year’s lineup, we thought busy kid-wranglers like you might like a hand-picked list of free events to enjoy in Charlottesville April 22--26.
So whether you're packing the stroller, motivating the teens, or both, this itinerary will give your crew plenty to talk about, but if you’re looking for even more, dive into the full schedule and choose your own adventure. Either way, we know you’ll have fun.
FRI Apr 24 & SAT Apr 25, multiple times | ALL AGES 🌐
Stroll the Downtown Mall and catch a show at the Family Stage, located at the 5th Street Crossing. We love the interactive fun for all ages at the Rusty Iris Art Bus and jaw-dropping moves of the Bad Hat Fire dancers and Capoeira Resistência Cville. For the littles, the Kids Zone will feature free activities on Saturday from 3pm–6pm.
TIPS: If this is your first Block Party, be sure to scope out the Tom Tom information booths and come prepared for a crowd. For us, that includes checking out options for parking downtown, packing water and sunscreen, bringing headphones for sensitive ears, and locking in on a Plan B in case we get separated from our crew.
A Fairy Tale Gathering with the Charlottesville Ballet
WED Apr 22, 10:30am–11am | LITTLES🧸
Pre-register today to bring families with children ages 3–8 to an unforgettable story time at Central Library, where an interactive reading turns into a performance by dancers with the Charlottesville Ballet.
WED Apr 22, 6pm–7:30pm | TEENS ✨
Cheer on young filmmakers with this screening at Vinegar Hill Theater. Presented by Light House Studio and the Community Climate Collaborative (C3), this screening of original videos is the culmination of workshops where students grades 7-12 learned how to communicate their ideas about the environment through film.
FRI Apr 24, 3pm–5pm | ALL AGES 🌐
Charlottesville Area Robotics invites families to Central Library for a demonstration of a 115 lb robot and to meet the youth ages 14–18 who designed and built it to compete in FIRST Robotics tourneys. Get inspired by the courage it takes to build, learn, iterate, and improve!
SAT Apr 25, 9:30am–1pm | LITTLES 🧸
Spark curiosity and discovery at the Virginia Discovery Museum’s annual celebration of all things science. Hosted
at the Key Recreation Center, this event invites explorers ages 2–10 to experiment, play, and learn through wonder, creativity, and community.
SAT Apr 25, 11am–12:30pm | TEENS & PARENTS ✨
Local high school students and community leaders including Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade will dive into what it means to have “The Courage To Be.” Join them at the Live Arts theater after the Peace Walk from the YMCA to the Downtown Mall.
SAT Apr 25, 12pm–1:30pm | TEENS & PARENTS ✨
Teen and adult actors improvise conversations on challenging topics in a workshop to explore anxiety, screen use, and connection. Presented by UVA’s Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment and DMR Adventures at the Belmont Arts Collaborative. Lunch is included with your free registration.
SAT Apr 25, 1pm–4pm | ALL AGES 🌐
Dive into the creative process with 20+ working artists who will open their McGuffey Art Center studios for exploration, conversation and hands-on participation. Try experiences from painting to woodworking—materials even provided!
SUN Apr 26, 9:30am–12:30pm | ALL AGES 🌐
Bennett’s Village invites families to see ability through a new lens with a morning of wheelchair sports and games at the Key Recreation Center. With accessible recreational spaces, everyone of every age and ability can have the opportunity to play.
Get a Free Community Ticket to Build Your Personal Itinerary!
To create your own custom schedule using the Tom Tom 2026 mobile app, sign up for the FREE ticket Create Your Personal Schedule on the Tom Tom App. This will allow you to log into Sched, the platform which hosts Tom Tom's schedule, to build your itinerary and download the app so you can carry your Festival wherever you go.
