Richmond's Byrd Theatre hosts The Big LeBYRDski Fest: Costume contest, El Duderino brew

RICHMOND - You're invited to celebrate all things "Dude" at The Big LeBYRDski Fest this Saturday in Carytown. The fundraiser pays homage to the classic 1998 cult film "The Big Lebowski" written and directed by the Coen brothers Ethan and Joel.

Dress as your favorite character and compete in the costume contest at 8:00 p.m.

Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire. "The Dude" finds himself dragged into a strange series of events involving nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes, and large sums of money.

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The movie stars Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, the late David Huddleston, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Sam Elliott, the late Ben Gazzara, and Kiva Dawson.

El Duderino brew

Your $20 ticket includes the Rated R movie in 35mm and also an El Duderino brew crafted by the Center of the University Brewing Co. [COTU] of Ashland owned by Chris and Phil Ray.

The Ray brothers' White Russian Milk Stout was inspired by slackers, sweaters, eccentric friends, and exotic drinks. The decadent White Russian milk pours midnight black and is capped with a tan pillowy head. Eight different malts and whole vanilla beans create flavors of chocolate and espresso, offering a perfect way to mellow out after a rough set on the lanes.

All proceeds from the event sponsored by COTU support the Byrd Theatre. If you're interested in volunteering during the event, send an email to info@byrdtheatre.org.

Cool t-shirts will be available for purchase while supplies last.

"One of the best comedies out there. This has some hilarious scenes and great actors," Aaron Walsh reviewed "The Big Lebowski" on Google one year ago. "It can be slow at times, but I quite enjoyed this film. And, the soundtrack is amazing with Bob Dylan, CCR & The Eagles! Love it!"

"This movie is a classic, therefore it deserves to be highly praised. The Coen brothers provided a movie that would eventually become a cult following. It is so addictive to watch," Shauryaa Singh Parihar reviewed "The Big Lebowski" on Google two years ago. "I can easily remember the lines said by the characters in this film. People may say 'Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man,' but, like it or not, it is funny as hell."

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The Byrd Theatre is located at 2908 W. Cary Street in Richmond. It was designated a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1977 and a National Historic Landmark in 1980.

Visit byrdtheatre.org to purchase The Big LeBYRDski Fest tickets from Eventbrite. The doors open at 7:30 p.m., and "The Big Lebowski" screening begins at 8:30 p.m.

- Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: RVA's historic Byrd Theatre in Carytown hosts The Big LeBYRDski Fest