The sounds of rock, jazz, country, blues, R&B, and more flood the Virginia Beach oceanfront for three sun-filled days over Labor Day Weekend at the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival.  The largest outdoor music event on the East coast, the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival brings together local, regional, and national acts to play on a gigantic 60-foot wide and 60-foot tall stage on the beach at 5th Street as well as stages in all parks along the beautiful Virginia Beach oceanfront. 

A new spin on an existing festival, FunkFest celebrates the music generated over the years by influential legends such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton, and The Ohio Players.

This year's FunkFest will feature Sugarfoot's Ohio Players, the Dazz Band, and Con Funk Shon.

Two distinct and fantastic art events unfold along the beautiful Virginia Beach Oceanfront at the Chalk the Walk ARTsplosion and 17th Street Art Festival.  At the Chalk the Walk, participants draw four by four foot chalk drawings right on the boardwalk!  Chalk the Walk participants are encouraged to incorporate the announced theme in their work.  200 competitors complete chalk drawings to be evaluated by a panel of judges.  Judges score the drawings according to criteria such as composition, use of color, adherence to theme, and creativity.  There are three competit

The Crab is King at this one-of-a-kind event that’s fun for the whole family! Along with the Crustacean 500 race, participants may enter the Miss Curvaceous Crustacean Beauty Pageant.  At the pageant, hermit crabs are presented in uniquely-decorated displays and judged on beauty and creativity.  Hermit crab owners are encouraged to build a unique display for their crab.  Past winners have included themed entries like “Spider Crab,” “Hermit the Hulk,” “Beauty and the Crab,” and “Pirates of the Crabibbean!”  Aside

Multiple live performances on oceanfront stages attract tens of thousands of visitors and residents of Hampton Roads to a “star-spangled” salute to this great country of ours at Stars & Stripes Explosion!  Musical acts offer something for everyone with tribute bands saluting some of the biggest names in music. 

“Sandstock” – a Beach-inspired variation on “Woodstock” – is a tribute to the music of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s that “rocked our world!”  National and local tribute artists who run the gamut and cover performers like Led Zeppelin to Queen to Journey crank out hit after hit on multiple stages at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.  Even “The King” himself gets in on the act with special tribute shows at 31st Street Park on Sunday night!

For two days, Virginia Beach celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the Latin experience. Based on a popular Latin festival in Miami, the Virginia Beach version retains the key ingredients of good food, family participation, and first-rate Latin music. 

National performers electrify the diverse audience with high-energy tunes that move the crowd to dance under the stars. Local and regional Latin acts (each with their own loyal fan base) take the stage and unite festival-goers with the rhythms of Salsa, Merengue, and Jazz.