Virginia Beach has long outgrown its reputation as a place to simply spread a towel and catch some rays. The city is quietly becoming one of the East Coast’s premier sporting event destinations—and this summer, the proof shows up in force. From sand soccer to surf championships, the action runs May through September. But it starts this weekend.
The fourth annual Jackalope Festival hits Neptune Park on May 29–30, and it arrives with a jolt. Over 300 athletes. Sixty thousand spectators. Skateboarding, BMX, jet skiing, skydiving, roller skating, timber sports, motorcycle stunts, and highline walking—all stacked across two days, and all of it free. This isn’t a beach town novelty act. It’s a full-throttle international action sports festival that picks a new host city every year, and Virginia Beach earned the nod.
“The city provides an ideal setting for large-scale outdoor sports and supports tourism-driven events,” says Erin Goldmeier, director of Media Relations for Visit Virginia Beach. The festival’s organizing body, Montréal-based Tribu Expériences, coordinates international athletes, sports organizations, and local vendors to pull it off—seamlessly, and at no cost to spectators.
The weekend has a rhythm worth following. Friday opens with a live DJ and overlapping events, including a free skimboarding clinic with Virginia Beach Skim Academy, a STIHL timbersports showdown, and motorcycle stunt performances. Saturday brings skydiving and adaptive skateboarding demonstrations before the night closes with live music. Sunday is finals day—jet ski, vertical ramp, and street course competitions bring the whole thing home…