Events - Future Events View

This event marks the 200th Anniversary of Lafayette’s historic tour and will feature lectures, reenactments, and family-friendly events to celebrate our alliance with France and the founding of our nation. You’ll discover why Americans turned out in droves to celebrate the charismatic Frenchman everywhere he went – especially in Yorktown!

Join us at Riverwalk Landing (425 Water Street) and the Yorktown waterfront at 3 p.m. to salute General Lafayette as he disembarks a ship and greets fellow Americans.

Join us for a beginner-friendly English Country Dance class!

Julie Dunn, Hill House Museum Board member and local researcher, will lecture at 1 PM about General Lafayette’s visit to Portsmouth. She will be joined by “The Women of the House,” three museum interpreters who will describe the Hill family’s connections to Lafayette’s visit. Light refreshments will be served. The museum will be open from 12-3 PM. Tickets are $5 cash per person.

In this dramatic presentation, performed at 3pm at the Kimball Theater, the Marquis de Lafayette returns to Williamsburg on October 20, 1824, and reflects upon the people and events that he experienced in his life. Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket required.

On Sunday, October 20th at 1 p.m. the Williamsburg community gathers in the heart of the Historic Area to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette’s triumphant return visit to the former colonial capital city. From August 1824 to September 1825, as the last significant surviving general of the American Revolution, the Marquis visited all 24 states of the Union at the invitation of President James Monroe and received the enthusiastic gratitude of the nation. A celebratory carriage procession and ceremony on the steps of the Colonial Courthouse will salute the “Nation’s Guest” with tributes from the 18th, 19th, and 21st centuries to include the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums, Nation Builders, community leaders, the Walsingham Academy Madrigals, and cannon salute by the Virginia State Garrison Regiment.

Join The Williamsburg Winery and The American Friends of Lafayette as we celebrate the 200th Anniversary of General Lafayette, the “Guest of the Nation”. An unforgettable evening awaits with a delicious buffet dinner, local wine and beer, and special guest appearances. Meet General Lafayette portrayed by Mark Schneider of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and New York Times Best Selling Author Mike Duncan. Enjoy Williamsburg Winery wines, including our Lafayette Wine Series, and try for the very first time Virginia Beer Company’s Vive Lafayette! Beer. Reserve your seat now for a historical experience that promises to delight your palate and spark your imagination!

Cocktail attire encouraged. Your ticket includes access to our buffet dinner and one drink ticket to be used on beer, wine, mocktails, or soda. Children Tickets are available for those 12 & under.

Meet General Lafayette - Interpreted by internationally acclaimed actor-interpreter Mark Schneider, of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Discover Lafayette’s lifelong passion for human rights and hear about his heroics during the American Revolution. A performance you won’t want to miss!

Meet Mike Duncan - Duncan is an American political history podcaster and author. He is the creator of two historical podcasts - The History of Rome and Revolutions. In addition to podcasting, Duncan is the author of two books - The Storm Before the Storm and his most recent work, 2021‘s Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution. Both earning spots on the New York Times Best Seller‘s List. Purchase a copy of his book, Hero of Two Worlds, and bring it to the event for a special book signing!

Commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Honorary Degree of Laws with members of William & Mary, Colonial Williamsburg, and American Friends of Lafayette communities at this joyful “homecoming” celebration of an illustrious alumnus. In 1824, as the last significant surviving general of the American Revolution, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette made a triumphant return visit to these shores at the invitation of another W&M alumnus, the President of the United States James Monroe. The Marquis visited all 24 states of the Union and received the enthusiastic gratitude of the nation. The event will feature music, pomp, and remarks by Lafayette, as portrayed by Nation Builder Mark Schneider.

Embarkation: 333 Waterside Dr., Norfolk, VA 23510
Time: 5:30 - 7:30pm
Come celebrate the Bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s arrival in Norfolk on October 22, 1824, when we set sail on a sunset harbor cruise onboard the schooner American Rover. Watch fireworks bonfires along the Portsmouth waterfront. This ticketed event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and a nautical perspective of the two cities. It is limited to 100 guests. Period attire is welcome! Tickets are $55/person.

Welcome the Marquis de Lafayette to Fort Monroe at the elegant Chamberlain Hotel ballroom and enjoy some of Lafayette‘s favorite Virginia cuisine! Doors open at 5:30PM and cocktail attire is requested for this special event. To prepurchase tickets, please click on the "Learn More" link!

Join us for a unique and memorable evening of living history! Williamsburg’s Mark Schneider will interpret the Guest of Honor (Lafayette !!!) throughout the evening, providing a truly immersive experience. In the Company of Lafayette, Enjoy Charcuterie, an Original Biere Blanche, French Cuisine, and Exquisite French Desserts hosted in Three Historic Portsmouth Homes! All within walking distance....
Hors d’ oeuvres and “Heart of Lafayette” Biere Blanche will be served at the Bain Home, which sits on the foundation of Cornwallis’ headquarters, where double-agent James Fayette spied for Lafayette (326 North Street)
Beef Bourguignon over Creamy Potatoes will be served at the home of the great-grandson and namesake of Revolutionary War Hero Joseph Grice (318 North Street).
Exquisite French Desserts will be served in the Garden at the Hill House Museum. Dr. William Collins and John Thompson, patriarchs of the Hill Family, played significant roles in Portsmouth’s 1824 celebration of Lafayette’s Visit. Guests may observe the tea set which served the General and view unusual décor unique to the period (221 North Street)

Limited Tickets - $100 Proceeds will help fund the painting of a large mural depicting our 2024 Portsmouth celebration with Lafayette

The Marquis de Lafayette fired upon Petersburg from what is now Colonial Heights in April of 1781, because the British were then occupying the town. When he returned to visit Petersburg in 1824, he apologized for having previously shelled it. This event was part of the Battle of Petersburg, the much lesser-known battle to take place during the many years of Petersburg‘s rich history. The Marquis de Lafayette Petersburg Banquet will recreate his visit in October 1824.

Join us for a celebratory dinner with Marquis de Lafayette impersonator Charles Wissinger as we recreate the spirit of the Marquis‘ visit to Petersburg in October 1824. Colonial-era food and drink will be served buffet-style, amidst toasts and speeches that took place during the actual banquet at which the Marquis was feted historically. See below for further details on the specific menu items and wine and cider that will be served. All recipes come from period sources and are being prepared to replicate what was served historically at Mount Vernon, Monticello, and right here in Petersburg at Battersea.

Dress is semi-formal or period.

Take part in this series of lectures and performances at the Petersburg Public Library. Free and open to the public.
1:00PM - Historian Elizabeth Reese: "Liberty Now Has a Country: The 1824-1825 Tour of Lafayette"
2:00PM - Historian Dr. Galla Sims: "The Marquis de Lafayette, A True Friend of the Cause"
3:00PM - Damon Lee Fowler, cookbook author: "Revolutionary Cooking: Feeding the Founding Fathers"
4:00PM - Meet Historical Interpreters portraying General Lafayette and enslaved African-American spy James Armistead Lafayette

In partnership with the Fort Nelson Chapter of the Portsmouth DAR, the Hill House Museum will host a tea featuring Mark Schneider, a nationally acclaimed General Marquis de Lafayette interpreter. He will discuss Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of 1824/1825, highlighting events in Portsmouth. Museum interpreters will describe the Hill family’s connections to Lafayette’s visit. The menu will include traditional tea sandwiches, French pastry desserts, and Five Sisters Tea, a signature blend sold exclusively by the museum. Ticket prices are $35 for museum members and $45 for non-members.

Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, 7001 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23505
6:30 - 9:30pm

When Lafayette departed Norfolk in October 1824, the citizens of Norfolk held a grand ball in his honor, marking a significant moment in our city‘s history. Now, two centuries later, Norfolk will host a ball at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club (overlooking the Lafayette River), allowing us to relive this historic event.

Come dance to period music in your best 1820s period attire (modern Black Tie optional), and meet the Marquis (portrayed by Mark Schneider)!

Seating will be limited to 180 guests.

Details on ticket sales and the dinner menu will be promulgated in the Summer.

Join us as we Welcome Lafayette to Richmond on October 27th from 2:00-4:00 pm at Rocketts Landing in Richmond...200 years after his second visit there...and 243 years after his first time to this very site! Though this event is free and open to the public, the courtesy of your registration is appreciated. Period attire is encouraged.

Free ceremony at Poplar Lawn (S. Sycamore St. & E. Fillmore St.) with the American Friends of Lafayette and an appearance by the Marquis to mark the 200th anniversary of his visit to Petersburg.

Join us for a beginner-friendly English Country Dance class!

One man‘s story of how Jane Austen‘s relatable characters made him a better person.

Join us for a beginner-friendly English Country Dance class!

Dance the night away at a period ball in honor of Lafayette! Click the link to get tickets!

Join in as Fredericksburg commemorates the 200th anniversary of Lafayette‘s tour visit with a military reception, procession, and more.

One man‘s story of how Jane Austen‘s relatable characters made him a better person.

Join us for a beginner-friendly English Country Dance class!

Celebrate the season by volunteering at Hope‘s Christmas Open House.

We‘re looking for volunteers to assist in teaching Regency dancing at a Bridgerton-themed event at Hanover Tavern.