Upcoming Events
Lafayette Bicentennial Banquet | Suffolk, Virginia
Enjoy a festive evening at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront celebrating the return of General Lafayette to Suffolk. This event will echo the banquet at which Lafayette was entertained on February 25, 1825.
Lafayette Bicentennial Dinner | Richmond, VA
On January 25, 1825, the Virginia General Assembly and other dignitaries, including Chief Justice John Marshall, hosted Lafayette in Richmond with a dinner and ball. Exactly 200 years later to the day, the VMHC will commemorate the anniversary of this dinner with a special evening program at 6:30 pm. (doors open at 5:45 pm).
Hero of Two Worlds: A Musical Celebration of Lafayette, Lafayette 200 at Alexandria
In 1824, American Revolutionary War hero Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette visited the United States of America for a Grand Tour of all 24 states. For 13 months, Americans across the country celebrated Lafayette with ceremonies, balls, dignitary visits, parades, and concerts. The sounds of military wind bands greeted the Hero of Two Worlds nearly everywhere he went. On November 24, 2024, the period-instrument wind band Music of the Regiment will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Alexandria with a concert. The program, featuring works by Francis Johnson, anonymous women composing under the alias “A Lady…”, and others, will transport audiences to the sound world of Lafayette’s Grand Tour with grand marches, dance tunes, and America’s earliest patriotic airs performed on the instruments of Lafayette’s time.
Lafayette Ball, Lafayette 200 at Fredericksburg
The Fredericksburg Sister City Association (Fredericksburg and Frejus, France) hosts a ball honoring Gen. Lafayette. Members of the Regency Society of Virginia perform nineteenth century English country dances to period music. Music of the Regiment, a musical ensemble focusing on nineteenth century compositions, presents musical interludes. Ball attendees are welcome to come in period or modern formal attire and to join in the historic performance. Finger foods and libations are offered, and conversation with the General and his entourage is encouraged.
Market Square Reception, Lafayette 200 at Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg civic and military officials, cadets, and local veterans gather to greet Lafayette, who arrives in a horse drawn carriage along with his fellow travelers. The entourage forms on Caroline Street and advances up the alley, arriving at Market Square. The Mayor, City Council and others offer welcoming greetings. Period music and a festive atmosphere set the celebratory tone for the General’s stay. Later, in the Fredericksburg Area Museum (Town Hall in 1824), Gen. Lafayette greets visitors who queue up to shake his hand. The Museum also offers its keystone exhibit “Lafayette’s World: Revolutionary Ideals and the Limits of Freedom.”
Lecture-Performance, “Ça ira: Lafayette, la Musique de la Garde Nationale Parisienne, and the Dissolution of the Ancien Régime”
The Age of Revolutions (1775–1848) was a period of social, political, and cultural turbulence in Europe and the Americas. There was perhaps no greater witness to this era of dramatic change than Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. This lecture-performance, with Lafayette’s leadership of the Garde Nationale Parisienne as the focal point, will transport listeners to the desperate but optimistic early days of the French Revolution when music left the aristocratic great rooms of Versailles and poured onto the streets of Paris.
Lecture-Performance, “Ça ira: Lafayette, la Musique de la Garde Nationale Parisienne, and the Dissolution of the Ancien Régime”
The Age of Revolutions (1775–1848) was a period of social, political, and cultural turbulence in Europe and the Americas. There was perhaps no greater witness to this era of dramatic change than Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. This lecture-performance, with Lafayette’s leadership of the Garde Nationale Parisienne as the focal point, will transport listeners to the desperate but optimistic early days of the French Revolution when music left the aristocratic great rooms of Versailles and poured onto the streets of Paris.