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[0:04]
Today, we are fortunate to have the city back again to give us the second half of the 2026 special event season. This is part two and we have Tanya Howard here, the communications manager here to present for us.
[0:20]
Thank you very much for that warm welcome.
[0:24]
Thank you.
[0:26]
As you said, I'm Tanya Howard. I'm the manager for campaign and client services for the city of Virginia Beach, and I work with the communications office here today to talk about the 2026 major event season for the oceanfront.
[0:42]
Our goal is the same for all major events throughout the season. We kicked it off back in March with Shamrock Marathon weekend. We want to enable residents and visitors to enjoy their time in our city. We want to ensure that everyone is fully prepared to address issues such as congestion and traffic, the dense crowds, safety and communications. The city's focus is not on one weekend over the other. We don't favor one major event over another. Um, we place the same focus on safety, traffic and parking for all the major events and events that even have fewer than 10,000 people per day in attendance. So, being from the communications office, I'm going to focus on the information distribution, and there's quite a bit of it for each event. Throughout the special event season. If you go to Virginia beach.gov/event info, there's a web page to capture all the know before you go information in one place, which is very handy for residents and for guests. We have flyers with all major events in QR code for more information distributed to oceanfront stakeholders. Consistent informational posts on City of Virginia Beach social media channels go out prior to each major event with no before you go. Logistics and impact results. We also have a media advisory that typically goes to Thursday or Friday, before each major event that's distributed to local media. At the top of the tactics to communicate with residents and to guests. We have a text notification that goes throughout the entire event season. We also have emails to neighborhood associations at the oceanfront.
[2:30]
So this is the flyer that I refer to, and it outlines all the major events throughout the season beginning in March. Like I said, with the marathon weekend and this one goes through. You can't see it from here, but through October.
[3:59]
There's also a digital toolkit that's made available with logistics information for distribution to stakeholders, updated throughout the season. That's available also at Virginia Beach Gov for event info.
[4:16]
So there is quite a bit of communications and how do we keep it coordinated with local media? There's joint information center and dedicated communications point of contact. Again, before every event there is a media advisory that goes out and there is a communications person from the communications office who is on staff for the major event weekend and available by telephone. But that media advisory also outlines logistical information and information again about parking, traffic and safety. We really do encourage the use of ways to help to navigate traffic as one heads down to the oceanfront and then also to use VB, go to check out. Up to date information on parking options. Attendees again have available to them VB text notifications. There's logistics information frequently shared via the City of Virginia Beach website, social media, and email campaigns.
[5:18]
So to recap staying informed. We have events logistics information available at Virginia Beach gov forward slash event info. You could also be notified through VB text alerts. You could follow the City of Virginia Beach on the city platforms at facebook.com, city, Virginia Beach and also instagram.com. Twitter, also known as X. And in addition, we have um, next door. We have the recap blogs available at Virginia Beach gov blog. Everyone can opt into a subscription to the email newsletters. You could also opt out if you like, but Virginia beach.gov/be in the know. And if you have any questions about the major events, you could go to oceanfront events at VB gov.
[6:18]
Okay, that ends my portion of this presentation. I'm going to turn it over to my colleague.
[6:24]
Thank you.
[6:27]
Thank you thank you.
[6:31]
Good morning to present once again on this topic of public safety planning for special events. Uh, I'm Lieutenant Tankersley with the special event unit of police Department. Uh, public safety planning occurs throughout the year, and we, uh, utilize, uh, stakeholders from all the different branches of the city. entities to include EMS, fire, public works. Emergency management. Resort management office and work together to plan each special event throughout the year. They are added to our planning agenda after City Council approval and we review plans from previous years. We use what's called after action reports to improve upon events that have occurred before, and events and similar footprints from from previous events. Our main focus with every event is the safety and security of our employees and the attendees and event holders of each event. We have contingency plans for unexpected emergencies, and we monitor events that occur throughout the entire city, as well as currently occurring incidents throughout the city. While the events are happening, just in case they end up impacting the event. Footprints. Our public safety plan and our planning cells include again, EMS, ICS, emergency management, police, fire, public works, sheriff's and resort management, and public safety agencies throughout Hampton Roads. We have a single unified command post, which basically means that EMS, fire, police, sheriff's office all work together as the events are unfolding. To manage each event, uh, for the for the larger scale events. We have integration with City Communications to make sure that we have messaging going out before and during the events. And there's a dedicated medical plan which could consist of EMS or private medical, uh, for, for each event, uh, our response plans ensure that emergency services are available throughout the oceanfront. Sometimes the events that occur on the oceanfront limit, uh, traffic and limit availability to certain areas like the Rudy loop. But despite that, we always have emergency services available throughout EMS, fire, police. Um, as the events are happening, despite sometimes the traffic implications that could involve the use of smaller vehicles, TVs, things like that, to, to navigate around, uh, traffic control. And then, uh, we constantly conduct, uh, training exercises, um, with our public safety partners to make sure that we have tabletops, scenario based situations, so that we are prepared for unexpected things that could happen, uh, during events, and make sure that we are up to date and cohesive and interacting with each other to address those things if they happen in real life during an event. Thank you.
[9:44]
Good morning. Uh, I'm Bill Kelly, administrator for the city of Virginia Beach. And I'm just going to go briefly through the events. And a lot of them you are very familiar with there. Um, some of our grandfather events and East Coast Surfing Championship is the first one that will be coming up in August. Uh, the dates up here say August 28th through 30th. That is the main, um, weekend where they'll have, uh, concerts and other activities. This year, they'll have Pennywise headlining it. However, the competition itself will begin Sunday, August 23rd and run that entire week. Um, but the bulk of the traffic and crowds will be that weekend of the 28th through 30th with, uh, the concerts. And this year, again, if anyone's familiar with Pennywise, if you're a Gen X or my age, you probably know they are headlining this year. So we could expect some heavy traffic, some, uh, some limited parking. So as I always say, come early, come patient and have a good time.
[10:50]
Funk fest. Beach party is returning again this year. That is on the north end at 32nd Street. That is the weekend of the 28th and 29th, the same as XTC and the past. This will be the second year is on the north end. That is due to the width of the beach. Uh, we had to move it last year. Uh, the beach was wider on the north end for them to be able to accommodate the crowds of up to 9 to 10,000 people. So we could expect heavy traffic on the north end, particularly in the parking garage at 31st Street. So that is an expectation that we have a lot of the guests that do come do stay in hotels. So that does help with some of the traffic flow.
[11:32]
Our new event, uh, first year of a four year deal we have with Supergirl, surf pro, uh, is Labor Day weekend. That is a Saturday, Sunday, Monday event. And that that will take place in the south end of the beach from the jetty to the pier. There will be. The entire event is free. There will be free concerts. There's 15 free concerts. Some of the headliners are Lupe Fiasco, uh, Switchfoot, College Buds. Um, just naming some of them. I can't even remember all 15. Uh. They will. We do expect heavy crowds for this event. There will also be fireworks. Supposed to be that. Sunday will be the last night of our weekly fireworks at 930. Um, and as you see, the events go from 10 to 8 each day. However, on Sunday, entertainment will conclude at 930 when the fireworks begin. We did add an additional act that will be announced shortly. Um, and I think it will be an act. It's a national act that people will be excited about. In addition, the south end of the beach will, uh, Rudy Loop will be closed from third Street going around the loop, that area will be used as a headquarters lay down area for the event. It is a large event. So again arrive early. Arrive patient. Have a good time.
[12:55]
Neptune festival. Uh, I don't know if there's much I need to say about this. Of course. It's, um, end of September 25th through 27th. We're all familiar with it. We all grew up with it. We all been around it. So, um, I don't need to dive too deep in that unless anyone has questions about it at the end.
[13:16]
Boardwalk Art show as well, ninth through the 11th in October. This is when we're starting to wind down our weekend festivals as we ramp up into our holiday lights, which will be amazing this year. Um, but this will be the last event, uh, major event that will take place, uh, leading into the end of the season. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about wicked. My apologies. Of course. Wicked. We're going into, I think, Almost ten years of this, I can't remember off the top of my head. It's a great event. People dress up in costumes. It will be road closures. Um, but we do reopen the roads by 1030. Communication for the road closures. We'll go out through our city comms department as well as our special events team. We'll send notifications to all the hotels and share it with our restaurant association and our hotel association and Atlantic Avenue Association. So you'll have that information on road closures when they happen and as they roll to open up.
[14:17]
All right. Thank you so much. I'd like to give a thank you again to Tanya Howard, uh, Lieutenant Tankersley and Bill Kelly for coming and presenting to us and the public and making sure that we're all well aware of what's going on and the impacts that it could create. So, um, thank you again for coming in.
[14:34]
Appreciate it. Thank you.