Patriotic Festival could be moving from Virginia Beach to downtown Norfolk

A festival featuring nationally touring musicians and displays honoring the military appears headed to downtown Norfolk.

The event — to be called Military Festival — is expected to take place Memorial Day Weekend at Town Point Park and Scope.

A flier advertising a news conference scheduled for Monday morning says the event will feature concerts by national touring artists, as well as military and corporate displays and attractions.

A Norfolk City spokeswoman declined to comment about the pending announcement.

WAVY-10 first reported the news Saturday night, saying Patriotic Festival was leaving Virginia Beach and heading to Norfolk “after weeks of speculation.”

The mayor of Norfolk, Commander of the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Region and Patriotic Festival’s president are expected to speak at the Monday morning news conference.

Patriotic Festival hasn’t been held in Virginia Beach since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event canceled earlier this year was slated to feature country music singers Jon Pardi, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen.

It was not immediately clear Sunday night whether Pardi and Brown, who were rescheduled for 2022, will still appear.

The news comes less than two weeks after Pharrell Williams indicated he was pulling the Something in the Water festival from the Virginia Beach. He cited frustrations with how city officials handled the death of his cousin Donovon Lynch, who was shot in March by a police officer during a chaotic night at the Oceanfront.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com