General ticket sales start online and at select sales locations, typically at the beginning of May. Tickets will be available at sales locations and online during the raffle season which goes through the end of July.

Past ticketholders are invited to purchase their tickets early during an exclusive online presale at the end of April. All presale tickets will automatically be entered into an exclusive drawing for $1,000 and five free tickets. Ticketholders will receive an email with the exclusive link.

We will update this webpage with all of the upcoming dates after our charitable gaming permit is approved.

No! You do not need to live in Harrisonburg, or even Virginia, to enter the Friendly City Fortune raffle! Tickets can be purchased online from anywhere in the United States here.

Proceeds from the Friendly City Fortune go towards HDR's mission to build Downtown Harrisonburg as a destination where businesses thrive and people enjoy memorable experiences. Here is some of what past raffle proceeds have helped fund:

• Small Business Assistance - We fund our Bricks & Clicks grant program with raffle proceeds to help small businesses with building improvements, signage, marketing and advertising, and more. Past recipients include:

• Beautification Projects - we strive to make downtown a beautiful space with public art and other enhancements such as:

  • Language of Love sculpture - we funded this art installation near the Turner Pavilion to serve as a piece of art that could be beautiful and functional. We love seeing people meeting up for coffee sitting on it and children climbing on it during Farmers Market days.

  • Northern Gateway Installation - we contributed funds towards “The Beacon” art sculpture on the north end of downtown to make it a welcoming gateway into the downtown district.

  • Outdoor Community Space at the Harrisonburg Innovation Hub - we worked with JMU architecture studio students to design a public space that is welcoming for community members and coworking space members alike that will be constructed in 2026.

• Festivals & Events - we produce several large-scale festivals that bring the community together and attract visitors. We also host a summer concert series with fireworks for Independence Day Fireworks (which are also partially paid for by the raffle).

• Showcasing Downtown Harrisonburg - from our holiday and dining guides to weekend social media posts and other paid advertisements, we use raffle proceeds to share all the things we love about downtown with new customers and visitors and residents so people know what is going on and what is here.

What are we looking to fund this year? Here are some of the projects that are on the horizon:

• Even more downtown mural art to reflect downtown's vibrant culture

• Implementing an accessible downtown initiative to make downtown more welcoming to people with disabilities

• Updated light pole banners project featuring duck designs from local students

It's simple! If you buy your Friendly City Fortune raffle ticket by midnight the night before the Early Bird drawing date, you will be entered to win cash and additional raffle tickets in a bonus prize drawing.

For example, if you purchase a ticket by 11:59 PM on May 15, you will be entered into the Early Bird drawings on May 16, June 20 and July 11 and the main raffle on July 26. Plus, every ticket has TWO different numbers that could be called, doubling your chance to win! Early bird dates for the current year will be posted on this website after HDR receives its charitable gaming permit.

If you win an Early Bird prize, your ticket number is still eligible for other Early Birds and the main raffle at the end of July, plus you will have additional entries into the raffle.

Early bird drawings will be held at 217 S Liberty St. #204, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 and livestreamed at fb.com/downtownharrisonburg. You do not need to be present to win.

We send presale emails in April. If you bought a ticket for a past Friendly City Fortune raffle, we will send this email to the address on file that is associated with your ticket purchase. If you can’t find it, please check your junk or spam folder. You can also search for our emails by looking for “tickets@friendlycityfortune.com.” If you still cannot find your link, please email downtownharrisonburg@gmail.com with your first and last name and email address that you used to purchase your tickets in the past so that we can verify your purchase and resend the link.

Your two raffle ticket numbers are located at the bottom right-hand corner of the front page of your ticket below the prize list. Online ticket purchasers will be able to download a PDF of their ticket on the confirmation page and in the confirmation email.