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Diamond District lands another restaurant near CarMax Park

Makers Union plans to join a new sports bar in the retail building going up near CarMax Park.

Street-level view of a modern shopping district building with a large blue "DIAMOND DISTRICT" sign, glass storefronts, pedestrians, cyclists, and cars on a tree-lined street under a bright sky.

A rendering of Makers Union in the Diamond District. Image: Courtesy of Diamond District
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Diamond District Partners just lined up another restaurant for its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="massive development" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/07/29/diamond-district-timelapse-doma-construction-carmax-park" data-vars-content-id="1c0b2267-207c-4244-a5ac-d721406277cf" data-vars-headline="Diamond District lands another restaurant near CarMax Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/07/29/diamond-district-timelapse-doma-construction-carmax-park" target="_self">massive development</a> in the works around CarMax Park: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Makers Union" data-vars-click-url="https://www.makersunionpub.com/" data-vars-content-id="1c0b2267-207c-4244-a5ac-d721406277cf" data-vars-headline="Diamond District lands another restaurant near CarMax Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.makersunionpub.com/" target="_blank">Makers Union</a>, an American fare concept out of the D.C. area. Why it matters: While the restaurant likely won&#x27;t open for nearly two years, it&#x27;s a big development for the highly anticipated new neighborhood.

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Brown's Island's years-in-the-making glow-up is nearly complete, and Richmonders will get to see the progress for themselves at next month's Folk Festival.

Why it matters: Locals can wander the island for the first time in nearly a year and see how the $30 million makeover is taking shape. 

Aerial view of a riverfront construction site: excavators and dirt around a new building with a gravel roof; a grassy area, trees, orange safety cones, and a railway bridge in the foreground.

A drone view of Brown's Island taken on Sept. 14. Image: Courtesy of Venture Richmond 

State of play: Brown's Island, closed since mid-November, will reopen Oct. 9-11 for the Richmond Folk Festival, Venture Richmond president and CEO Lisa Sims said during a hard-hat tour Wednesday. 

It'll close again after the festival, briefly reopen for November's Richmond Marathon post-race party, then close until construction wraps around the year's end. 

Those breaks were built into the construction schedule, Sims said.

Two urban scenes: left shows a construction site with dirt, equipment, and blue glass high-rises; right shows a finished plaza with fountains, green trees, and people near a glass CoStar Group building.

What it looks like today versus what it will look like. Images: Karri Peifer/Axios and Courtesy of Venture Richmond 

Zoom in: Here's what will be ready in time for Folk Fest. 

A revamped CoStar/Seventh Street entrance with a new ADA-accessible ramp.

A rebuilt Seventh Street bridge deck and all-new terraced stairs with shade sails.

Fresh sod and new sidewalks for the Great Lawn, the center of the island. 

And some of the island's 200-plus new trees — including 14 cherry blossoms — should also be planted, part of Venture's effort to add more shade. 

Two-panel scene beneath a large concrete bridge: left shows a construction yard with stacked bricks, pallets, and a white pickup; right shows a public plaza with people, trees, and bridge arches under a blue sky.

Yes, but: It'll still look like a construction zone in places.

Permanent bathrooms with flushable toilets, the splash pad and James River terraces won't be ready yet, while portions of the island will remain fenced off.

The new pavilion behind the Friday Cheers stage won't be finished either.

Landscaping will still be incomplete, and play areas for kids, extra seating and new canal access are still to come.

But, but, but: The Potterfield Bridge, which has stayed open during construction, will still be open and fully accessibly for Folk Fest weekend. 

Two-panel urban scene: left shows a construction site under a highway overpass with a tall building; right shows a sunlit park with trees, pedestrians, and elevated roads with tan residential towers.

What it looks like today versus what it will look like. Images: Karri Peifer/Axios and Courtesy of Venture Richmond

What they're saying: For decades, "a lot of people came to Brown's Island, then they would walk across the bridge, and [be] like, 'What else is there?'" Sims said. 

The goal of the makeover, she said, is to make the island "a more engaging space for people" — even when there isn't a festival or concert happening

What Richmonders will see at Brown's Island's reopening next month

Visitors will see fresh sod, new stairs, more shade and major accessibility upgrades in October.

Sunny day at a construction site with two tall buildings on the left, an elevated highway across the middle, a green lawn in the foreground, and heavy machinery on the right under a blue sky.

The Friday Cheers stage will sit in front of this new loading dock. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios 

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Brown&#x27;s Island&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/04/24/browns-island-richmond-history-civil-war-pleasure-garden" data-vars-content-id="2ff106a6-4893-4c54-87a6-b4837270b922" data-vars-headline="What Richmonders will see at Brown&#x27;s Island&#x27;s reopening next month" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/04/24/browns-island-richmond-history-civil-war-pleasure-garden" target="_self">Brown&#x27;s Island&#x27;s</a> years-in-the-making glow-up is nearly complete, and Richmonders will get to see the progress for themselves at next month&#x27;s Folk Festival.Why it matters: Locals can wander the island for the first time in nearly a year and see how the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$30 million makeover" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/09/03/richmond-browns-island-park-revamp-2026-amenities" data-vars-content-id="2ff106a6-4893-4c54-87a6-b4837270b922" data-vars-headline="What Richmonders will see at Brown&#x27;s Island&#x27;s reopening next month" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/09/03/richmond-browns-island-park-revamp-2026-amenities" target="_self">$30 million makeover</a> is taking shape.

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As Iron Blossom readies for its fourth year this weekend, the music festival has settled into what organizers tell Axios they always intended: a distinctly Richmond event.

Why it matters: The festival helped fill a major live-music gap in Richmond at just the right time — and the timing helped shape the size and feel of the entire event.

The big picture: Iron Blossom kicks off Saturday at Midtown Green for two days of live music across two stages featuring nearly two dozen acts.

Headliners include Jack White, LCD Soundsystem, Geese, Dijon and Portugal. The Man.

Attendees will also find food and booze vendors, including local options, plus plenty of water stations — a fixture since the uber-hot first year.

Tickets start at $122 for a one-day ticket and $212 for the full weekend.

Zoom out: The annual festival is bigger than originally planned, a little more polished each year and still evolving musically, says Ken MacDonald, president of IMGoing Events, one of the festival's organizers. 

A crowded outdoor concert viewed from the stage: musicians play keyboards and drums as a dense audience watches. Yellow stage lights wash the crowd, with tall rigging and speakers on the sides.

Iron Blossom after dark. Image: Courtesy of Iron Blossom

How we got here: MacDonald has been booking shows in Richmond since 1989, when he ran the Classic Amphitheater (RIP), and had long wanted to bring the boutique festival model here.

He originally had hoped to launch one at Monroe Park, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans. Then, concerns about using the park forced organizers to find a new venue just months before the inaugural festival.

Those setbacks turned out to be fortuitous, MacDonald says.

The Commanders' training camp had left Richmond by then, freeing up Midtown Green — a bigger space that allowed for larger stages, bigger acts, a VIP area, more vendors and capacity for thousands more attendees.

Fast forward: And while Iron Blossom hasn't repeated its 14,000-person sellout from year one, MacDonald says ticket sales have remained "in the same realm" across all four years.

The music is evolving, too: MacDonald says this year's lineup has "a little bit more edge" and "rocks a little bit more" than in past years.

What they're saying: "We've taken kind of a fresh look at every year," MacDonald says, adding that organizers use feedback from fans and artists as a guide for changes.

If you go: Iron Blossom is Saturday, Sept. 19-Sunday, Sept. 20 at Midtown Green. Gates open at 1pm both days. Music starts around 2pm. 

How Iron Blossom grew into a distinctly Richmond festival

A bigger venue, fan feedback and four years of tweaks helped shape the festival Richmond gets today.

A crowded city park festival: people sit on colorful blankets on the grass, with a white building and water tower in the distance, framed by trees and tents.

Iron Blossom on Saturday in 2025. Image: Courtesy of Iron Blossom 

As <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Iron Blossom" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/05/04/iron-blossom-2026-lineup-richmond-festival" data-vars-content-id="795ee562-1940-4620-8d78-db28150f8109" data-vars-headline="How Iron Blossom grew into a distinctly Richmond festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/05/04/iron-blossom-2026-lineup-richmond-festival" target="_self">Iron Blossom</a> readies for its fourth year this weekend, the music festival has settled into what organizers tell Axios they always intended: a distinctly Richmond event.Why it matters: The festival helped fill a major live-music gap in Richmond at just the right time — and the timing helped shape the size and feel of the entire event.

Buffalo Wild Wings GO — the chain's takeout and delivery-only concept — opens Tuesday at 10am in Short Pump.

Why it matters: The first 50 guests in line on opening day will win free wings for a year.

State of play: The Short Pump GO location is from franchisee Kevin Donham, who has nine other BW3s in Virginia, including Richmond.

This is his first GO, a concept the company debuted in 2020 as a pandemic pivot before opening it up to franchisees to get in on the fun, per QSR Magazine.

On the menu: Bone-in and boneless wings, chicken dippers, sandwiches, wraps and sides — and, of course, BWs' 26 signature sauces and dry rubs. 

Modern fast-casual interior with a long white counter, black trim, circular ring lights, white brick walls, and a Buffalo Wild Wings GO sign. Tables and chairs by large windows; kitchen area visible.

Buffalo Wild Wings GO in Glen Allen. Image: Courtesy of BW3

If you go: Buffalo Wild Wings GO at 11446 W. Broad St, in the Short Pump Walmart shopping center.

The restaurant will be open Sunday through Thursday, 10-1am and until 2am a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The fine print: Free wing winners must be 18 or older and will get six free wings a week, per the company.

They should also share with Axios Richmond reporters, per us. 

Buffalo Wild Wings GO opens in Short Pump with free wings

The first 50 guests in line Tuesday will score six free wings a week for an entire year.

Assorted Buffalo Wild Wings Go boxes overflow with glossy, orange-glazed fried chicken wings, surrounded by dipping sauces and celery and carrot sticks on a black background.

Win free wings! And share them with us, please.  Image: Courtesy of Buffalo Wild Wings GO 


Buffalo Wild Wings GO — the chain&#x27;s takeout and delivery-only concept — opens Tuesday at 10am in Short Pump.Why it matters: The first 50 guests in line on opening day will win free wings for a year.

Kings Dominion's Halloween Haunt opens this weekend for what the theme park promises will be a frightfully good time. 

Why it matters: Ready or not, spooky season is here ... in mid-September.

Driving the scare: This year's Halloween Haunt once again features five scare zones, hundreds of monsters roving the park and six haunted mazes —  including a Diablo video game-themed one, per Kings Dominion. 

There will also be nighttime rides, like Rapterra, which will run after dark with Halloween lighting, fog and sound effects. 

Not into the spook? By day, Halloween Haunt Haut will be family-friendly with no scares but plenty of trick-or-treating, costume contests and kid-friendly shows, like high-energy cirque performing skeletons. 

If you go: Halloween Haunt runs Friday-Sunday through Nov. 1.

Tickets start at $45, and maze access costs an extra $10.  

Zoom out: If you're looking for a haunt closer to home, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. Most of the local haunted tours don't start until October, though Red Vein opens the last weekend of September.

Kings Dominion gets an early start on Halloween scares

The park's Halloween events start Friday, weeks before most Richmond-area haunts open for the season.

Group of four zombie figures in tattered clothes with pumpkin and skull faces, under dark red lighting, with neon red glow on the left and striped light patterns on the right.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Kings Dominion" data-vars-click-url="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.Tc-2F6febIbNyrBA3ozPTr5-2BSWtDcR4bOZh-2FG5OCMD6VE1UJgygnuiKZVNukYNtpvUx65w_8TtAGwToYpRw-2BzvJrTe-2F7vjBzgiDMs-2F0v1fGvxW9NYf8C9lt5ZbUMx1ffejzBUoBH43ZBheHeODzJAY5Ay08b89xfHK0Yz9KhsdyNhW03OYq9Cv7QAlSIWsasD4RXOWz1mkug1ZTG1VNdCY7gdAgtn59z0e0BY6RKO1nwHP7s7OZGAYa0qv42JDoi2w0e9ZyvWenXdM7tXoRDJCY2BQnFiJyKXdJTkmqNiAhOzBF3gddI8k-2BzJD3oLAfX0DaH-2BBHuEVnpKuuQCXmHPeEy7J-2BtYmbLJDXLOIxEKCPjXq2c2-2BBRSWVLRfCH3hmPh8whEMZRYydyjVjL0Lr7l0GkoaFJlqOL4FP65Dfuf-2BeKDFfJk-2FUrsU3TX248YIqMNZ0ZwwC__;!!Al82Z4c!15Vj9NlBSzX1gVEcCla16DzwVGCdD6dRciebmuTrBfbD0nU7ah4-M6Hap16nSlKO455nr5Va9fHckSVzpWIP$" data-vars-content-id="de0a0d39-1810-49c6-bca7-ab65f19903bc" data-vars-headline="Kings Dominion gets an early start on Halloween scares" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.Tc-2F6febIbNyrBA3ozPTr5-2BSWtDcR4bOZh-2FG5OCMD6VE1UJgygnuiKZVNukYNtpvUx65w_8TtAGwToYpRw-2BzvJrTe-2F7vjBzgiDMs-2F0v1fGvxW9NYf8C9lt5ZbUMx1ffejzBUoBH43ZBheHeODzJAY5Ay08b89xfHK0Yz9KhsdyNhW03OYq9Cv7QAlSIWsasD4RXOWz1mkug1ZTG1VNdCY7gdAgtn59z0e0BY6RKO1nwHP7s7OZGAYa0qv42JDoi2w0e9ZyvWenXdM7tXoRDJCY2BQnFiJyKXdJTkmqNiAhOzBF3gddI8k-2BzJD3oLAfX0DaH-2BBHuEVnpKuuQCXmHPeEy7J-2BtYmbLJDXLOIxEKCPjXq2c2-2BBRSWVLRfCH3hmPh8whEMZRYydyjVjL0Lr7l0GkoaFJlqOL4FP65Dfuf-2BeKDFfJk-2FUrsU3TX248YIqMNZ0ZwwC__;!!Al82Z4c!15Vj9NlBSzX1gVEcCla16DzwVGCdD6dRciebmuTrBfbD0nU7ah4-M6Hap16nSlKO455nr5Va9fHckSVzpWIP$" target="_blank">Kings Dominion</a>&#x27;s Halloween Haunt opens this weekend for what the theme park promises will be a frightfully good time. Why it matters: Ready or not, spooky season is here ... in mid-September.

Karri Peifer

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