Virginia Beach Salutes the Start of Summer with Culinary, Musical and Family-Friendly Events
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (May 8, 2014) – This May, Virginia Beach offers a calendar chock-full of events and adventures for travelers who are ready to bid farewell to Jack Frost and welcome the start of summer at one of the city’s three beaches. Experience newly-opened hotels and attractions, dance the night away at music festivals, then savor seasonal coastal foods and a cold craft while soaking up the sunshine.
OCEANFRONT BOARDWALK
News Ways to Stay and Play
This May, Virginia Beach welcomes a new hotel and an adventure course unlike any other. Thrill-seekers ages five and up can swing through the trees like Tarzan at Adventure Park at the Virginia Aquarium (May 31), a challenging maze of zip lines and aerial ropes over 10 feet off the ground and the largest course of its kind in Virginia. The Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront will open its doors to 167 rooms with sweeping ocean views, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, breathtaking wedding spaces and two restaurants featuring Virginia brews, wines and more.
Virginia Beach is your Dance Floor
Dance to an eclectic mix of music beginning with the island sounds and flavors of the PANorama Caribbean Music Fest (May 9-10) and culminating with the Patriotic Festival – A Celebration of our Military (May 30 – June 1), presented by Virginia Beach and the USO. The Patriotic Festival features three days of boot-scootin’ boogie at free beach concerts by country music heavyweights - The Band Perry, Jake Owen and Little Big Town – as well as oceanfront air shows, Coast Guard rescue demonstrations, military displays and more – all to celebrate our brave men and women in uniform. Other notable music celebrations include the Sonrise Music Festival (May 9-11), offering a weekend of positive, alternative music for the whole family, the good vibrations of the Beach Music Cruise-In (May 16-18) with oldies tunes and cruisers, and Salute to Summer (May 23-25), a “star-spangled” salute to music and military, punctuated by three outdoor stages along the boardwalk, showing simultaneous performances by area bands.
Family Fun in the Sun
Shiver me timbers! The Pirate Party on the Beach (May 17-18) brings out the pirate in everyone with costume contests, games, a treasure hunt, pirate re-enactors and movies on the beach. After the scallywags, the war birds soar at the annual "War Birds over the Beach" Air Show (May 16-18) where World War II aircraft are on display on the ground, in the air and from the passenger’s seat for those brave enough to take a flight in one of these restored fighters. Hungry for a weekend of metal-crunching, glass-shattering monster truck awesomeness? Kalbones Off Road Monsters on the Beach (May 9-11) roars over the beachfront course of dunes and junk cars. Future athletes receive coaching from real Olympians at the Kids Fundango Festival (May 17), where the Virginia Beach SPORTSPLEX will host a day of sports clinics, music, cultural performing arts, cheerleading, aerialists, bounces houses and more.
Catering to the Cultured Jetsetter
Travelers who understand the meaning of “match the hatch” shouldn’t miss Legends of the Fly (May 15) at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) – an evening of fly fishing, film and meet-and-greets with famous fly-fishing aficionados. The proceeds benefit Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Wine enthusiasts can delight in a tasting tour around the world at the 11th Annual International Spring Wine Festival (May 17) while sampling vino from nine countries, as well as blends from regional wineries including Chatham Vineyards, Athena Winery and Mermaid Winery.
TOWN CENTER
Virginia Beach’s downtown district, Town Center, is a hot spot for the arts, shopping and dining, all of which are on display during the Town Center Art & Wine Festival (May 10) with tented art displays by local master artists and wine sampling for $25 per person, when purchased in advance, or $30 at the door.
PUNGO / SANDBRIDGE
Virginia Beach’s farming community, from where area restaurants often source their ingredients, will celebrate the sweet flavors of summer with the annual Pungo Strawberry Festival (May 24-25). Eat strawberries prepared in more than 50 different ways, enter a pie eating contest or strawberry bake-off, enjoy continuous entertainment on three stages and a parade, a multi-million-dollar military display, pig races, arts-and-craft booths and more. To learn more about Virginia Beach or request a complimentary vacation guide, contact the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau by calling 1-800-VA-BEACH.
