Star Party/Laser Evenings
Star Gazing
The Virginia Living Museum offers free star gazing beginning at sunset on the second Saturday of every month. Star gazing is weather dependent. Several telescopes are set up on the grounds and staff astronomers are available to help visitors identify objects in the night sky.
The evening also includes a planetarium program and several laser shows. Shows are $3 for VLM members, $6 for non-members. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.
The Wild Side Café is open on Star Party nights from 6-8:30pm.
Laser Nights
Looking for some Saturday night fun? Start with a planetarium program. Then experience a sensory extravaganza as laser shows provide music to both the eyes and ears every second Saturday of the month. The museum has an incredible state-of-the-art laser system that splashes brilliant high-color LED laser light all across the entire surface of the dome. It’s the most amazing light show you’ve ever seen! Plus, there’s music to suit every taste. Different bands are featured every month.
Cost: Members $3, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.
Saturday, September 9
Cost: Members $3 per show, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.
Purchase Tickets NowVirginia Skies
Time: 7:30pm
Explore the evening skies above Virginia in this classic planetarium presentation. A staff astronomer will discuss seasonal constellations as well as any planets visible. Additional topics may be explored depending on celestial happenings around the time of your visit.
Laser Tribute
Time: 8:30pm
David Bowie…Prince…Michael Jackson…and so many other artists takenfrom us much toosoon. Join us in the planetarium as we celebrate these titans of the music world in this awesome tribute show. Daytime shows are reduced to 30 minutes with the song selections chosen by your laserist.
Show Playlist
- Beat It by Michael Jackson
- Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix
- Neon Knights by Black Sabbath
- Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
- Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
- Imagine by John Lennon
- Space Oddity by David Bowie
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
- Break on Through by The Doors
- Let’s Go Crazy by Prince
Laser X
Time: 10:00pm
The top alternative songs of the ’90s helped usher in a major cultural shift, as serious-minded, image-free bands blew hair metal and pop off the airwaves almost overnight. Many of these bands have gone on to become the new ruling class of rock ‘n’ roll in the years, and decades, that followed. This wild show featuring music from Chris Cornell, Rage Against the Machine, White Zombie and many more.
Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.
Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.
Please be aware that volume levels during our Laser X program will be high and the imagery can be intense.
Show Playlist
- Lost by Stabbing Westward
- Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine
- Zero by Smashing Pumpkins
- Park Avenue by Girls Against Boys
- Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters
- Would by Alice in Chains
- Push It by Garbage
- Sunshower by Chris Cornell
- Guilty by Gravity Kills
- Shame by Stabbing Westward
- Block Rockin’ Beats by The Chemical Brothers
- Du Hast by Rammstein
- More Human than Human by White Zombie
Dark Side of the Moon
Time: 11:30pm
Recommended: ages 15 and above
From the very beginning of lasers, this album has represented the ultimate in laser show experiences. And it’s still true today. Join us for the seminal laser show experience with one of the most incredible albums of all time. Considered by many critics to be the album that brought the commercial breakthrough to Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon offers a mixture of psychedelic, rock and jazz sounds. Its sonic backdrops and atmospheric soundscapes combined with a unique assortment of sound effects yield an emotional resonance. When accompanied by a diverse and unusual display of laser art, the overall feel is a dramatic and haunting atmosphere.
Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.
Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.
Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.
Show Playlist
- Speak to Me
- Breathe
- On the Run
- Time
- The Great Gig in the Sky
- Money
- Us and Them
- Any Colour You Like
- Brain Damage
- Eclipse
Saturday, October 14
Cost: Members $3 per show, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.
Purchase Tickets NowVirginia Skies
Time: 7:30pm
Explore the evening skies above Virginia in this classic planetarium presentation. A staff astronomer will discuss seasonal constellations as well as any planets visible. Additional topics may be explored depending on celestial happenings around the time of your visit.
Hypnotica
Time: 8:30pm
Techno and lasers – perfect together. Join us for a body-shaking laser experience with pulsing beats, dazzling lights, and incredibly imagery. Featuring bands like The Crystal Method, Delerium, Faithless and many more.
This program is family-friendly: Inappropriate song lyrics have been eliminated or blanked.
Show Playlist
- Trip Like I Do by the Crystal Method
- Love Island by Fat Boy Slim
- Insomnia by Faithless
- Narayan by Prodigy
- Joga by Björk
- Silence by Delerium
- Music: Response by The Chemical Brothers
- Acid 8000 by Fat Boy Slim
- Comin’ Back by The Crystal Method
- Setting Sun by the Chemical Brothers
Laser Zeppelin
Time: 10:00pm
Almost a full hour of amazing rock with Led Zeppelin. See incredible laser images custom-created for awesome songs like Kashmir, No Quarter, Over the Hills and Far Away and many more. Led Zeppelin is proclaimed by many critics to be the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock, and their individualistic style reset the standards for many musical genres in the 1960s and ‘70s. Indeed, they have been hailed as one of the most successful, innovative and influential bands, alongside Pink Floyd, U2 and the Beatles. Now you can relive the magical sounds of Led Zeppelin while enjoying a visual treat of custom laser imagery.
Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.
Many of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.
Please be aware that volume levels during our Laser Zeppelin program will be high and the imagery can be intense.
Show Playlist
- Song Remains the Same
- Over the Hills and Far Away
- Good Times, Bad Times
- Immigrant Song
- No Quarter
- Black Dog
- Livin’ Lovin’ Maid
- Kashmir
- Stairway to Heaven
- Whole Lotta Love
- Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Wall
Time: 11:30pm
Recommended: ages 15 and above
The Wall is best considered as a continual story rather than a collection of individual songs. It tells the tale of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness. To the listener, and indeed many critics, The Wall is a gripping and spellbinding musical journey – beautiful, haunting, powerful and thought provoking. It is a timeless classic, and one of Pink Floyd’s best, becoming the group’s second best seller behind Dark Side of the Moon.
Now coupled with spectacular and mesmerizing laser art, Pink Floyd’s classic 1979 epic about personal struggle takes on a unique look, weaving its story in one of the most popular laser shows ever produced! Visitors will become lost and spellbound as their senses join this timeless journey.
Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.
Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.
Show Playlist
- In the Flesh
- The Thin Ice
- Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)
- The Happiest Days of Our Lives
- Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
- Mother
- Goodbye Blue Sky
- Empty Spaces
- Young Lust
- Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)
- Hey You
- Comfortably Numb
- Stop
- The Trial