Neptune Festival
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The Neptune Festival is an annual festival in
The
At the corner of 31st and Atlantic in Virginia Beach, there is a 34-foot-tall (10 m), 12.5 ton statue of Neptune, Roman god of the Seas. The statue was dedicated on September 30, 2005 during the Neptune Festival Boardwalk weekend.[3]
The Boardwalk Weekend includes the International Sandsculpting Championship,[4] Art & Craft Show,[5] food, and live music. It also includes a surfing contest, a foot race, a volleyball tournament, and a parade.[6] The event is free and open to the public, with the exception of a tent-covered viewing fee of the sand sculptures.[7]
While it is a prominent and lucrative festival, the Neptune Festival was embroiled in a gender discrimination controversy in November 2020[8] when a male high school junior’s application was rejected, because the “royal court” only allows for the participation of high school girls and adult men.[9] The issue was resolved in March 2021 when the festival changed its policy and admitted its first "Prince".[10]
References
- ^ Virginia Beach Neptune Festival : A Local Legacy, Library of Congress "America’s Story"
- ^ a b "A FESTIVE IDEA TURNS 25.(VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". 7 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Neptune Statue". Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ^ Parker, Stacy (28 September 2017). "At what point does one decide: I'm going to become a professional sand sculptor?". Pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ Focke, Cindy Butler (4 November 2017). "Artist fell in love with art 17 years ago in Virginia Beach, and won this years Neptune Festival show". Pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "The Neptune Festival of Virginia Beach". Neptunefestival.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Neptune Festival will keep its $3 viewing fee | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com". Archived from the original on 2012-01-15. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
- ^ Parker, Stacy (8 October 2020). "Room for a prince? Virginia Beach teen wants to buck tradition of Neptune Festival's royal court". Pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Parker, Stacy (24 October 2020). "Virginia Beach teen rejected in bid to be Neptune Festival prince". Pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Parker, Stacy (8 March 2021). "Virginia Beach Neptune Festival will have its first prince". Pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
External links
36°50′30″N 76°04′44″W / 36.841605°N 76.078776°W