Virginia Beach tees up summer with adventure sports, reggae festivals and more this weekend
VIRGINIA BEACH — Summer officially starts in a few weeks, but at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the busy season already is in full swing.
This weekend is jam-packed with a smorgasbord of events from action sports in the sand to reggae concerts on two stages and a military “village” on the Boardwalk.
“There really is something for everyone this weekend,” said Erin Goldmeier, the city Convention & Visitors Bureau spokesperson.
At the south end of the beach, the inaugural Point Break reggae festival featuring Sublime, Rebelution, Stephen Marley, Wiz Khalifa, Steel Pulse and more will be held Saturday and Sunday at 5th Street. The ticketed event features local vendors and food and drink options.
At 17th Street, military equipment will be on display and personnel on hand for USO Experience. It includes a hovercraft on the sand and free concerts in 17th and 24th street parks.
On the beach at 31st Street and in the newly refurbished Neptune’s Park, Jackalope adventure sports festival will continue through Sunday. The free event, in its second year of a three-year contract with the city, features skateboarding, bouldering, freestyle motocross, BASE jumping and skimboarding. A lineup of local artists and DJs also will perform in the park.
This year’s skateboard halfpipe is bigger than last year at 60 feet wide and 15 feet tall. It’s the same style vert ramp used in the X Games, according to G.Ramps, the German company that assembled the prefabricated pieces of the U-shaped ramp on the beach this week.
Also, California Skate Parks built an elaborate street park on the sand with free-style obstacles for skaters of all ages and abilities who are registered for the event. It’s covered in smooth concrete and has a pirate theme with a crow’s nest, treasure box and a plank.
”We’re excited to see all the skaters have fun once we’re done,” said Kyle Daley, project manager, who was putting the finishing touches on Thursday afternoon.
California Skate Parks is currently building a street park for the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, Daley said.
It took a week to build the Virginia Beach one. By Thursday, the crew was painting some of the surfaces and adding special effects in the treasure box under a warm, sunny sky.
”It gets hot, but you get a nice tan,” Daley said.
Virginia Beach’s own skateboard prodigy Collin Graham will be among skaters from around the world at Jackalope. Organizers say last year’s event held during windy, cool weather drew 50,000 people. This weekend’s forecast shows mostly clear skies and temperatures in the 70s.
For festivalgoers, the best bet for parking during the busy weekend will be the municipal garages and lots at $20 per day. Virginia Beach residents can park for $3 after 5 p.m. Public parking lots and metered street parking at Rudee Loop are closed. Grommet Island Park will still be accessible via the Boardwalk bike path’s southernmost end, according to the city.
With all the activity this weekend and throughout the summer at the Oceanfront, the city has set up a text notification service for event updates and emergency alerts. Text VBEVENTS to 67283.
For Point Break tickets, visit pointbreakfestival.com; for USO experience concert schedule, visit beacheventsvb.com; and for the Jackalope schedule, visit jackalope.tribu.co/virginia-beach.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
