VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A new music festival that was scheduled for this October in Virginia Beach isn’t happening after all.
The city announced on Wednesday that city leadership chose to cancel the festival “after careful deliberation and discussions” with the festival organizer, Audacy Virginia, which owns multiple radio stations in Hampton Roads.
“The City of Virginia Beach takes great pride in its ability to safely host world-class events that attract visitors to our shores from near and far,” the city said about the decision. “The condensed timeline presented challenges to City departments to safely provide the festival experience that our residents and guests expect.”
WAVY’s Regina Mobley spoke with the senior president of Audacy Virginia, who said he didn’t know about the cancellation until he started hearing from reporters Wednesday.
“I met with the city manager yesterday and had a productive conversation and was hoping for a follow-up meeting. We were ready to go,” Bennett Zier told 10 On Your Side.
The festival was set to take place at the Oceanfront and feature national recording artists from pop and rock genres, but pushback on the exact dates led to uncertainty. Audacy never announced a lineup or a website for the festival.
The city says despite the cancellation, they’re inviting Audacy to consider applying to bring the festival to the beach next year.
