With the summer heat finally waning, September and October are great months for folks in Virginia Beach to hop out of the ocean and into some fun autumnal events—many of which offer the bonus of supporting local businesses.
Start your fall with a bang and look into these activities that will make you want to pack your car with friends and head out on an adventure.
Farm Aid: A star-studded concert with a cause
On September 26, Farm Aid celebrates its 42nd year with a full festival line-up at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach. Performers include Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and more. The world-famous celebration of music and family farmers—founded by Nelson, Mellencamp and Young—returns to Virginia for the first time in 10 years to continue its mission of bringing relief to the American family farmer and awareness of the challenges they face.
In addition to the musical acts, Farm Aid features food and drinks from its trademark HOMEGROWN Concessions line.
“HOMEGROWN Concessions is the first-of-its-kind model for featuring family farm-identified, local and organic foods at major concert events,” the Farm Aid website says.
The venue will also have a “HOMEGROWN Village” with interactive family friendly exhibits and activities. According to the Farm Aid website, festivalgoers can experience exhibits about soil, water, energy, food and farming “through art, games, and hands-on activities.” There are also skillshares and demonstrations celebrating agricultural culture.
If you can’t make it out, music from the festival will be livestreamed on the Farm Aid website—more details are available here. But in order to get the full experience, you’ll want to get yourself to 3550 Cellar Door Way, Virginia Beach.
Celebrate Black food culture in October
On October 18 at noon, the 2nd Annual Hampton Roads Black Food Festival will open its doors. Hungry Virginians looking for excellent food by Black-owned restaurateurs and culinary experts will find a wide variety of options to choose from.
KP’s Smokehouse has plenty of barbecue, including smoked half-chickens, ribs, brisket, pasta salad, fried fish and more. Meanwhile, J&K Style Grill offers grilled wings, crab cake egg rolls and their signature waffle burger—a beef patty with fried egg, bacon, and the usual toppings sandwiched between two waffles. Flavors of Truth will also be present with cold-pressed juices, all-natural cleanses, and wellness shots—including their Tropical Melon Refresher, a satisfying concoction made of watermelon, pineapple, pear and lemon juices; and the California Sunset, which combines carrots, oranges, Granny Smith apples, lemon, ginger, turmeric, and a pinch of black pepper.
Other chefs will feature seafood, soul food, barbecue, hand-crafted sodas, burgers, pastries, and more treats by accomplished Black-owned businesses. There will also be nearly 50 product vendors, live musical performances, fitness sessions, and a DJ set.
General admission tickets are free, while the VIP Experience is $50 and includes early entry, free food samples, exclusive VIP lounge access and more. Ticketing info is available by clicking here; the festival will be held at Mt. Trashmore Park at 310 Edwin Dr. in Virginia Beach.
Make a toast (or several) to Halloween
On October 31, Halloween-themed bar crawl group Crawl with Us is hosting a spooky bar crawl beginning at 4 p.m. at The Bunker Brewpub. Crawlers get two to three included drinks, plus access to all seven participating bars with no cover charge as well as an afterparty.
Here’s how it works: Participants check in at The Bunker Brewpub at the corner of 21st St. and Pacific Ave. between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., where they receive their event badge. Then, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., they crawl any or all of the seven bars that are participating—maps are available on the event page. The event badge is every crawler’s key to get into the bars with no extra cover charge. It also has tear-off drink vouchers to redeem their free drinks.
Crawl with Us says there’s a “mid-party” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sandbar Surf and Grill (2110 Atlantic Ave.) and an afterparty at Peabody’s (209 21st St.) from 10 p.m. to midnight. The event website describes the afterparty as “costumes mandatory, dignity optional.”
There will also be event photographers on-site shooting for a photo contest. Crawlers can pose for photos and tag themselves later or take their own pictures and submit them online after the crawl. The photo with the most hearts wins, though no prize is listed.
Individual tickets are $15 in advance or $40 at check-in. Groups of four or more can get a discounted rate on tickets for $10 each. Full information is available at the event page on the Crawl with Us website.
“Fun in the sun” season may be coming to an end officially, but Farm Aid, the Hampton Roads Black Food Festival, and the Virginia Beach Halloween Bar Crawl are proof that the mid-Atlantic doesn’t need summer weather to keep the party going.
