HAMPTON ROADS — A celebration of the Grammys is in store with a full day of events Feb. 1, thanks to a joint effort between Williamsburg’s Art Riche and the Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation.
Beginning at 1 p.m., Art Riche will be hosting a free family-friendly pop-up in Virginia Beach, themed to celebrate Virginia’s talents in music, arts and culture. Children can explore hands-on creative stations in a relaxed, welcoming environment while enjoying kid-friendly music by some of the top artists from Virginia. The creative stations at the event include LEGO building, drawing, coloring and collage making.
“This event is not only going to highlight the accomplishments that we have as a community, but also show that ‘hey, some people that aren’t at the Grammys are right here with you.’ To me, we’re just celebrating each other. Everybody to me is valuable. This event is designed to be uniting,” explained Art Riche owner Cymandye Russell.
At 8 p.m., the Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation, in collaboration with Art Riche, will celebrate the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Members of the state’s arts, music, and culture communities will come together to cheer on Virginia natives nominated for awards at the show. Nominees from the area include Pharrell, Mad Skillz and Clipse.
The unofficial watch party will also serve as a fundraiser for the Hip-Hop Foundation, which launched in August.
“This is too big of a moment for the state to not celebrate or recognize this. Considering we just started the foundation in August, the goal of all of this is to just celebrate the impact that people from Virginia have made on hip-hop and hip-hop culture. The timing of this being one of the biggest moments in Virginia music on the biggest stage, this is like a Super Bowl for us,” Vaughan Moss, co-founder of the Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation, said.
The watch party will include light hors d’oeuvres, a DJ, a live stream of the 68th Annual Grammy Awards and access to a cash bar. Guests can also use the party as an opportunity to network with other creatives, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
Both events will take place at A.C.E. in Virginia Beach.
Those interested in attending the evening watch party can buy a ticket through EventBrite. The Art Riche pop-up event is free to attend.