What 15,137 Williamsburg Locals Actually Want: The Full Survey Breakdown (And How Local Businesses Can Capitalize)

When people subscribe to our newsletter, we ask them to take a free, quick survey. We want to get to know them better and better understand the types of events, news and services they’re interested in. As part of the survey, we have a question that asks, “What types of events would you like to see more of in the Williamsburg area?”

One simple question, and we’ve had over 15,000 locals answer in their own words. We read every single response, sorted them into categories, and decided to publish the results.

One category didn’t just win. It beat every other request combined. And underneath the ranked list sits a second, quieter finding that matters even more for local business owners than the leaderboard itself.

Here’s the full breakdown, what it means, and, for every category, a concrete way local businesses can act on it. (New here? Start with our guide to everything happening in Williamsburg for context on what we do.)

The Full Ranked List

Now let’s go category by category: what people actually said, and what you can do with it.

1. Live Music / Concerts, 8,098 mentions (53.5%)

What the data shows: This is the single clearest signal in the entire dataset. More than half of every categorized answer named live music, with no prompting. Responses ranged from one word answers (“Music,” “Live music”) to specific formats: music in the park, nightly live music, and music paired with food trucks or art. No other category comes close, and it isn’t a close second, either. Live music alone outpaces the next seven categories combined.

It’s worth saying plainly: Williamsburg already has real anchors here. The Williamsburg Farmers Market runs a live music series most Saturday mornings, Colonial Williamsburg hosts touring acts on the lawn of the Art Museums each summer through its Williamsburg Live series, and venues like the Kimball Theatre in Merchants Square and Chickahominy Riverfront Park already draw crowds for concerts. That’s good news, not bad news. It means locals are primed and already have a habit of showing up for live music, which makes it easier, not harder, for a smaller business to add its own recurring slot into that existing appetite.

My take as a marketer: As a marketer of 13 years myself, I think the biggest opportunity here is partnerships and recurring content series. You don’t have to be a music business to capitalize on this demand. Find a natural connection between what people want, more live music, and what your business does. Partner with local musicians, venues, restaurants, breweries or other businesses to create content that introduces your brand to new audiences while supporting the local music scene. Done consistently, you’re not just getting views; you’re building brand recognition around something Williamsburg residents already told us they want more of.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• If you run a restaurant, bar, brewery, or retail space with any outdoor or patio area, a recurring weekly or biweekly live music slot is the single highest leverage event you could add to your calendar right now. The demand is already proven.
• Partner with local musicians for a rotating residency instead of one off bookings. It builds a repeat audience and gives you content for weekly social posts.
• Pair live music with another category from this list (food trucks, markets, seasonal events). Several respondents specifically asked for combinations like “music in the park with food trucks.”
• If you can’t host music yourself, sponsor a stage or a set at an existing local event. The brand association with the #1 most requested category is worth more than a standalone ad buy. Browse what’s already on the calendar to find an event worth partnering with before booking your own.
• Host a talent show

Content Ideas

• Meet the musician series (Before each performance film a short video getting to know them. Post this a few days before the set. This is a great FREE way to get attention, drive curiosity and play into the thing locals already want, more local music!)
• Local musicians you need to meet. (Create an ongoing series introducing musicians even if they work with you or not)
• How well do you know our local artists series (Create a weekly video series testing the audience on how well they know the bands and solo artists)
• Artist takeovers

2. Arts, Theater & History, 2,633 mentions (17.4%)

What the data shows: This category blends three related but distinct threads: live theater and plays, general art, and history (historical reenactments, walking tours, and requests for “things that used to be here”). Look, we live in a place with tons of history, art and a few theater productions, and Colonial Williamsburg does a good job, but there’s a huge opportunity to capitalize on this on the local scene. It’s clearly something people aren’t tired of, however, they are looking for a new spin on it. I’ve added a few ideas below, but honestly, there are hundreds of great events and content ideas to go after here. Lean into the area we live in and locals will love it.

My take as a marketer: This category opens up a lot more creative possibilities than simply sponsoring an event. Use Williamsburg itself as your content. Tell the stories behind the places, people, artists and businesses that make the area unique, then find a way to connect that story back to your brand. A good local story can give you a reason to collaborate, create video, start a recurring series, or bring people through your doors while making your business feel more connected to the community.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• Create a Williamsburg history game night with tickets, food, and prizes donating to a local charity
• For businesses in the food industry, look to partner with a local theater or entertainment group, like the Williamsburg Players, to host a ticketed dinner and show.
• Host a ticketed murder mystery dinner around real colonial Williamsburg history
• Dinner through the years, Williamsburg style (learn about each time period while being served dinner from that time period)
• Sponsor a local production already planned. You can find events like this in our events calendar.
• A themed evening (art walk, gallery opening, history happy hour) gives you a natural tie in that a generic promotion doesn’t have.
• If there’s a discontinued local tradition your business could reasonably revive, reviving it is a built in press and social story, not just an event.

Content Ideas

• Create a Williamsburg then vs now series
• Create a hidden gems of Williamsburg
• Drive through Williamsburg History series
• A made in Williamsburg series
• The story behind the brand/house/business (we do this and it always does well)
• Behind the artist series
• Forgotten Williamsburg Restaurants
• The burg night out (Curate date night ideas. If you’re a restaurant, partner with a local artist, museum, historian, or entertainment venue)
• Strange Virginia Laws in the 1700s and 1800s (Law Firms)
• How Williamsburg locals used to… in the colonial period. (Roofing company = build their roofs, electrician = first used electricity, HVAC = they first used HVAC)

3. Kids & Family Events, 2,119 mentions (14.0%)

What the data shows: Mostly short, direct asks, “kid friendly,” “family events,” “family fun,” plus a smaller number of more specific requests, including neurodivergent friendly family events and kid specific 5Ks and parades. The specificity of those requests matters: parents aren’t just asking for more events, they’re asking for options that don’t currently exist.

My take: In my opinion, this is one of the easiest and clearest opportunities from the survey. Parents are telling you exactly what they’re looking for. Don’t treat “family friendly” as a slap on a generic label. Look for specific gaps people mentioned (sensory friendly, earlier in the day, designed for a specific age). Make it incredibly easy for parents to come.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• A recurring “family hour” (early evening or weekend morning, lower noise, kid friendly menu or activity) is low cost to add to an existing business and taps a segment that’s currently underserved by name.
• The neurodivergent friendly request is a real gap, not a fringe ask. A single sensory friendly event (dimmed lights, lower volume, quiet space) can generate outsized loyalty and word of mouth in a tight knit local audience, precisely because almost no one else is doing it.
• Partner with schools, daycares, or parent groups to co-host rather than build a family events audience from scratch. If you’re new to town or recently opened, it’s worth a look at the 21 new Williamsburg businesses we rounded up this year. Several are already leaning into the family friendly gap this data points to.
• Create a “kids try it” series. Give kids a chance to try something they normally wouldn’t have access to. (The ideas are endless here, do something cool related to your business and get the parents in front of your brand)

Content Ideas
Before doing any content with children, make sure you get parental consent or don’t show their faces.

• Kid tested series, have local kids try your product or service and get their honest feedback. Could make hilarious and heartwarming content.
• Show content around how your business is family friendly
• If I had a ___ year old, here’s how I would come to my restaurant
• Parents, do you know?
• Local family spotlight
• 5 ways parents with young kids can…
• BONUS: If you can partner with another business to create an event and content around adults participating in kids activities, that would work really well. Ex: Adult tricycle race, go cart tournament, putt putt for charity, obstacle course, field day, etc.

4. Food Trucks & Food/Drink Events, 1,014 mentions (6.7%)

What the data shows:Wine tastings, beer festivals, food truck meetups, food crawls, and walking food tours. This category overlaps heavily with #1. Several respondents mentioned food trucks and music in the same sentence, suggesting these aren’t competing categories but a preferred combination.

My take: This is a great category for businesses because people aren’t just asking for more places to eat, they’re asking for more reasons to eat and drink somewhere. The opportunity is to turn food and drink into an EXPERIENCE rather than simply promoting a menu. For restaurants, breweries, wineries and retailers, that could mean collaborations, themed experiences or recurring events that give customers a reason to come back and bring friends.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• Don’t treat this as a standalone event type. Pair it with live music (see #1) to hit two of the top four requests in a single event.
• Create a progressive food experience. Partner with several nearby businesses and have customers visit each location for a different course, drink or specialty item. It turns several businesses into one night out.
• Create limited-time collaborations. A restaurant could partner with a local brewery, food truck, bakery or coffee shop to create something that customers can only get for a limited time. The scarcity gives people a reason to make the trip.
• Create ongoing partnerships. Service based businesses could hold large giveaways with multiple food vendors or gift each large customer with a special gift card to their favorite restaurant.
• Think completely outside of the box
  
  • Food truck olympics
  • The great Williamsburg food race: teams solve clues around town and compete in food challenges to win prizes
  • 100 person dinner party

Content Ideas

• Behind the dish
• What should you order
• Best ___ in town
• Seasonal food highlights
• What to order if you only have $10

5. Seasonal & Cultural Festivals, 575 mentions (3.8%)

What the data shows: Named, themed festivals, a Renaissance Festival, a Celtic festival, a “Cran festival,” a Christmas parade, plus one notable, specific request: a Memorial Day tribute event to match the town’s existing July 4th and Christmas lighting traditions.

Colonial Williamsburg’s own Grand Illumination and The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade is proof this town already shows up in force for a well-branded seasonal tradition. There’s real appetite for the same treatment applied to a holiday or theme that isn’t already spoken for.

My take: This category is less about creating another giant festival and more about giving people a reason to celebrate something together. The most interesting opportunities are the highly specific ones that don’t already have a crowded calendar around them. A business doesn’t need to organize a 10,000-person festival either. A themed event with a strong identity can start small, create a tradition, and grow every year. The goal should be to create something people start asking for by name.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• The Memorial Day opportunity: Create a Memorial Day event that feels distinctly Williamsburg, live music, local food, veterans’ stories, a tribute ceremony and family activities.
• Renaissance Weekend: Partner with local restaurants, breweries, artists and performers for a weekend of costumes, period food, music, games and demonstrations.
• Celtic Festival: Pipe bands, Irish/Celtic dancers, food, local vendors, whiskey/beer tastings, athletic competitions and live music.
• Harvest Festival: Partner with farms, breweries, restaurants and family businesses for pumpkin activities, hayrides, local food, live music and seasonal vendors.
• Cranberry Festival: Take one quirky idea and go all-in. Cranberry foods, drinks, desserts, competitions and a “best cranberry creation” contest.
• Small Business Holiday Festival: Instead of competing with existing Christmas events, create a shopping-focused event with local businesses, food, music, Santa and activities.
• “Williamsburg Through the Decades” Festival: Each area represents a different era of Williamsburg, with period music, food, clothing, games and activities.
• Cultural Heritage Festival: Give local communities a platform to showcase their food, music, dance, art and traditions.
• Seasonal Night Market: A smaller, repeatable version of a festival that can happen around Halloween, Christmas, spring, summer, etc.
• “One Weird Thing” Festival: Build an entire event around something uniquely local or unusual. The more specific and memorable the theme, the easier it is to market.

Content Ideas

The biggest takeaway here is to create something that becomes a tradition.

• Build the festival with us
• How it’s made
• The story behind the festival
• Know before you go
• Local business festival collaborations

6. Farmers & Craft Markets, 469 mentions (3.1%)

What the data shows: A straightforward, low-ambiguity category: requests for farmers markets, vendor fairs, craft shows, and “market days.” Unlike some of the broader categories, people were very specific about wanting places to discover and buy from local makers, farmers and small businesses.

The Williamsburg Farmers Market, running Saturdays on Duke of Gloucester Street since 2002, is the benchmark here and proof the format already works at scale in this town.

My take: We have plenty of farmers markets. If I were you, I’d find ways to partner with the individual vendors, either for content or products. Vendor markets and market days, on the other hand, would be something I’d stand up near your place of business.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• Start a recurring vendor/market day. Add live music and food trucks to drive more attendance.
• Create a made in Williamsburg market
• Host a young entrepreneurs market. Give teenagers and kids an opportunity to sell local goods.
• Host a night market. Give it a theme and partner with local businesses that align with the theme.

Content Ideas

• What did we find? (Similar to Gary Vee’s series where he goes to local garage sales)
• Market finds under $20
• Building X from the items we bought at the vendor market
• 5 local vendors at the Williamsburg Farmers Market you have to try

7. Fitness & Sports Events, 121 mentions (0.8%)

What the data shows: The requests here centered on 5Ks, bike rides, yoga, outdoor workouts, and obstacle-course-style events like Tough Mudder.

Groups like Colonial Road Runners and the weekly DoG Street Pub Run Club already have an active, built-in following for group fitness in this town, so partnering into an existing race or run club can be faster than building a fitness audience from zero.

My take: This isn’t a huge demand signal, but it could be a low-competition opportunity for businesses willing to own a niche. And while fitness itself ranked low, the repeated mention of outdoor events is worth paying attention to. Businesses should consider how they can take existing activities outside and make them more social and community-focused.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• Start a walking club
• Create a try a sport event, partner with the YMCA
• Start a race or competition and tie in food trucks, music, etc.
• Create a themed competition
• Host a family fitness day

Content Ideas

• Competition series: Can you beat this
• Who’s the fastest/strongest in the burg
• 30 day challenge

 

8. Weeknight Nightlife, 105 mentions (0.7%)

What the data shows: The smallest category by mention count, trivia, karaoke, dancing, “girls night out,” but the most specific complaint in the entire dataset: “Everything seems to occur Thursday through Saturday.” This is a scheduling gap respondents identified themselves, not a guess on our part.

Worth noting: trivia specifically is already fairly well covered on weeknights, spots like  Alewerks, and Precarious Beer Project each run their own weekly trivia night. That’s actually useful information, it means the real opening isn’t “add more trivia,” it’s a different early-week format (karaoke, dancing, a themed social night) or a night these spots haven’t claimed yet.

My take: The biggest opportunity here isn’t necessarily more nightlife, it’s giving people something to do when there’s normally nothing going on. The “everything seems to happen Thursday through Saturday” comment is especially important. A business that owns a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night, with a format that isn’t already spoken for, could quickly become the place people associate with that night of the week. Consistency matters more than making it a huge event.

How to capitalize:

Creating/Sponsoring Events

• Low mention count, high signal: bars and restaurants that are quiet Monday through Wednesday have a near empty competitive field if they add a weeknight event that isn’t just another trivia night.
• Because almost no one is currently serving karaoke or dance-night formats early in the week, the bar to stand out is low. You don’t need a large budget, just a consistent weekly slot people can plan around.
• This pairs well with the “outdoors” preference noted above. An early week rooftop or patio night, weather permitting, differentiates you further from the Thursday through Saturday crowd.
• Start a club that meets during the weeknight

Content Ideas

• Your Williamsburg weeknight survival guide
• Midweek challenge
• Behind the scenes
• Karaoke challenge and highlights
• Club highlights

The Bigger Gap Underneath the List

Beyond the eight categories, one theme kept surfacing across open ended answers that isn’t captured by a single event type: people want more ways to meet other people and build community, not just attend events, but connect at them. It shows up in requests for family events, in nightlife comments about “going out,” and repeatedly outside this survey question entirely, in newsletter replies and social comments.

This is a real opportunity for local businesses, not just event organizers. Recurring, low friction social formats, dinner clubs, rec leagues, mentor meetups, singles nights, parent groups, empty nester meetups, solve a problem that no single event category on this list fully addresses on its own. A business that builds a recurring “come meet people” format around any category above (a live music trivia night, a recurring market meetup, a themed dinner series) is solving two problems with one event.

Where This Leaves You

If you take one thing from this data, take this: live music is not a nice to have, it’s the clearest demand signal Williamsburg locals have given us in one place. Everything below it on the list is a smaller but real opportunity, and several of them (weeknight nightlife, fitness/sports, the Memorial Day gap) are genuinely low competition because almost no one is filling them yet.

Have an event that fits one of these categories? Submit it free and we’ll help get it in front of Williamsburg locals. Or if you’d rather have us help you plan and promote it directly, or you want help with content, see how partnering with The Early Burg works.

Looking for a local business to partner with on any of the ideas above? Check our recommended businesses directory, or read why our recommended businesses section works differently than a typical directory.