WATCH: Richmond Mayor Avula hosts his first-ever State of the City

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond Mayor Danny Avula hosted his first-ever State of the City address on Wednesday. The event centered around both his inaugural year in office and his plans for the future.

Avula's 2026 State of the City began shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. For the first time ever, city leaders chose to host this event at a Richmond community center -- that being the Southside Community Center.

The event featured comments from Avula, but also several city leaders and community members. Through a mixture of speeches, videos and fireside chats, they reflected on what Richmond has experienced in the past year and laid out their vision for the next.

You can watch the 2026 State of the City in full -- save a few portions where connection issues caused brief sections of the stream to be lost -- below.

2025 was a busy year for Richmond -- and certainly a bit chaotic. Within just days of his inauguration, Avula was tasked with leading the city through a catastrophic water crisis.

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Not only did Avula inherit crumbling infrastructure, but he also became responsible for multiple city departments in disarray and a significant backlog of audit recommendations.

Avula has repeatedly emphasized that making Richmond a better place is his top priority. In October 2025, he shared his Mayoral Action Plan -- a 25-page document spelling out how he plans to deliver on that promise.

Notably, Wednesday's event comes as city officials weigh Avula's proposed budget for the next fiscal year.