2023 Winter/Spring Highlight - Festivals and Events
Full Moon Markets
Merchants of the 10300 block of Warwick Blvd have banded together under the direction of Mother Magnolia to have a little fun around the full and new moons. Later store hours, good eats, a little tarot card reading, pop-up vendors always equal a good time. The last market was the Strawberry Full Moon. Stay tuned to Mother Magnolia’s social media feed for upcoming markets and their theme. It's always more fun if you come dressed the part. Pictured Nicole, co-owner of Styx & Stones.
2023 Hilton Village Spring Festival
This year’s spring festival was one for the BOOKS! We had record attendance at this event. Our festival vendors, food trucks, local restaurants, and our merchants had another banger day! We had a great time in our beer garden listening to the sounds of Zack Salisbury and Lane Rice. Everyone enjoyed a great Coastal Fermentory brew or a delicious Mangata Coffee or Tea with whichever food truck option they selected. Indulge Bakery and Bistro, Nosh Modern Mobile Bistro, Avocargo, and the Crazy Potato did not disappoint the crowd with their delicious offerings. Our children’s activity stations are simple and classic, providing a variety of craft options that allow imaginations to go wild with one-of-a-kind creations!
Hilton PRIDE
Hilton Village had their first PRIDE event this year and it was a truly beautiful day. We were honored to invite ALL to the village for a day of love and inclusivity. Our PRIDE event looked a lot like our other festivals on purpose, quaint, family-friendly is our vibe, it’s what we do best. We wanted to make the event as enjoyable for everyone as possible and still make it apparent that we are an inclusive community.
Peninsula Community Theatre hosted an open house during the event with LIVE rehearsals of their season opener PROM. On the corner of Warwick and Main, we hosted the “We Care Corner”. This loving and supportive space was hosted by multiple Hilton and Newport News churches, LGBTQI+ nonprofits & groups, the ACLU and housed our community art project, “Speak from the Heart.”
“Speak from the Heart” was a giant 5’x 7’ wire wrapped heart. Festival goers were encouraged to express what it meant to them to feel loved and accepted by writing in ink on a single ribbon. They would then weave their words into the giant heart. The end result was a brilliantly hued heart expressing some very “heartfelt” emotion.
Donations from our vendors were made to the following LQBTQI+ organizations.
The Trevor Project
LGBT Life Center
Hampton Roads Pride
PFLAG
The DJEDI Order
We look forward to sharing the day with you again next year at Hilton Pride.
Where would we be without our amazing volunteers!
A big thank you to the following folks for their help to make both of these events amazing.
US Navy First Petty Officers and Second Class Petty Officer Associations for volunteering at both Spring Fest and Hilton PRIDE by doing the heavy lifting to set up the festival in the morning.
Newport News Police Department for keeping our crosswalks and event grounds safe at Spring Fest and Hilton PRIDE while wearing their smiling faces.
Newport News Fire Department for bringing your community outreach and your NNFD PRIDE to the village during Hilton PRIDE.
Woodside High School AP and Honors Art Students for manning and cleaning up the kids' art tent at Hilton PRIDE.
Denbigh Lion Club for hospitality at the shuttle station at Spring Fest and at our beer tent at Hilton PRIDE.
Villagers - Sarah, Cate, Esther, Michael, and Sebastian - assisting with organization, set up, vendor liaison, and breakdown of both Spring Fest & Hilton Pride!