VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - From formal galas and wine, food & beer festivals, to golf tournaments, volleyball and surfing competitions, over 40 annual events at the Neptune Festival support local charity partners!
This year, the 46th Annual Virginia Beach Neptune Festival’s Boardwalk Weekend will be celebrated September 27th through 29th.
The festivities began in July with the launch of Neptune Festival’s Symphony by the Sea Series. Remaining dates for this free concert series, performed Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at Neptune’s Park at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue, are August 22 (Symphonicity), and September 5 (Virginia Symphony Orchestra).
Bring a beach chair and come early, as the park fills up quickly for these popular summer concerts. For more information about these upcoming concerts, click here.
Neptune Festival’s 5th Annual Coastal Craft Beer Festival is on August 24 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Neptune’s Park, 31st Street & Atlantic Avenue, featuring over 65 beers from 30 breweries. New this year, Bold Rock and O’Connor Brewing will be showcasing the world of hard seltzers and Devil’s Backbone Adventure Van will be onsite for photo ops and exclusive tastings. Guests can enjoy live music from FOX and the BEAR, Big Forest Fire and Anthony Rosano & Conqueroos. Delicious beer accompaniments will be available to purchase from Your Pie and The Coop food trucks. Tickets, which are $35 and $40 the week of the event, include a commemorative tasting glass and tastings throughout the day. No one under 21 will be admitted. Tickets and more information can be found at this link.
Seniors will light up the dance floor for the September 4th Neptune Festival’s Senior Gala at the Virginia Beach Convention Center Ballroom. Dinner, dancing and a delicious buffet will help make the evening memorable for seniors aged 62 and older. Tickets are only $15 and tables of 10 can be reserved for $150. This event always sells out, so get your tickets early to avoid disappointment. Call (757)-498-0215 to purchase tickets or reserve a table. More information can be found here.
Neptune’s Surfing Classic is a surf showdown for surfers of all ages. Produced by the Eastern Surfing Association, this competition comes
complete with prizes. ESA membership is not required to participate. Register by September 5 at 6 p.m. and registration is $40 for the first division and $20 for each additional. Late entry/beach registration adds an additional $10 fee – on a first-come basis, if space is available in heats. All contest locations and dates are subject to weather and may change. More information can be found atthis link or register at this link.
Neptune Festival’s 23rd Annual Fall Wine Festival returns September 15 and 16 at Neptune’s Park at 31st Street & Atlantic, and will feature the best of Virginia wines. Meet the winemakers responsible for helping build the superior reputation of Virginia wines, learn about their favorites, and enjoy an afternoon of ocean breezes and live music as you sample from a selection of over 70 wines. Entertainment by The Gold Sauce and Borderline Crazy on Saturday (8/14) and Mike Proffitt Duo and BJ Griffin & Galaxy Groove on Sunday (8/15). Remaining tasting tickets for this Saturday and Sunday event range from $35 to $50, based upon purchase date, attendance date and optional premium services. Tables and chalets are currently available, but sell out quickly. Advance ticket purchase discounts are also available. Only those 21 years old and older will be admitted. Tickets and more details, including how to reserve a chalet or table, are available at this link.
The End of Summer Bay Bash is a spectacular way to celebrate the close of sizzling summer fun with endless food and beverages, exciting interactive entertainment, live music, and dancing by the water—all in support of Toby’s Dream Foundation. It happens in an exciting dance party atmosphere, Friday, September 20th, at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club, 7 p.m. -11 p.m. Tickets for this unforgettable evening are $125 and include complimentary valet service—but you better act fast. A very limited number of tickets are available for purchase and only one remaining cabana package is available. Musical entertainment by LittKeys and BJ Griffin & the Galaxy Groove. Event details, upgrade options, sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available at this link.
BOARDWALK WEEKEND
The Neptune Festival’s flagship event, the event which ECLIPSES all other festival events, is the Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend. Beginning on the last Friday of September, Virginia’s largest annual event will span over three days, from Friday, September 27 (12 p.m. - 11 p.m.), Saturday 28 (10 a.m. - 11 p.m.) and Sunday, September 29 (10 a.m. - 6 p.m.), along the Virginia Beach oceanfront boardwalk, from 2nd through 36th Streets. Friday, 12PM-11PM | Saturday,10AM
More details are available at this link.
This year, the Boardwalk Weekend will remember and honor those affected by the tragedy in Virginia Beach on May 31, 2019.
On Sunday, September 29, the VBStrong Recognition and Commemoration Ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be held to recognize the heroism of Virginia Beach's first responders and commemorate the 12 lives lost in the May 31 shooting. The event will take place at 31st Street Park from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Celebrate the Beach Life along 34 blocks of non-stop action. Highlights include the top-five nationally ranked Art & Craft Show, extending from 20th through 31st Streets and featuring the works of over 250 artists, a Volleyball Tournament, the Atlantic Sailing Regatta, an 8K Race and a Grand Parade featuring a myriad of floats, marching bands and assorted entertainment.
The signature event of the Boardwalk Weekend is theInternational Sand Sculpting Championship. Billed as one of the largest sand sculpting competitions in the world, spectators are able watch the transformation of piles of sand into works of art by 32 master sculptors from 11 countries over the course of the three-day build. This competition draws some of the best competitors from around the world.
All of this happens in King Neptune’s Land of Sand, a huge tented gallery area extending from 6th to 8th Streets. The sand masterpieces remain on exhibit until October 6th.
The "We Are VBStrong Sand Sculpture" will be displayed outside Neptune's Land of Sand at 7th Street on the beach. It will be visible and accessible from the boardwalk outside the International Sandsculpting Championship tent, and will stand from Friday, September 27 to Sunday, October 6.
Admission is $5 to the Land of Sand and includes a discount lunch coupon. Children 12 and under are admitted free with an accompanying paying adult. The gallery accommodates strollers and wheelchairs, but animals will not be allowed.
An employee appreciation day will be held Thursday, October 4 for all City of Virginia Beach employees. City employees, plus one guest, are invited to experience the International Sandsculpting Championship tent free of charge by showing their City Employee ID.
The Grand Parade goes from 16th -32nd Streets on Atlantic Avenue on Saturday, September 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The International Sand Sculpting Championship takes place at 6th-8th Streets, entrance at 7th Street on Friday (9/27) & Saturday (9/28), from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday (9/29) from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., as well as Monday through Wednesday, September 30 - October 2, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
A free sand sculpting clinic will be held at 6th Street at the Beach on Saturday (9/29) at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m., as well as Sunday at 10 a.m. Everything is provided. Arrive before class times to participate because space is limited.
The Big Music Lineup for the Big Weekend comes from the nonstop daily outdoor music concerts at 31st, 24th and 17th Street stages featuring both local and national band. Highlights include UB40, The Psychedelic Furs, Rebirth Brass Band, Anders Osborne and Skip Castro Band. See a complete lineup, including stage venue and performance times, at this link.
For more information about any of these events listed above, click here.
