Stockley Gardens Arts Festival

This neighborhood art event happens every year twice per year - once in May and once again in October for a weekend filled with art, food, and music. A few years ago I went to the May festival and yesterday enjoyed it on a beautiful and sunny October day with perfect weather and a light breeze. There are so many artists here and so many interesting items to see. It spans the entire three sections of Stockley Gardens in the middle of the neighborhood near The Hague St. Luke's Episcopal Church. There are some food vendors (I saw around 6) and there are several scheduled bands that play live music so you can make a nice couple hours out of enjoying this. It gets pretty crowded as locals really love it. This is not your typical art show - there are some pretty high-end pieces here that go for upwards of $20,000 and the majority of the larger art pieces are no less than $1000 minimum but most are much more. I saw some jewelry, stained glass and glass art, pottery, and tons and tons of canvas and other mixed medium art pieces with a real range of talent and innovative techniques I haven't seen before. Artists travel from all over the US to participate in this event and there are tons of vendors here so it's worth an afternoon visit.It's a short walk to Colley so you can make a complete afternoon in Ghent out of it and walk around, enjoy the Hague, shop on Colley and even have dinner or coffee. Parking is a bit of a challenge if you want to be very nearby - but if you can park and walk a few blocks you should be fine finding something in one of the nearby neighborhoods.

Such a great collection of artists, food vendors, and music. Be prepared to get muddy, though, as it nearly always rains just before or during this event.

Super fun event!I'd never been to, or even heard of the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival until this year! Word of mouth to be exact. Didn't find it on any social media or news.It went perfectly with the day I was already spending in Norfolk! It began with lunch from Zeke's, ate it at "The Plot", and then we headed on over to the festival.Parking was crazy, as it is at any and all festivals. Me + street/parallel parking = NOT a good mix. Good thing my bf was driving! hehe. Anyway he ended up dropping me off because I knew it would be a while to find a spot. It's your usual art fest really - a bunch of tents set up with different art - all types! Scenic, modern, realistic, some photography, some wood, some ceramic work, pretty much every type of art imaginable. It was all so pretty and colorful; I think even the non-artsy folks would enjoy walking around! There were random musicians playing their instruments and singing on benches, some lady was hula-hooping, and further down there was an official performance under a tent, on a stage. There were lots of food vendors also - Belmont House of Smoke BBQ, Cogan's pizza (even though I ate Zeke's already, I was so tempted to get a slice,) and so many others. The only things we ended up purchasing were 2 honey sticks (Lemon & one Pina Colada. Tasty!) from the Honey tent. Ahhh, darn my bad memory for not remembering the name of it!Anyway, if you are into art and food, or even just food and drinks alone, this festival is totally worth it. Perfect setting with all the shade & trees around. It's not just some small event either. Worth the time and drive if you don't live in Norfolk! :D I totally recommend!

I have to admit, when asked if I wanted to check out the festival, two thoughts went through my mind. One, "Do I look like a Hippie?" Two, "Is it free?" When told it was a free event, I was more than game to check it out.I did not know what to expect when I arrived to the park in Ghent, espicailly since it rained. But as I walked closer to the park I was able to hear some live music being played, the band playing wasn't very good, but it didn't kill the vibe. There were venders in tents for miles it seemed (slight exaggeration). What I was impressed with most by the festival was that there was a great variety of venders and many of them accepted credit cards. This fired me up since I hardly ever carry cash anymore. Another plus about the art festival was that woodchips were put in the areas where the ground was thick with mud, the little things like that are major because it shows that the planners of the event were thinking of the patrons. Another big ticket item that touched my heart about the festival was that they had local food vendors (extra bonus for the big guy). I enjoyed my time at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. It's a great event for all ages.Take a trip to Ghent and check out the work of many local, out of state and up and coming artist. But bring some money, some items are high dollar and awesome enough for you to spend the money. Do it, it's okay, I found my inner "Hippie" and the water is fine, just jump in and enjoy.

There's a reason why Stockley Gardens has been so popular throughout the years.It features a terrific variety of talented artists in a beautiful setting.Although i do appreciate his right to express his opinion, I just don't get Mike P'strashing of the show.

I go every year and it's always fun! The food is good, the vendors always have interesting stuff, there's music and the location is very nice. A pretty neighborhood and pretty churches are right there. A good relaxing time. Parking a couple blocks away isn't a big deal in my book, it's a nice stroll looking at beautiful old homes.

Every year my friend and I make it a point to go to Stockley Art Festival. I had moved to Florida but flew back to go to the festival. Lots of great paintings, fantastic talented artists showing their various wares.My love is earrings. Wish I had the name of the artist, my Credit card payment shows Square "SQ" The Passage Richmond.Any help finding this Artisan would be appreciated.Stockley is far superior to Neptune Festival in my humble opinion. Must see the talent on display!!We always go early to find parking, never a problem.

For anyone who lives in This is my he Ghent section of Norfolk, this has to be a highlight of the year. A beautiful setting as Norfolk puts out its floral finery, wonderful art, different kinds of music, lots of people walking around, the return of familiar artists from the year before, aromatic food -- as mellow as it gets, the reason I live in this overpriced neighborhood!

Muddy, narrow paths and no parking. Had to walk 5 blocks to get to it. Navigation through the mud and staggered tents was not easy. When going to an art fest it is good to see a variety in mediums. This fest did NOT offer that. If you like paintings, it's ok. If you want to see other mediums, don't waste your time.