Good Morning Virginia Beach!

Happy last day of school, Virginia Beach! Summer is officially here and we have you covered all season long. Bookmark our local events calendar at events.vblivingconnect.com. It is your go-to guide for everything happening around the city this summer.

Now let's get into this week's newsletter and some huge announcements for VB!

— Kim Checcio

Virginia Beach just keeps winning this year. Farm Aid, the legendary music and food festival founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, is coming to Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater on Saturday, September 26. This is the first time the festival has ever come to Virginia Beach.

The lineup is stacked. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff headline, with Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs, Sierra Ferrell, Jesse Welles, Mon Rovîa, I'm With Her, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola, and Chris Pierce rounding out a full day of music.

Beyond the concert, Farm Aid is a full festival experience. HOMEGROWN Concessions brings fresh food sourced from family farmers using ecological practices, and the HOMEGROWN Village features hands-on activities and exhibits around soil, water, food, and farming. It is genuinely unlike any other festival experience you will have this summer.

Tickets go on sale to the public today at 10 AM with prices ranging from $85 to $350.

📅 Saturday, September 26
📍 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
🎟 Tickets on sale today at 10 AM
💻 FarmAid.org/2026

For the full lineup and details, read the official press release.

👉🏼 Click Here: Read the Full Press Release

One of our favorite free events of the summer returns this Saturday, June 13, as Chalk the Walk takes over the Virginia Beach Boardwalk between 16th and 18th Streets.

This year's theme is "Wonderful World of Color," and participants will be creating four-by-four-foot chalk drawings across three blocks of the boardwalk, judged on composition, use of color, adherence to the theme, and overall creativity. The competition features three divisions: Amateur, Professional, and Youth (ages 12 to 16), so there is something to watch no matter who you come with.

📅 Saturday, June 13
⏰ 10 AM to 5 PM
📍 Boardwalk between 16th and 18th Streets
🎨 Free and family friendly

👉🏼 Click Here: Get Event Details

A Hampton Roads native is going into the history books. NASA has selected astronaut Andre Douglas to join the crew of Artemis III, the agency's next major mission in its effort to return humans to the Moon. Douglas will serve as a mission specialist alongside three other astronauts as the crew tests critical spacecraft docking and lunar landing technologies ahead of future Moon missions. The mission is currently targeted for launch in 2027 and represents a major milestone in NASA's Artemis program.

Douglas becomes one of the few astronauts from our region to be selected for a crewed NASA mission, putting Hampton Roads on the global stage as humanity prepares for its next chapter of lunar exploration.

👉🏼 Click Here: See Why This Hampton Roads Native Is Making History

WRV is celebrating Dads and Grads this Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM with a packed morning of free demos, giveaways, and good coffee.

EcobyRY shaper Ryan Harris will be on site demoing his fully sustainable, eco-friendly surfboards, with giveaways from ReUp Our Ocean Project. Spin to win free prizes with any purchase at the WRV Pro Shop, and Three Ships Coffee will be providing free coffee while author Jason Borte signs books.

📅 Saturday, June 13
⏰ 10 AM to 2 PM
📍 WRV Pro Shop at Atlantic Park

👉🏼 Click Here: Get Event Details

Virginia Beach just got one of its most anticipated restaurant openings in years, and we had a front-row seat for all the festivities.

We were invited to The Hampton Social's VIP preview party the night before the grand opening, where guests got an early look at the space, handcrafted cocktails were flowing, and the energy in the room made it clear this restaurant is the place to be and be seen this summer. We were back the next day for the official ribbon cutting as The Hampton Social opened its doors to Virginia Beach for the very first time.

The VB launch marks The Hampton Social’s 14th location nationwide and its first in Virginia. And what makes this opening particularly exciting is that Virginia Beach isn't just getting another outpost of a popular concept. This location is launching several firsts that no other Hampton Social in the country has ever seen.

What's launching here first:

The most significant menu evolution in the brand's history. The Virginia Beach location debuts an expanded format built around the social, shareable dining experience the concept is known for, with seafood taking a central role and dishes designed the way guests actually want to eat together.

A brand new Prime steak program. Every steak on the menu has been upgraded to USDA Prime, the top grade awarded to less than 2% of American beef in the country. This is a brand-wide upgrade and Virginia Beach is where it debuts.

The first dedicated late-night cocktail lounge in Hampton Social history. Coming later this year, the Virginia Beach location will unveil a separate, more intimate space with its own atmosphere and cocktail program, designed to carry the guest experience well beyond dinner. No other Hampton Social location has ever had anything like it.

The restaurant is located at Atlantic Park in the ViBe Creative District, steps from North America's first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon, with an oceanfront patio that is already shaping up to be one of the most talked about dining views on the Virginia coast.

We have video from both the VIP party and the grand opening on our Instagram if you want a preview before you go.

👉🏼 Click To: Watch on Instagram @vblivingva

For the full details on the menu, hours, and everything launching at this location, you can read the official press release on our website.

👉🏼 Click To: Read the full press release

We stopped into Rose's Hi-Fi Bar and Restaurant in the ViBe Creative District recently and walked out genuinely impressed. It’s unlike anything else in Virginia Beach.

Rose's is built around something called a hi-fi listening bar, a concept inspired by Japan's ongaku kissa, spaces dedicated to shared musical discovery. The entire restaurant is purpose-built around one of Virginia's finest high-fidelity sound systems, making it one of just a handful of venues like this in all of Virginia. The music is not background noise here. It is the experience.

But the food held its own. We ordered almost half the menu and have zero regrets. Executive Chef Daniel Freeman is a Virginia Beach native with more than two decades of experience across Hampton Roads, Washington D.C., and Charleston, and his menu reflects all of it. Fresh seafood, thoughtfully sourced meats, and seasonal produce, designed to be shared and meant to complement the music and the moment.

The space itself includes an outdoor terrace and rooftop bar, and on weekends local and international DJs take over completely.

We filmed our visit so you can get a feel for the vibe, the food, and the energy before you go.

👉🏼 Click Here: Watch Our Rose's First Look on Instagram

A fun night out. New people. Great restaurants.
🔗 Save your seat for the next dinner