CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – For the last 13 years the Tom Tom Festival has brought thousands to the downtown mall area for topical discussion on community issues, innovative conferences, musical performances and much more.  The annual festival is organized by the Tom Tom Foundation, headquartered on Water Street in Charlottesville.  Downtown businesses, and in particular restaurants benefit tremendously from the increased foot traffic and the Tom Tom Foundation has announced that the 2025 event had the most patrons in the history of the event with more than 25,000 people participating.  Their official release regarding the successful event is below:

Charlottesville, VA — The 13th Annual Tom Tom Festival, held from April 16–20, 2025, wrapped
up its most vibrant year yet, with 26,959 attendees, marking a 4.4% increase over 2024. The
Festival welcomed 276 Speakers and 80 performing acts at over 190 sessions and events. The
festival was also highly accessible, with 93.2% of the events offered on a Free or
Pay-What-You-Can basis.

The festival was hosted by the Tom Tom Foundation, whose mission is to connect communities
for a brighter tomorrow, and was presented in partnership with UVA Innovates, Virginia
Tourism, RL Beyer Custom Homes, the City of Charlottesville, and Ludwig Kuttner.
“EVOLVE was more than a theme—it was a call to action,” said Paul Beyer, Executive Director of
the Tom Tom Foundation. “EVOLVE sparked dynamic conversations, and deepened connections
that will guide the future of the region, by inviting the community to explore how individuals,
organizations, and societies adapt and grow through change.”
Anchoring the festival was the EVOLVE Conference, a four-day gathering of innovators,
educators, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders committed to shaping the future. Sessions
highlighted the transformative power of collaboration and creativity, with standout panels
including Democracy 2026, featuring Monticello’s Jane Kamensky and UVA’s Karsh Institute’s
Melody Barnes, which explored the region’s unique contributions to the national narrative as the
250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches. A dynamic conversation on
Innovation Clusters brought together UVA President Jim Ryan, Charlottesville City Manager Sam
Sanders, and Albemarle County Executive Jeff Richardson, illustrating cross-sector coalitions
working to move the region forward. The Conference also tackled urgent and emerging
topics—from AI and business strategy to climate resilience, the future of work, and reimagining
education through a whole-community lens.
The Downtown Mall Block Party returned as a beloved centerpiece of the weekend,
transforming downtown Charlottesville into an open-air celebration of music, food, and art.
20,531 attendees joined on Friday and 21,671 on Saturday, packing the streets for
performances, immersive art installations, and pop-up experiences that brought EVOLVE’s
themes to life.

“I was so proud to see the Downtown Mall filled with people who clearly reflected all of
Charlottesville. It is for this reason that the City remains supportive of the Tom Tom Festival for its
ability to bring us all together. And I look forward to city staff engaging in ongoing planning efforts
to ensure we reflect the whole community as we continue our sponsorship of this event,” said Sam
Sanders, Charlottesville’s City Manager.

This year also saw the expansion of the Community Partner Program, with over 50 local
organizations contributing events and activities—from wellness workshops and neighborhood
gatherings to interactive exhibits and youth showcases. The program embodied the spirit of
co-creation, amplifying grassroots energy and voices from every corner of the region.
Pitch Nights and Innovation Showcases helped raise funds for emerging startups. The
Crowdfunded Pitch Night raised $9,600 of community donations and investment, for the crowd
favorite Chanterelle Cafe (founder Carrington Epperson) and grand prize winner the
Charlottesville Food Coop. The University of Virginia’s ECUP distributed $50,000 to student
ventures, including a First place prize of $20K to Land Credit (Custis Colemen), Second place
prize of $15K to Métopi (Miles Lanham) and third place prize of $10K to TalentBeam (Danny
Holloway). A total of 35 startup businesses showcased at Tom Tom.
The Festival launched with a Speaker & Patron Launch Party at the newly opened UVA
Contemplative Commons in partnership with the Contemplative Sciences Center, and featured
UVA student DJ, Jonny Cody, and welcoming toasts from UVA Innovates, Michael Lenox, and the
CSC Director of Research, Michael Sheehy, both of whom also served on the EVOLVE
Conference Steering Committee.