Striking a balance
Virginia Beach takes a thoughtful approach to festival management
As Hampton Roads slogs through a dreary week of March weather, residents can take comfort in knowing the warm summer sun will be here soon enough and, with it, the start of another season of festivals at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Events in the resort district generate a tidy sum for the city and area businesses, but last year also saw residents in that area express concern about beach access before and after the large gatherings. If a task force assembled to prepare for another busy year can successfully strike a balance between the two, it should make for a better experience for residents and visitors alike.
Organizers of Point Break, a new reggae festival, announced the headliners this week for their event taking place June 1-2. A main stage will be located near 3rd Street with a smaller stage between 4th and 5th streets for 25 artists to perform.
Further up the beach that same weekend, the city will also host the return of the Jackalope festival, which features athletes competing in and demonstrating action sports, such as skateboarding, BASE jumping and bouldering. The 2023 Jackalope drew about 10,000 people to the Oceanfront, though lousy weather likely dampened the turnout.
Scheduling two festivals on one weekend speaks to the crowded calendar in Virginia Beach. Beginning in April with the Bulls and Barrels Beach Rodeo, the city has numerous events scheduled and more still to be announced, including the return of the Something in the Water music festival that will move from April to October this year.
It’s a welcome problem to have for the resort city, which depends heavily on tourism and hospitality to drive the economy. Full hotels and bustling restaurants put money in the pockets of thousands of workers, hundreds of businesses and city coffers as well.
These events also benefit Virginia Beach’s reputation and that of the larger region, highlighting that this is a place that rolls out the welcome mat for guests to come and enjoy all that Hampton Roads has to offer. The 2019 Something in the Water festival, for example, put a national spotlight on the city and showcased the many talented artists who hail from the 757, which is invaluable.
Of course, there is a cost to all of this. In a report to the City Council in February, a consultant hired by the city found that Virginia Beach’s investment of $4.2 million to support eight spring and summer festivals in 2023 generated between $5.4 million and $6 million in tax revenue for the city. The overall economic impact was between $93 million and $105 million.
Some events performed better than others, and the city wasn’t exactly evenhanded in how it doled out public funds. To address that, the council in December formed a 90-day task force to streamline that process and develop criteria for evaluating festivals to ensure the best use of city funding. It held its third of five meetings on Thursday.
That’s a smart approach and should soothe any resident concerns that city officials are throwing money at festival organizers and hoping for the best. It’s important to guard against festival fatigue and make certain that each event on the calendar is scheduled and supported thoughtfully and effectively.
The city must also address a concern raised last year by residents of the resort area, who complained that the lengthy set-up and tear-down of these massive undertakings resulted in weeks of limited beach access in the Rudee Loop area. Officials believe they can find ways to expedite the work and keep the beach open to locals who, after all, help foot the bill for all of this.
The success of these ventures means a great deal to both the city and the region, so there is pressure to get this right. But Virginia Beach seems to be sound in its approach, lending hope that this will be another exciting summer at the Oceanfront.