Supported By:

Community. 

Building more lanes almost never solves congestion: HRBT Expansion. (NFK Currents Original). Rip it. 

City of Norfolk officials launched a series of inspections and on-site visits at Downtown Norfolk nightclubs and restaurants in response to recurring incidents of violence and disorder. Rip it. 

A Norfolk-based Navy captain is at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case determining whether the military can fire individuals refusing to get vaccines. Rip it. 

Park Place residents are raising concerns over a plan to convert a former church into apartments. Rip it. 

You can now pick up free COVID-19 test kits at some Norfolk Public Libraries. Rip it. 

An additional $223 million in federal infrastructure funds are coming to the region to help dredge channels and build floodwalls. Rip it. 

A proposed budget for the U.S. Navy that includes decommissioning 24 ships was met with a stern reception and calls for apologies from the Navy by Rep. Elaine Luria. Rip it. 

The Virginia Attorney General’s office challenged Dominion Energy’s plan for offshore wind, which is intended to generate significant local economic development activity. Rip it. 

Two Norfolk Academy alum featured prominently in the NCAA March Madness Final Four. Rip it. 

ODU has made a deal to withdraw from Conference USA, allowing the school to join the Sun Belt Conference. Rip it. 

The Norfolk Tides season opens next week with at least 6 top MLB prospects on the roster. Rip it. 

The Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center is reopening to the public. Rip it. 

Culture.

Kate Bollinger, Esbern Snare, Community Witch, Good Dog Nigel, Obscure Son, Pearloid, Catie Lausten, & Hippie Love Party take over two stages in the 14th edition of LAVA MiniFest. (NFK Currents Original). Rip it.

Coastal VA Plein Air Festival returns for the 6th year. (NFK Currents Original). Rip it. 

It’s the last weekend to catch “The Ribbon Mill” playing at the Little Theatre of Norfolk. Rip it.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella comes to the ODU Univesity Theater this weekend Rip it.

Enjoy free admission to the Norfolk Botanical Garden on April 9th for WPA Memorial Garden Heritage Day. Rip it.

The Virginia International Tattoo returns on April 28th to Scope Arena, kicking off with the ‘Tattoo Hullabaloo,’ a free festival. Rip it.

Starting this weekend at the Generic Theater: “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage. Rip it.

Norfolk author Christina Dalcher, whose first book Vox was a national bestseller, released Femlandia this week. Rip it.

Conceptual artist Buzz Spector visits ODU next week to offer a public talk about his work. Rip it.

Arlington Magazine highlights the Norfolk glass art scene. Rip it.

Local hip hop artist Jiggy Min released a new single: Last Born. Rip it.

Kate Bollinger, who you can catch at LAVA MiniFest, just released a new single: Lady in the Darkest Hour. Rip it.

Currently on Display:
FloodZone: Photographs by Anatasia Samoylova at Chrysler Museum. Rip it.
Water’s Rising: A View From Our Back Yard at Chrysler Museum. Rip it.
The Totality of Time Lusters the Dusk at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
Art from Guantánamo Bay at Gordon Art Galleries. Rip it.
Motion / Emotion at Barry Art Museum. Rip it.
Hirata Gōyō: The Birth of the Japanese Art Doll at Barry Art Museum. Rip it.
Shine A Light at Commune Provisions. Rip it.

Commerce.

The City of Norfolk is hosting two additional career fairs and offering $5K signing bonuses to fill over 260 public service vacancies. Rip it. 

Nominate a Norfolk hospitality worker to be recognized for their work in making our city welcoming! Rip it. 

The Norfolk-bound cargo ship Ever Forward is still stuck after 2 weeks aground in the Chesapeake Bay. Rip it.

The CDC has removed cruise ship warnings from their COVID-19 response, potentially encouraging more patrons to return to cruising. Rip it.  

Strawberry Fields and Kitsch reflect on the two years of pandemic business struggles. Rip it. 

Two new 170-foot-tall cranes for moving containers from ship to shore landed at Norfolk International Terminals this week. Rip it. 

Low housing inventory continues to frustrate residential home buyers in the region. Rip it. 

Advocates say a state crackdown on delta-8-THC products is hampering a burgeoning CBD industry. Rip it.

Regional Economic Stats. Port Stats. Labor Stats. 

Crowds.

This weekend its MiniFest, but later this month LAVA Presents hosts Acid Dad, Ladada, and Gone. Rip it.

ODU Science Pubs returns for the 5th Lightning Talks event featuring talks on human movement, chemistry, humanities, and more. Rip it.

Next weekend a helicopter will drop thousands of eggs at Tarrallton Park in an unusual celebration of Easter. Rip it.

Gongstock returns to Benchtop Brewing on April 23rd. Rip it.

**Please note that listed times are start times, many events run several hours**
Friday: 
Norfolk Run Club meetup at Yorgo’s. 6:00 am. Rip it.
Norfolk Master Gardener Plant Sale and Sprint Festival at Hermitage Museum. 10:00 am. Rip it.
Ghent Farmers Market Season Opening at Blair Middle School. 4:00 pm. Rip it.
Happy Hour Wine Tasting at Vino Culture. 4:00 pm. Rip it.
First Friday Fountain Series at Crudo Nudo. 4:00 pm. Rip it. 
Steve Link performs live at Cova Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Amy Kaus performs live at Maker’s Craft Brewery. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Conner Pittman performs live at Ocean View Fishing Pier. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
NEON Art Tour with Norfolk Tour Co. departing from the Plot. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Bad Movie Night: The Giant Claw at Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Frank Sings Frank at Varia. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Annual Membership Party at Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at ODU University Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones: 30th Anniversary Tour at Perry Pavillion. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
The Dumpster Dudes Improv Show at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
The Ribbon Mill performed live at Little Theater of Norfolk. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
The 2nd Annual 7 City Blues Festival at Chrysler Hall. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
SWEAT by Lynn Nottage at Generic Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
Virginia Ballet and Todd Rosenlieb Dance Spring Ensemble Concert at TRDance Center. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
Pat Garvey performs live at Grace O’Malley’s. 8:30 pm. Rip it.
5 Starr performs live at Prime 255. 9:00 pm. Rip it.
Frank from Snackbar Jones performs live at Grain. 9:30 pm. Rip it.
3 on 3 Improv Tournament – The Final Four at Push Comedy Theater. 10:00 pm. Rip it.
Durag Daf performs live at Thank You Thank You Bar. 10:00 pm. Rip it.
2 Up 2 Down with Jofroxi, Fake Uzumi, Allnaturel, and Chriz Javey at Slowdive Gallery. Rip it.

Saturday: 
Garden Yoga at Norfolk Botanical Garden. 9:30 am. Rip it.
757 Plant Swap at Selden Market. 10:00 am. Rip it.
Flea Market at VFM Post 4809. 10:00 am. Rip it.
Small Business Popup Shops at Bonaire Custom Clothiers. 10:00 am. Rip it.
Big Forest Fire performs live at Grain. 11:00 am. Rip it.
MacArthur Wine Festival at MacArthur Center. 12:00 pm. Rip it.
Food Truck Rally at Maker’s Craft Brewing. 12:00 pm. Rip it.
Ox-Eye Vineyards wine sampling at VA Goods in Selden Market. 12:00 pm. Rip it.
Afternoon Tea at the Barry Art Museum. 2:00 pm. Rip it.
12th Annual Guns & Hoses Charity Hockey Game at Norfolk Scope. 3:00 pm. Rip it.
Virginia Ballet and Todd Rosenlieb Dance Spring Ensemble Concert at TRDance Center. 3:00 pm. Rip it.
LAVA MiniFest with 8 live performances at Toast. 5:00 pm. Rip it.
Opening Reception for Friday Drawing Group at Gallery 21. 5:00 pm. Rip it.
Paella and Porrón Party at Crudo Nudo. 5:30 pm. Rip it.
Derek Smith performs live at Benchtop Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Book Launch Reading: Voodoo Libretto at Muse Writers Center. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Saturday Night Yugioh at Atlantis Comics and Games. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Moonlight Dinner Gala at the Hilton Main. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Red Stapler duo performs live at O’Connor Brewing. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Dahna Rowe and Jonathan Friedman perform live at Varia. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Ladies 80’s Night at the Granby Theater. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Illusions The Drag Queen Show at EZ Lounge. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at ODU University Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Virginia Symphony performs Beethoven’s Ninth at Chrysler Hall. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Prayer Group record release show at Slowdive Gallery. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Date Night live improv show at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
The Ribbon Mill performed live at Little Theater of Norfolk. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
SWEAT by Lynn Nottage at Generic Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
Pat Garvey performs live at Grace O’Malley’s. 8:30 pm. Rip it.
Rhythm Fire Sessions presents Flexx at Slowdive Gallery. 9:00 pm. Rip it.
Kaboombox performs live at Grain. 9:30 pm. Rip it.
3 on 3 Improv Tournament – The Championship at Push Comedy Theater. 10:00 pm. Rip it.
“R&B Only Live” at the Norva. 10:00 pm. Rip it.
Soca vs Reggae The Remix! at Ultra Lounge. 10:00 pm. Rip it.
Back And Forth with Mickey Slicks and Rylo at Thank You Thank You Bar. 10:00 pm. Rip it.

Sunday:

Chow.

Del Vecchio’s is the classic college pizza joint with a reputation that precedes it. (NFK Currents Orginial) Rip it. 

A loose interpretation of a ‘study’ concluded that Norfolk has the 10th best pizza in the country. Rip it. 

Grab a Ukraine mule from Toast while you’re at LAVA MiniFest and proceeds go towards the UN Refugee Agency. Rip it. 

Mudita Cafe drops a mint-rose espresso tonic this weekend. Rip it. 

Mahalo Poke House comes to OV and brings musubi to the party. Rip it.

Stock up on vegan baked goods with Empowered Plant Cakes at the Ghent Farmer’s Market. Rip it.

For a limited time grab a grilled pineapple BLT with jerk aioli from none other than The Ten Top. Rip it. 

If a mojito didn’t sound summery enough, try a mojito slushy from Perro Blanco. Rip it. 

Your dog deserves baked goods that are just as good as they are and The Hemp Barkery has plenty of adorable options. Rip it. 

Nutella pop tarts and excellent coffee are a hard pair to beat at Three Ships in downtown Norfolk. Rip it. 

The Mac-Skillet at Fishin’ Pig is loaded with everything except the kitchen sink. Rip it. 

Will your fine french Sablé raspberry come with an adorable bunny, butterfly, duck, or flower? Rip it. 

Saltine really went in on the culture with fried bread pudding, hominy succotash, and black walnut mustard alongside their oven-roasted chicken. Rip it. 

Food Truck Sightings:
Friday:
TFK Taco Bar at Reaver NFK. Rip it. 
Courtney’s Kitchen at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Miami Fusion at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Burrito Perdido at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it.  

Saturday:
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Hades Wood Fired Pizza at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it.  
Prime 757 and DC Smoothies at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Food Truck Rodeo at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Big Belly at Reaver NFK. Rip it. 

Sunday:
Bumbling Beetz Vegan Vendors at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it.  
Gavin Dishes at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Miami Fusion at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 

The Ripcurrent.

MTV was supposedly seen filming at Canvas Social in Downtown.

Paul Stetson Rice

Chelsea, NFK

Paul is the creator of NFKVA.com. He was born and raised in Norfolk, graduated from Virginia Tech, and narrowly avoided law school. Chat with him about economics, entrepreneurship, hip-hop, and hiking. When he's not working on five different projects, you'll catch him sharing a beer with friends at a local brewery.