Boardwalk Art Show & Festival

This reminded me of the Neptune Festival with a little less people and without the sandcastles — and it was hotter because it was in July and that is in September/​October.
Still, there were tons of vendors, lots of food, it was on the beautiful boardwalk by the beach and the weather was amazing. It wasn’t really crowded yesterday when I went which was the last day — Sunday — and it also this year happened to be Father’s Day.
My friend and I walked from 19^th-​31^st street looking at all the art and grabbed dinner at Catch 31 at the Hilton.
I saw some interesting artwork that I hadn’t seen before and had a great day. If you love art and enjoy the Neptune Festival — you’ll love the Boardwalk Art show as well.

I love art and I love the beach. So the annual Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show brings me to almost 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.

At 55 years and counting, this is the granddaddy of all local festivals. It’s big, it’s hot, it’s crowded and it’s almost always a good time.
Most locals I know avoid the Oceanfront like the plague in the summer, but this is one June tradition that will actually find them shelling out the exorbitant parking fees and braving the throngs of tourists for a chance to browse the myriad creative offerings of talented painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, mixed media artists and more.
I went this year and, other than the fact that it was Africa hot that day (all the artists were huddled under umbrellas with an assortment of makeshift cooling devices), it was quite nice. A quick dip in the Atlantic Ocean about halfway through made it all better (wear your swimsuit).
As with any art festival, the quality of the work varies, but the considerable amount of prize money (10 grand for Best-​in-​Show, more than $ 30,000 in total prizes) attracts high-​end artists from around the region and the country. Also, this show is run by the nearby Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, which has a reputation for its commitment to quality, cutting-​edge work. The «k“rafty stuff is kept to a bare minimum and there’s a nice blend of representative and abstract fine art as well as unique jewelry, pottery glassware and etc.
The physical layout of the event probably isn’t ideal for an art festival – one very, very long straight line. But it takes place on a Boardwalk, what are they going to do?
In addition to the art, there is live entertainment (local bands), wine tastings, children’s activities and, of course, all your standard festival food on a stick.