Happy Taste of Downtown Month! This March, we’re celebrating the food and restaurants of Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia’s first culinary district. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance will be presenting several events and promotions happening during Taste of Downtown, but our amazing downtown establishments will also be hosting their own events throughout the month! This means there will be a ton of events making their way to Downtown Harrisonburg, so we wanted to let you know what to expect this Taste of Downtown Month!
New This Taste of Downtown Month
Making Connections over Food
Taste of Downtown Month is all about food and we all know that food is one of the best ways to build connections with family, friends, or strangers. So, this year we wanted to create events with the sole purpose of uniting different communities over the great food we have here in Downtown Harrisonburg. This has led to the creation of Lunch Together and Harrisonburg Meet Ups.
Lunch Together
Lunch Together was created with our 60+ residents in mind. In order to combat the loneliness epidemic taking over the United States and help our older Harrisonburg residents get out and meet new people, we created Lunch Together. Throughout March, residents will have the opportunity to attend 10 activities throughout Downtown Harrisonburg and 10 lunch outings following the activities. It will be a great way to try or learn something new, while also enjoying the great food and company surrounding you.
Harrisonburg Meet Ups
Harrisonburg Meet Up was designed with all our residents in mind. Every week in March, we’ll be hosting meet ups at different downtown restaurants with the hopes that you’ll be able to meet new people, build connections, and enjoy great food!
Self-Guided Cocktail Tours
We’ve introduced two new self-guided cocktail tours for this Taste of Downtown Month, the Storied Cocktail Tour and the Bloody Mary Bash.
Storied Cocktail Tour of Liberty Street
Five downtown establishments are participating in the Storied Cocktail Tour of Liberty Street. They’ve all created cocktails inspired by their business’ history and if you complete the tour by purchasing each storied cocktail, you’ll be able to get 50% off your next drink at each business!
Bloody Mary Bash
18 downtown establishments are participating in the Bloody Mary Bash. They’ve all created their own unique version of the cocktail, so be sure to try them all to see which one you like best!
Taste of Downtown Events
Downtown Happy Hour
Downtown Happy Hour will be taking place on Friday, March 7 from 6-9pm at The Loft at Liberty Street. 30+ Downtown Harrisonburg establishments will be setting shop at The Loft to provide you a wide selection of food, drinks, and desserts! Tickets are still available for purchase!
Latte Art Throwdown
Calling all baristas! Broad Porch Coffee will be hosting the Latte Art Throwdown, an annual event to compete against the home or pro baristas of the Friendly City. Come out to watch the competition on Saturday, March 8, or if you’ve got some latte art skills, enter the competition! Prizes will be given to 1st-3rd place winners.
Make-Your-Own Charcuterie Board Workshop
Towards the end of Taste of Downtown Month, HDR will be hosting a Make-Your-Own Charcuterie Board Workshop! We’ll be partnering with several Harrisonburg businesses and organizations to give attendees an amazing experience that will result in them being able to take home something that can be used for years to come! While tickets are currently sold out, you can join the waitlist.
Events All Month Long!
There will be a ton of more events happening throughout the month. Restaurant’s like Pale Fire and Sage Bird are hosting weekend brunches for the entire month, several restaurants will continue having live performances in-house while you can enjoy your meals, you’ll be able to enjoy new beer releases and coffee tastings, and so much more! Click the link below to see a list of everything happening this Taste of Downtown Month and make sure to head to the Taste of Downtown Month calendar to see it all laid out!
Perks of Taste of Downtown Month
Dining Guide
Our 2025 Taste of Downtown is all you need to learn more about our Downtown Harrisonburg culinary businesses and the mouth-watering food they have to offer. The guide will be available online and in person at the Harrisonburg Visitors Center and other tourism partners starting March 5!
Promotions
In a celebratory month of downtown food, of course our businesses wanted to make it easier for you to come out and try all the amazing food and drinks of Downtown Harrisonburg! There will be plenty of promotions this month on both food and drinks, so take advantage of them and make your way downtown!
Food Content
We’ll also be posting Taste of Downtown Content throughout March, including exclusive interviews with downtown business owners, food highlights, and event spotlights. Be sure to follow HDR on our Facebook and Instagram to see this content! You can also join the Eat Local Harrisonburg & Rockingham County Facebook Group to interact with foodies like yourself and stay up to date on events and promotions!
Non-HDR Ways to Celebrate Taste of Downtown Month
Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail
You can visit the Beerwerks Trail this month. There are 20 breweries across the Shenandoah Valley that are included in the Beerwerks Trail, six of which are located in Harrisonburg! If you’re feeling adventurous, you can get a Beerwerks Trail passport from any participating brewery or visitor’s center, visit eight participating breweries (get them to stamp your passport), and get a t-shirt for filling your passport!
Harrisonburg Coffee Trail
You can also try your hand in Harrisonburg Tourism’s Coffee Tour. There are so many amazing coffee shops in Harrisonburg, and Harrisonburg Tourism created their own coffee tour and passport to get you to visit them all. You can download your passport online and if you visit all the shops, you can get a free travel mug (while supplies last)!
We are so excited to celebrate another Taste of Downtown Month with you all and we hope to see you at one of the many events happening this month!
Taste of Downtown Month would not be possible without the generous support from sponsors Eugene Stoltzfus Architects, Sysco, Trobaugh Group Realtors, Edson Forest School, iHeartMedia, Pendleton Community Bank, Blakemore’s Flowers, The Loft at Liberty St., LDDBlueline, Mint Construction, LD&B, and Larson Wealth Management.