The Neptune fest is one of my favorite events that marks the end of summer for me. I love starting…read moreat one end of the boardwalk & walking to the other end. There's endless, food trucks & food vendors, booths, touch-a-truck exhibits, free handouts, & lots of people watching.

Wow! My mind is blown! It's our second tour here in Coastal Va and this is the first time we…read moreattended this festival. Why? Don't ask? Asking myself the same question. We caught the last day on the Sunday. - Set Up - The pavilion that houses the International Sand Sculpting Championship is on 7th. There were a few food vendors on 5th and 6th and then there are just a sea of vendors past 7th for goodness knows how far. The line to the pavilion wraps around and looked deceivingly long, but thr line moved pretty quickly. There is a $7 entrance fee, cash only, and kids under 12 are free with an accompanying adult. It is just so incredible to me that these artists basically put their heart and soul into these masterpieces and all for a limited time, and if you were lucky enough to see it, you will be included in the select # of people to have experienced it in real life. Sure there will be thousands, upon thousands of pictures taken, but never like the real thing. These aren't your little sand castles on a normal beach day either. Massive structures both in width, height and depth! Just remarkable! There were solo sculptures and tag team ones from artists from literally all over the world, including from our own country. Although there was a big crowd, it wasn't jam packed. There was even a sculpture they had available to get a little closer to take photo ops. You could vote for one solo and one tag team sculpture. The rest of the festival had local vendors from near and far! We found Flippin' Hangry to grab a quick bite of lumpias and pancit and walked all the way down to 23rd to see Cherry, the red ice cream trailer from Sundae Scoop! Definitely looking forward to attending again next year and will make it a yearly tradition!

MOCA is such a fantastic organization. This is the best grouping of artist that show up. I have to…read moresay the Boardwalk Art Show is stunning. I say this every year. This is the best of the year. AGAIN. This year they had artist painting murals right there amongst the art booths. It was fantastic. I saw a bunch of artist I knew and met some fantastic new ones. I listed my top 5 picks in my pictures

I love art and I love the beach. So the annual Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show brings me to…read morealmost orgasmic giddiness. There's all different types of art and artists: jewelry makers, painters, sculptors and more all with their most eye-catching pieces for sale. If you have deep pockets you can bring the art show experience home with you, but if you're like me most of these pieces are way out of your range. But hey, it's still fun to look. And when you're done baking on the boardwalk, take a dip in the ocean.

My family and I went to the Chesapeake Jubilee for the first time last weekend and we had an…read moreenjoyable time. Since I hadn't been to a carnival in a while, I was surprised to see that the tickets were stored digitally on a card that they give to you. I actually loved the convenience of not having tickets all over the place lol. We rode about two rides which were a lot of fun. The ride operator simply scanned the card for our tickets and that was it! Gone are the days of having to count out the tickets for the rides lol. We then decided to grab something to eat. I remember carnival food being delicious and worth every penny but we ordered a cheese burger, cheesesteak, sausage and peppers and fries and the burger was extremely small, the cheesesteak was finished in 3 bites and the sausage was the size of a hot dog. The food was disappointing for how much we paid. The funnel cake and fried Oreos were great though. The best part of the carnival was definitely the delicious Turkey leg that we all enjoyed. Since my daughter isn't a big fan of fireworks, we decided to leave before they started but overall, it was a fun family outing. Side note: To avoid paying the $10 parking fee, we parked at a nearby school but we walked close to a mile to get to the carnival so definitely where comfortable shoes if you plan on taking that route next year. :)

Great time! Great vibes! Amazing food and fun rides! Chesapeake Jubilee we had a blast!read more

I have been coming to the Pungo Strawberry Festival for several years. This year was absolutely the…read moremost hectic and crowded year I can remember. That's incredible for pungo and the festival vendors. Parking is $10 which is pretty pricey. I spend less parking at events at the oceanfront and waterside. It's nothing but locals so I wish they would decrease by $5 considering everything at the festival is pricey and people spend a lot on the food. A little cut in parking would make up for that. Sadly there wasn't as much strawberry items as previous years. I appreciated Lolly's and Sawdust having strawberry inspired drinks. I found a strawberry shortcake dessert and strawberry lemonade and that was about it. Really sad about that as pungo houses a lot of yummy strawberries. Nonetheless this is a local spot that I've come to for years and won't stop now. I just hope it continues to listen to the locals and adjust here and there.

The 35th Annual Pungo Strawberry Festival had the perfect weather on their side the whole weekend…read morefor all of their Vendors, Entertainment and Events!!! Great day for Strawberry picking, Strawberry Tacos, Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Strawberry Pie, Strawberry Jam, and STRAWBERRIES !!!! As you start your day walking around, you can freshen up at "The Bee and the Biscuit" with some cold Manmosas, Mimosas, Strawberry Lemonade Crush, or Bloody Mary with some of their fresh homemade biscuits or cinnamon rolls. With so many options such as Carnival Rides, Mechanical Bull, Knocker Ball, 4H Exiibit, Dino Exhibit, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Antique Farm Equipment and a Monster Truck display. Also with live entertainment from bands as The DeLoreans, Hot Cakes, Beachnuts, Flatland Bluegrass, The Original Rhondels, Pop Tops, Hard Knox Bluegrass Band, a Tribute to Patsy Kline, Magicians, Clowns, and even a Pie Eating Contest !!!! As your day continues you can stop and eat at A Bite of Maine, Paparak Greek Foods, B & B Kettle Corn, G & J's Funnel Cakes, MORE Strawberries or get a drink at Wild Bills Ole Fashion Soda, Thai Tea & Bubble Tea or at the many other concession stands. But there's also lots of shopping to be done at Matilda Jane Clothing, whom has an awesome sales rep by the name of Kelly Townsend, Popi & Mimi's Pecans, Kangaroo Hats, Fabrique Mermaid (Art Work), Sweet and Sassy (Pungo berry BBQ), and lots more vendors with clothes, dresses, shirts, decals, body art tattoo, and even outfits and scarfs for your pets !!!! So yes they have it all here at the Pungo Strawberry Festival!!! Do come out for a great time !!!! Enjoy the strawberries !!!

Don't waste your time or money…read more Seems like this event continually goes downhill... I read/saw comments from 2015 and 2016... let me tell you, 2017 SUCKED too. This could've been name "Crappy Festival" and have been more truthful. There was little chocolate to be found, the venue was sooo disorganized, there were completely irrelevant booths; i.e. Bath Fitter, home improvement booths, LuLaroe, Lipsense... Honestly, go buy yourself $15 worth of chocolate and you'll get a better deal out of it then going to this. I went through Groupon and paid $9 which even then, I'd get SO much more for $9 worth of chocolate. The admission gets you near next to nothing. My party and I got free samples from one booth. ALSO - EVERY bad review that was written on the event's Facebook page was DELETED. Only goes to show you what kind of people are running this event. I had fun at the FREE India fest that was next door though.

Well, at least there was chocolate... I thought there would be more options on what kind of…read morechocolates there could be. Oddly, there wasn't any white chocolate, which I don't see as being real chocolate anyways. There were some beautifully decorated items but they were pricey of course. I didn't go there expecting handouts but more options would have been awesome. In my eyes, this event was not worthy of the Convention Center. If the venue was smaller, it would've been deceiving to the eyes and wouldn't look so small. There was wine, beer, a laser treatment place, salsa (which was tasty), but there wasn't the right lineup for the event. If it returns next year, I hope they do a better job at pulling in a crowd.

Free and open to the public from 12 noon till 2 PM. Had an amazing time. Got me some bourbon,…read morechicken dirty rice and some roasted corn. Bring your money because it ain't cheap. I hope you enjoy the Bayou bonbon festival starting today at 5 o'clock running till the weekend. This is amazing.

Never really gone to the festival before. BUT from 12-2 they have a free time first day from what…read moreI see so I decided to check it out. MAN IT WAS JUMPING! The food out there was sooooo good. I got jambalaya and a shrimp po boy? Fire. Music? Amazing either way what was going on as a perfect complement. And ngl. I just enjoy an experience that caters to everyone well. I'd go again, but I think if I did I would just do it for the free 12- 2 again. I didn't get to see anything that would make it worth it for me yet, but I was just there for a short period. So maybe I needed more time. We'll see next year!

Oh how I miss live races. Okay to be completely honest this was one of my least favorite races…read more That being said I still have a few amazing memories from each race weekend and I'd kill for any kind of race at this point so they're still getting 4 stars from me. Usually held Labor Day weekend it is a HOT one. Or there's a tropical storm. Either way the conditions can be pretty brutal. Definitely come prepared for anything and remember the final stretch to the finish doesn't have any shade. Oof it's a hard one. The good news in when conditions due to a tropical storm have been particularly bad they are pretty generous with their transfer options. That came in handy one year. Even in the heat the half marathon course is pretty neat. You run by the ocean, past the aquarium, and on a military base. Even better the course is mostly flat with the exception of a bridge. Rock n Roll races are always a good time. They definitely are missing a lot of true local touches. It's very corporate and that's okay! That also means everything is BIG! Big start, finish, course entertainment. The afterparty beverage sponsor could use an upgrade though.

I'm a local and have participated a few times so I figure I'll leave a review bc it seems some of…read morethe others are not from locals who don't know the area. This race weekend is a ton of fun and is well-run and well-coordinated with the city. It is at the beginning of the hurricane season for the East coast so there are sometimes weather issues but by no means is this an annual thing and often, the weather is beautiful and sunny (maybe too hot) during this weekend. It is almost always Labor Day weekend for this race which means it is the American Music Festival as well so there are several concerts at the beach on the oceanfront stages (there are several) at 5th, 7th, 17th, 24th and 31st. Some are free and you can bring a lawn chair to sit on and some you have to pay for with larger headliners. The convention center of Virginia Beach is where the expo is and this is a well-run expo with a lot of participants Brooks comes and sells a ton of merchandise and many other race vendors. Plenty of parking at the convention center and it's easy to navigate and get your race gear. The course is flat and easy with very little grade change. There are three races you can participate in: a 1-Miler, a 5k and the Half Marathon. The courses take you around the resort part of the city and onto the Virginia Beach boardwalk where you run along the ocean and, during the right part of the day, is absolutely beautiful. If you stay in the resort area in a hotel anywhere between 5th-31th street you will be more than close enough to walk to everything (though the convention center is a hike from 31st) and there are tons of great, fancier places to eat all around as Virginia Beach is a bustling resort city like Catch 31 at the Hilton, Eat: An American Bistro and Becca at the newly renovated Cavalier hotel (at around 40th St). The ViBe creative district has tons of farm-to-table shops like Commune and Esoteric as well as art murals all over. Coffee shops abound with Bad Ass Coffee, May's Parlor, Three Ships Coffee Roasters. Lolly's local-made ice cream is delicious. Shopping is niche and cute with North End Bag Company and the Old Farmer's Market near Java Surf Coffee and Cafe on Saturday mornings. At 1st Street and Rudee Inlet there are boats, jet skis and parasailing excursions you can rent and pay for for a day as well as night cruises and dolphin watching excursions you can join (for a cost of course). If you venture further down to Shore Drive you can tour the Cape Henry lighthouse which was the first lighthouse commissioned by the US government. You can also visit the nearby 2,888 acre First Landing State Park for a hike along the water at sunset with an entrance off Shore Drive or at 64th street. Bubba's fish house and many other shops and restaurants can be found on Shore Drive another 20 minutes away. For shopping, live music, and more trendy things to do (Lululemon, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn) Town Center is a short 20 minute easy straight drive down Virginia Beach Blvd to Cheesecake Factory, Finn McCools, California Pizza Kitchen and a ton of other things to see and do. All those things are within 20 minutes. I didn't even mention the things to do and see in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Hampton all within an hour drive. Even further (a couple hours) are the historic Williamsburg and Jamestown areas and if you want to ride some coasters you can always venture to Busch Gardens amusement park. Bottom line: this is a great race, with adorable medals, and it is always exceedingly organized. I live here in the city, as well as travel a lot for races to Disney in Florida and California, and I enjoy the ones in my hometown the most. Call me biased. If you come for this race weekend here and don't at least sample all the foods, see the art murals, listen to the bands, and enjoy the beach and lighthouse, then you've really missed out.

The food vendors are definitely on their business out here. I do appreciate the diversity of the…read moreselections to choose from. Vendors did mention having to go up on prices because SITW get paid off the top but every vendor gets plenty of exposure and the money is there especially for this 3-day festival. I like that they had BAR vendors that had options of non-alcoholic beverages as well as alcohol. Doodles was passing out free ice cream. White Claw also had tasting stations on top of being able to purchase from their tent or vendors that sold it separately (first time trying White Claw) and I buy it again. With 5% alcohol it was my only alcoholic beverage the entire festival, light flavorful taste and nothing to have you buzzing. Like all events there's pros and cons and takeaways. I hated the shuttle service issues 2nd day of festival. Virginia Beach provided school buses and their were contracted private shuttle busses. 3-day shuttle passes were $50 per person. They give you a wrist band you have to wear the entire weekend on top of your SITW wrist band...their were huge groups of people being corralled like cattle into a tight space when trying to get via the maze of the makeshift ride separators to catch the shuttles. No order what so ever...a lot of hurry up and wait. Had us all waiting more than an hour confined trying to make it to the actual shuttles. Mind you they were only supposed to be available up to 60 mins after the final show, so that caused lots of anxiety and panic. Better contingency planning should be done to avoid this issue in the future. Concept was good, just a tad poorly executed. Personally preferred the private shuttles over the school buses due to comfort and actual individual space. Truly thankful for this festival overall for a 3-day music festival it's well worth it. Some of my favorite acts were 3rd Eye Blind,WALE, Jasmine Sullivan, SWV, Summer Walker, Pharrell & Friends and many others. As I rest up for the final day I'm still excited and ready to take in the music for its last day. Enjoyed the drone show also. Can appreciate the drones better than fireworks and feel thats better for people who have PTSD to loud explosive noises. Thank you Pharrell for bringing something of this magnitude to Hampton Roads and continuously bringing exposure, talent and money into Hampton Roads. (We Love You). There's also been no major issues when it comes to behavioral or disturbances. Huge Plus factor to take away. Appreciate Virginia Beach police also for being on top of directing traffic and providing eyes from the roof toops to the ground. Grateful for all emergency EMT people that aided in making this event a success as well. Pack lots of patience and remember to be good to one another. Thank you. "SITW!!!!"

One word.... AMAZING!!!…read more The performances, logistics, the vibe, and that "thing" in the water made this festival a huge success thanks to Pharrell and his vision! There were so many elements of surprises throughout the festival in term of the performances that kept us in suspense. So here's a recap of my experience: TRAFFIC: Traffic was actually pretty good moving in and out of the Oceanfront. Even though I stayed at a hotel for the weekend, I still left the Oceanfront a couple of times and again no issues with traffic. TICKETS: General Admission- On the beach, no chairs or shade provided. There's plenty of food vendors to choose from. VIP - A separate entrance from GA that's on the board walk with stadium bleachers along with dedicated food vendors for the VIP section. A bracelet is to be worn during the 3 day event and it cannot be taken off. If the bracelet looks to have been tampered with, entry may be denied. For those who didn't get a ticket, there were still events free and open to the community. FOOD: There were many food options available from local restaurants to choose from such as Asian, Thai, Caribbean, American, Mexican, beer, wine and free water stations. CROWD: I love seeing all race, age and gender having a great time partying. I whined up singing and dancing with so many other party goers because we were all there to have a good time! There were No fighting and everyone was respectful. BUT when there's a popular artist performing that everyone wants to see, the crowd gets real tight to get closer to the front row and at this point no one is respecting any personal spaces. You can be literally on someone's back and someone will be on yours! So if you can't stand crowds, this isn't for you! I even had a moment of anxiety and I had to move to the back where it was less crowded and just watched on the Jumbotron. There were people passing out because of the heat and not keeping themselves hydrated. But with free water stations throughout the festival it can be avoided. Medics were on standby and did a great job getting to the people. PERFORMANCES: Pharrell pulled off this event so successfully! He brought top artist to this inaugural event. And that element of surprise I was talking about earlier was artists like Jay Z who came to the stage to preform!! Also the scheduled artists also brought their own surprise guests! And the crowd goes WILD!!!! VA needed this music festival and I am so glad I was there to experience it. I am so ready for SOMETHING IN THE WATER 2!!!

Located in Norfolk, a variety of stands. If you like eclectic things you will like this place. This…read moreis definitely a neighborhood event, people are walking dogs, there are food trucks. Items available lotions, home decor, candles, plants etc. very enjoyable day! Takes place the 2nd Sunday of the month.

We visited Hunt Club Farm today with my two sons (18 months and 2 years old), and overall they had…read morea great time. They loved the animal enclosure especially the chickens and were very excited about the goats. The playground was also wonderful and perfect for my 2 year old to run around and explore. My 2 year old is on the autism spectrum, so I really want to recognize that the environment at the farm felt very sensory-friendly. The gated areas were especially helpful because my son tends to elope, and it allowed me to feel much more comfortable letting him explore. For families with toddlers or children with additional needs, that kind of setup makes a big difference and is truly appreciated. However, I'm very disappointed with our experience during the pony ride. I paid $10 for my 2 year old to ride a pony, and I was genuinely excited because it was his first time ever being on a horse. I've heard so many positive things about how horse riding can help regulate children on the spectrum, so this was a moment I was really looking forward to as a parent. Unfortunately, the staff member who took us around for the pony ride was extremely rude and clearly seemed like she did not want to be there. Her attitude made the interaction very uncomfortable, and it honestly felt like we were an inconvenience. I pushed through the moment so my son could still enjoy his ride, but it completely took away from what should have been a really special first experience. When we looked back at the photos we took of the moment, in some of them she is actually rolling her eyes, which was very disappointing to see. No parent wants their child's first experience with something special to feel like they are bothering the staff. I'm sharing this feedback because the farm itself is a wonderful place for young kids, and I hope management is aware of how interactions like this affect families' experiences. The animals, playground, and environment were great, but customer interactions especially during experiences like pony rides should feel welcoming and positive for families and children.

How is this my first visit ever to Hunt Club farm?! I've always heard good things about it, but…read morejust never checked it out. Well today & finally did and it was a blast! Despite it being very packed on a weekend, there was plenty to do without out it feeling over crowded. The animals are were the sweetest and you can tell they are accustomed to the attention and the feedings. We loved petting the animals as they were all gentle! I especially loved that the Farm had many photos opportunities set up! The growth chart is a cute one, especially if you come back each year to capture the growth! We spent the bulk of our time at the adventure trees. Climbing through all the different rope bridges and fast slides! We didn't ride the ponies since the line was pretty long, but I'd love to in the future. I saw many people hosting birthday parties & baby showers here. Pretty cool that the farm has that option. I'm interested to see if they'd host a corporate event here! Overall, I can't say enough good things about this place. Highly recommend visiting! If you're debating, this is your sign to just go! :)