Virginia Beach Neptune Festival
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| Blue Angels perform at Neptune Festival Air Show |
The annual Virginia Beach Neptune Festival takes place every year in September.
The Neptune Festival is a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing a variety of events that will enrich the community and provide opportunities for family togetherness.
The Neptune Festival hosts more than 35 events, including tennis, 5 kilometer and 8 kilometer races, volleyball, symphonies, the Senior’s Gala, the Surfing Classic, fireworks, and an art exhibition.
Attracting nearly 500,000 people each year, the Neptune Festival is one of the top 100 events in the country and one of the top 10 events on the East Coast. It is the largest of all the festivals in Virginia.
Location
The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival is located on King’s Grant Road in Virginia Beach.
Located right on the water, Virginia Beach has plenty of attractions on both land and sea.
Most of the festival takes place along the boardwalk and the first 30 blocks from the oceanfront. Visitors to the festival enjoy live music, games, food, and more.
Tickets
Admission to the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival is free of charge.
Several events within the festival have a separate admission fee.
Featured Events
The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival is home to the International Sand Sculpting Championship.
This sculpting competition takes place within a 300 x 100 meter tent.
The tent features more than 20 sand sculptures, each individually hand crafted by some of the world’s most talented sand artists.
The sand sculpting tent is open every day of the festival and charges a $5 entrance fee.
The festival also hosts an amature sculpting competition on the boardwalk for local schools and freelance sculpting divisions.
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra performs a Symphony by the Sea Series during the festival. These concerts are free and open to the public.
The Royal Neptune Court
Since the Neptune Festival began, royal court hopefuls have been sending in applications to be considered for the the next King Neptune.
The king of the Neptune Festival is chosen by the Neptune Festival Committee. The committee accepts nominations from the public.
The king is selected based on his involvement in the community, his contribution to improving the quality of life in Virginia Beach, his participation in the Neptune Festival activities, and his understanding of the spirit of the Neptune Festival.
Tritons are selected to accompany the king, also chosen by the Neptune Festival Committee.
Neptune Princesses are chosen in their junior year of high school.
Once chosen, members of the Neptune Court serve as ambassadors for their community.