Imagine a best friend who has a water park in their backyard, complete with water slides, rope swings, BBQ pits, and a lineup of awesome bands ranging from heavy metal to free jazz. Your phone rings: “Hey, dude, it’s Richmond-motherfucking-Virginia, and I’m throwing a party. Bring whiskey.”
Now stop imagining and get down south for one of the best parties in the country, Best Friends Day. Held at Hadad’s Lake (with an afterparty at a local community workspace/impromptu venue, the Bike Lot), it’s like Christmas in August except your mom isn’t there, there are more tattoos and PBR, and you don’t have to wrap anything. This is the best BYOB event you’ve ever attended. Hadad’s charges about ten bucks to get in, and they don’t check coolers. There’s something distinctly Southern about spending an entire day outdoors grilling, drinking, swimming, and partying down to great music, and plenty of people agree. This year’s Best Friends Day (the seventh iteration) attracted hundreds of Richmonders, and caravans from hundreds of miles away arrived all day.
BFD showcases the best Richmond has to offer in people, personalities, and bands. The mentality truly is that everyone is your best friend—I’ve never witnessed beef of any kind. Hugs are the norm, and as if we needed any further proof of the ridiculous whoopass that is this event, this year featured local motherfuckers the No BS Brass Band. Their name could not possibly be more apt. They play brass, and there is a complete and total lack of bullshit. By the end of their set, which included Michael Jackson and Radiohead covers, they had abandoned the extremely crowded stage and (this is a ten-plus-person ensemble, mind you) led their hundreds of enamored fans on a march around the lake. Other veterans of the BFD stage include Municipal Waste, Ultra Dolphins, Cannabis Corpse, and GULL.
So, are you sick of scenesters? Too bad. The attendees of BFD are tattooed and sharp, but if you show up with a bad attitude, the joke’s on you. You’ll find no pretension here—only high-fives and “Hey, want a beer?” It’s just simply how they do it down here in the Old Dominion. Y’all should come on down, pour some hooch, and enjoy.
Photos by Kevin Hennessey
