VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Officially kicking off Friday, the 26th Annual Chartway Federal Credit Union American Music Festival at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront is underway!
A day earlier, you could see the stages going up near 4th Street in Virginia Beach.
Big names for the festival include Lee Brice, 311, Live and Dashboard Confessional.
All different types of music started on Thursday.
News 3 met up with a man who has been in charge of creating the stage for the past several years. Jake Smolenak works for Mountain Production as a stage consultant.
He travels the world for his job and says he loves the people in Virginia Beach.
"We keep contact, so they've become friends over the years. For me, it’s more about coming and seeing all them," he said.
He said the biggest challenge is setting up the stage on the sand.
Click here for our full coverage on the Something in the Water Festival.
Headline concerts on the 5th Street Beach Main Stage are:
Friday, Aug. 30
- Lee Brice
- William Michael Morgan
- Tenille Arts
The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and gates open at 5 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 31
- 311
- Nashville’s Moon Taxi
- Buddha Council
The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and gates open at 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 1
- Live
- Dashboard Confessional
- The Chong Band
The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and gates open at 5 p.m.
Other stages and bands are:
Thursday, Aug. 29
31st Street Free Stage
- Cracker
- Camper Van Beethoven
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 30
17th Street Free Stage
- The Fuzz Band
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
24th Street Free Stage
- Larkin Poe
- Fox and the Bear
- Roy Moats and the Moat Dogs
- Bobby “Blackhat” Walters
The show begins at 3:30 p.m., and gates open at 2:30 p.m
31st Street Free Stage
- Pain In The Yeahs
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 31
17th Street Free Stage
- The Blind Boys Of Alabama
- Roebuck
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
24th Street Free Stage
- The Last Bison
- Paper Aliens
- mOcean
The show begins at 3:30 p.m., and gates open at 2:30 p.m.
31st Street Free Stage
- Freedom Hawk
The show begins at 9:15 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 1
17th Street Free Stage
- Brasswind
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
24th Street Free Stage
- Parmalee
- Revelry
- Backwoods Company
- Runnin’ Shine
The show begins at 3:30 p.m., and gates open at 2:30 p.m.
31st Street Free Stage
- Guava Jam
The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 2
31st Street Free Stage
- Vertical Horizon
- Turncoat Syndicate
The show begins at 3 p.m., and gates open at 2 p.m.
Festival admission is free to 17th Street Stage, 24th Street Stage and 31st Street Stage. 5th Street Beach Main Stage admission prices are:
General Admission 3-day Pass
- $25 early bird
- $50 available until August 25
- $75 beginning August 26
The General Admission 3-day pass is available at ticketmaster.com. Service fees apply. GA 3-day passes are also available with cash or check only at Virginia Beach Visitor Information Center, 2100 Parks Avenue, Virginia Beach (757-385-7873) daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Service fee applies. GA 3-day Passes are available on Friday and Saturday at the 6th Street Box Office.
General Admission Daily Ticket
- $25 in advance until August 25
- $30 beginning August 26 until day of show
- $40 day of show
Preferred Viewing Ticket upgrade
- Special standing-room-only viewing area in front of the stage (no chairs allowed)
- Access to preferred area port-a-johns
- Access to preferred area beer and wine concession (cash bar)
- Limited number of Preferred Viewing tickets are available and may sell out
Preferred Viewing 3-day Pass
- $100 early bird
- $125 until August 25
- $150 beginning August 26 until day of show
The Preferred Viewing 3-day pass is available in advance exclusively at ticketmaster.com. Service fees apply. Preferred Viewing 3-day Passes are available on Friday and Saturday at the 6th Street Box Office.
Preferred Viewing daily ticket
- $50 early bird
- $60 until August 25
- $75 beginning August 26 until day of show
- $75 day of show
VIP ticket upgrade amenities include:
- Special standing room-only viewing area in front of the stage (no chairs allowed)
- Back of House Access to VIP area with shade tents, seating and video screen with live feed of 5th Street Stage
- Upgraded bar menu with two drink tickets per day (cash bar)
- Heavy hors d’oeuvres
- Limited number of VIP tickets are available and may sell out
VIP 3-day Pass
- $250 early bird
- $300 in advance until August 25
- $350 beginning August 26 until day of show
- VIP 3-day pass is available exclusively at ticketmaster.com. Service fees apply.
VIP daily ticket
- $100 early bird
- $150 in advance until August 25
- $200 beginning August 26 until day of show
- $200 day of show
Preferred Viewing Daily Ticket is available in advance exclusively at ticketmaster.com. Service fees apply. Preferred Viewing Daily Tickets are available on the day of the performance exclusively at the 6th Street Box Office.
The 5th Street Beach Main Stage gate opens at 5 p.m. Free shows in the 17th Street and 31st Street Park gates open at 6:30 p.m., except Monday at 2 p.m. Free shows in the 24th Street Park gates open at 2:30 p.m..
The American Music Festival is held outdoors rain or shine. The festival may be suspended or postponed due to severe weather or in case of severe weather forecast.
