At noon this Saturday, October 24, the 1200 block of Bellevue Avenue becomes the address for the second annual Bellevue Blocktoberfest. The host is Maven Made, at 1227 Bellevue Avenue. The event runs until 4 p.m. and promises shops, restaurants, live music and local vendors. Neither the Maven Made listing nor the civic association calendar mentions a membership requirement.
Twenty-six hours later, a few blocks away on MacArthur Avenue, the Bellevue Civic Association holds its Monster Mash at Once Upon a Vine. It has costume judging, pumpkin crafts and cider, and it's for BCA members only.
So the neighborhood's two main streets each get a day this weekend. The difference between the days is who's invited. That difference runs through the rest of Bellevue's fall calendar, which is worth knowing before Sunday afternoon rather than at the door.
Saturday Belongs to Bellevue Avenue
MacArthur Avenue usually gets the attention when people talk about Bellevue's commercial life. Blocktoberfest gives the 1200 block of Bellevue Avenue its own afternoon. It's hosted by Maven Made, one of the shops on the block, and it's in only its second year.
Maven Made's event listing sums up the plan in three sentences:
"Join the second annual Blocktober fest on Bellevue Ave. Expect shops, restaurants, live music and local vendors. Bring your empty Maven Made Facial Serums, Wondermist or Every Body Oils for a discounted refill!"
The refill offer is a small detail, but it tells you what kind of event this is. It's built around people who already shop on the block and can bring back an empty bottle from last time.
The Bellevue Civic Association calendar also lists the event for noon to 4 p.m. on the 1200 block of Bellevue Avenue. Neither listing names this year's performers or vendors yet. The Maven Made event page is the place to check for updates before you head over.
Last year's lineup gives a fair idea of the scale. Ahead of the first Blocktoberfest in October 2025, RVAHub reported that the plan was to close the 1200 block between Lamont Street and Brook Road from noon to 4 p.m. The 2025 lineup RVAHub listed:
- Food: Chef Andrew of Little House Green Grocery, Enoteca Sogno, Northside Grille and Up All Night Bakery
- Open house: Studio Art 1229
- Makers and vendors: Kelly Redling Studios, Renée Stramel and Nicola Flora
- Music: John Brown, Mike Lucas, Brady Heck & Seth Morrisey, McVizzy and the Lucky Stiffs
Richmond Magazine also covered that first gathering. It called it the neighborhood's inaugural block party, with live music, special snacks and local vendors. Treat the 2025 names as a sense of the block's regulars, not as a promise for this Saturday.
Sunday Belongs to MacArthur, and to BCA Members
The Monster Mash is on Sunday, October 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Once Upon a Vine, 4009 MacArthur Ave. The BCA calls it a beloved neighborhood Halloween event, and the program fills the two hours:
- Costume judging, split into children's, adult and family groups
- Halloween trivia
- A drawing contest
- Pumpkin craft making
- A candy-guessing game
Every winner gets a prize. Snacks, popcorn, apple cider, beer and wine are served, and each member gets two tickets for an adult beverage.
The calendar is clear that you need to be a BCA member to attend. That rule covers more of the neighborhood than you might expect. At the association's August 2025 meeting, the membership committee reported 405 members, beating its goal of 400 by the end of 2025. The committee said that comes to about one-third of Bellevue homes. If that ratio still roughly holds, about two out of three Bellevue households would need to join before they could bring a costumed kid to Once Upon a Vine on Sunday.
The listing also asks for volunteers to staff the event and calls volunteering a way to meet your neighbors. Holly Wilson is the event chair and emcee, and she's the contact for questions.
The Weekend Side by Side
| Blocktoberfest | Monster Mash | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 24 | Sunday, Oct. 25 |
| Hours | Noon to 4 p.m. | 2 to 4 p.m. |
| Location | 1200 block of Bellevue Ave., hosted by Maven Made at 1227 | Once Upon a Vine, 4009 MacArthur Ave. |
| Listed host | Maven Made | Bellevue Civic Association |
| Membership requirement | None listed | BCA members |
| Draw | Shops, restaurants, live music, vendors | Costume judging, crafts, trivia, prizes, refreshments |
Porches are part of the weekend too. The BCA's Halloween decor contest closed entries on October 18. It judges four categories: Fright Night, Happiest Halloween, Best Theme and Best Door. Halloween itself falls on the following Saturday, October 31, so the decorations get a second week out.
After October, the Calendar Opens Back Up
None of the Bellevue calendar listings after Halloween mention a membership requirement, which makes the Monster Mash the exception.
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 5 to 8 p.m. First Wednesday Food Trucks at Linwood Holton Elementary, 1600 W. Laburnum Ave. Ten percent of proceeds go to the Holton PTA.
- Saturdays starting in November, 9 a.m. to noon. RVA Big Market moves to its winter season at Bryan Park, 4308 Hermitage Road. The GrowRVA market page lists winter hours of 9 a.m. to noon from November through April. Summer hours, May through October, start at 8 a.m., so Saturday mornings at the park begin an hour later from November on. The market posts weekly vendor lists on its @RVABigMKT Facebook page.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The BCA annual meeting at Battery Park Christian Church, 4201 Brook Rd. Pizza is served at 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 5 to 8 p.m. First Wednesday Food Trucks returns to Holton, with the same PTA share.
The November meeting is where membership comes up again. Pizza, an update on the year and a room full of neighbors make an easy first BCA event for anyone who ran into the members-only rule this weekend.
Christmas on MacArthur, the association's December event on the avenue, doesn't have a 2026 date on the BCA calendar yet. Last year it was held on Saturday, December 13, 2025. The association calendar is where this year's date will show up.
What's Still Coming to 4029 MacArthur
The next change on MacArthur Avenue is a new building at 4029 MacArthur Ave. Two food tenants have signed there, and neither had announced an opening day by mid-October.
The first was Jane Dough RVA, a bakery run by Jane Lukas. Richmond BizSense reported in February that she was the building's first tenant and was aiming to open this fall. WTVR covered the signing the same day.
Timber Pizza Co. came second. Kevin Church, the local franchise owner and chef, plans to make it the brand's first Richmond storefront. RVAHub reported in May that the space would be about 2,498 square feet with roughly 50 seats, with a fall opening planned. Richmond BizSense put the target at the end of 2026. BizSense also reported that two suites in the building were still open as of May.
Both openings are still announced plans. If either one opens before Christmas on MacArthur, the December walk down the avenue will include a bakery and a 50-seat pizza place that weren't there last year.
Saturday's block party and Sunday's Monster Mash both run on neighbors and local businesses showing up for each other. That's the kind of local knowledge Option 1 Realty puts into every free market analysis for Bellevue homeowners. If the conversations on Bellevue Avenue this weekend get you wondering what your own house is worth, ask us for a free market analysis and see how much our low fixed listing fee would keep in your pocket.
