Charlottesville, VA (September 25, 2017) — This weekend, Tom Tom Founders Festival welcomed 14,000 visitors to the Tom Tom Fall Festival, which included two days of free concerts at Tomtoberfest, the sold out inaugural Tom Tom Fall Forum, the fourth annual Founding Cville project, and a street fair on the historic Downtown Mall with over 45 participating restaurants and retailers. Tomtoberfest, hosted in Emancipation Park in Downtown Charlottesville on September 22 and 23, was the first event to be held in the park since the Unite the Right rally on August 12th. Recognizing that healing from August 12th is ongoing, the Fall Festival was an opportunity to celebrate people who have made a positive impact on the community and those who are dedicated to building a brighter future for the city.
“It was important for the festival to return to the park where it has always been held to be an example of what this city is really about,” said Founder and Executive Director of the Tom Tom Founders Festival, Paul Beyer. “This festival was a reminder of the inspiring civic leaders and innovators who are building a positive future for the city.”
Tomtoberfest featured 12 live concerts, 11 local food trucks, a craft beer garden hosted by New Belgium Brewing Company, a tech mixer with hundreds of firms, entrepreneurs, and professionals from around the region, and an open air arts and crafts market with handpicked local artisans.
On Saturday evening at the block party, Co-owners of Rock Paper Scissors and creators of the Cville Heart campaign, Heather Haynie and Dani Antol, presented a check for $12,758 to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation’s “Heal Charlottesville” fund. The funds were raised through the campaign, which features a popular blue “Cville” heart that Antol designed in response to the events of August 12th. Photo – credit Tristan Williams Photography.
“I created this on my couch while watching August 12 unfold on TV from my living room. That little simple heart came out, and you guys loved it, and spread it far and wide. This symbol is for all of us,” said Antol.
The success of the Fall Festival and Tomtoberfest can be attributed to the continued support that the Tom Tom Foundation receives from partners, sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers. The foundation’s flagship annual event, the Tom Tom Founders Festival, will take place April 9-15 in Charlottesville. For more information visit https://tomtomfest.com/festival/
2017 FALL FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS – Photo credit Tom Daly Photography
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ABOUT THE TOM TOM FOUNDATION AND THE FOUNDERS FESTIVAL
The Tom Tom Foundation is a nonprofit organization that celebrates entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and creators who are shaping cities and communities across the nation. Tom Tom’s signature event is a weeklong festival of ideas and culture that takes place in Charlottesville, Virginia, each April in conjunction with Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. This cross discipline, multi-venue experience transforms the historic downtown and empowers the innovators, who are envisioning a brighter future. Since its inception in 2012, the Foundation’s Spring and Fall programming has showcased over 700 speakers and 280 bands to 172,000 program attendees, and has channeled $2.8 million to new ventures and projects. Learn more: www.tomtomfest.com.
SPONSORS
The Tom Tom Founders Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, American Evolution, the Quantitative Foundation, and the i.Lab at UVA. It is also generously underwritten by a number of leading organizations, including the University of Virginia, Ting, C-Ville Weekly, New Belgium Brewing Company, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, City of Charlottesville, UVA’s Galant Center for Entrepreneurship at the McIntire School of Commerce, UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, UVA’s Curry School of Education, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.