Neptune Festival, Annual beach festival in Virginia Beach, United States.
The Neptune Festival is an annual outdoor event held along the Virginia Beach boardwalk in Virginia, US. It brings together live music stages, a large arts and crafts marketplace, and a sandcastle sculpture competition on the beach itself.
The festival began in 1974 as a small community gathering on the Virginia Beach waterfront. Over the decades it grew steadily, and September became its fixed month in the local calendar.
Artists and craftspeople from across the country set up stalls along the boardwalk, showing handmade work directly to passersby. Visitors can talk with the makers in person, which gives the marketplace a more personal feel than a typical street fair.
The event runs along several blocks of the boardwalk, with multiple entry points accessible on foot or by car. Arriving early in the day is a good idea, as the waterfront gets very busy on peak days.
The sandcastle competition attracts professional sculptors from outside the US, not just local artists. Some of these competitors travel the world taking part in similar contests year-round, bringing a level of craft that goes well beyond what most visitors expect from a beach event.
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