Blue Ridge festival rocks on — for now
UPDATED SEPT. 11: The Blue Ridge Rock Festival was canceled on Sept. 9 due to severe weather, including storms and hail. The festival’s organizers said they would provide refund details early during the week of Sept. 11. The Blue Ridge Rock Festival is on track to sell out this year, with organizers expecting more than […]
2023 Virginia 500: Arts | Entertainment | Sports
David Baldacci AUTHOR, FAIRFAX COUNTY Tony Bennett DEAN AND MARKEL FAMILIES MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE Bridgette C. Bywater VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, KINGS DOMINION/CEDAR FAIR ENTERTAINMENT, DOSWELL Clay Campbell PRESIDENT, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY; PRESIDENT, MID-ATLANTIC REGION, NASCAR, MARTINSVILLE Coran Capsha[...]
Richmond riverfront amphitheater gets green light
Construction could begin this summer on a $30 million, 7,500-person amphitheater overlooking the James River. On June 12, Richmond City Council approved a 20-year performance grant that gives Red Light Ventures LLC the green light to build its proposed amphitheater on four acres of land it will rent from NewMarket Corp. behind the American Civil […]
FloydFest cancelation causes economic ripples
FloydFest, a five-day celebration showcasing more than 100 performers, has had an annual regional economic impact of about $4 million since its 2002 founding, according to festival organizers. Even so, county officials and local business owners seem to be taking a “c’est la vie” attitude to the cancelation in April of this year’s FloydFest, which […]
Atlantic Park breaks ground in Virginia Beach
Atlantic Park, the $335 million dollar surf park development planned for Virginia Beach‘s Oceanfront, has broken ground and closed on its financing, according to an announcement Thursday from Venture Realty Group, the firm developing the project with music icon Pharrell Williams. The 11-acre surf park has been in development since 2017 and its first phase […]
ASM Global to develop, run GreenCity arena in Henrico
ASM Global will develop and operate the 17,000-seat arena at Henrico County’s $2.3 billion GreenCity development, county officials announced Monday. Billed as what will be the nation’s greenest arena with net-zero energy impact, the venue is set to be part of a multiuse community with a focus on environmental sustainability at the intersection of Interstates […]
A new look at Va. Beach’s Atlantic Park
The $350 million Atlantic Park surf park development planned for Virginia Beach‘s Oceanfront will start construction in October or early November, developers told Virginia Business this week. Virginia Beach-based Venture Realty Group also shared new renderings of the project, which Venture has been co-developing with music icon and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams. In planning stages[...]
Richmond Raceway names new president
When Lori Collier Waran was a young girl, she spent a lot of time around Richmond Raceway. Her grandparents lived just blocks away and her grandfather would volunteer to park cars so he could watch races. Sometimes Waran tagged along, too. “The raceway was sort of my playground,” she recalled. Now, the raceway will be […]
Sterling CEO named adventure parks association chair
Sterling-based Flight Adventure Park CEO Steven L. Yeffa has been named chairman of the International Adventure and Trampoline Parks Association’s board, the family entertainment venue company announced in early May. “We are thrilled to have Steve elected as our chair,” IATP Executive Vice President Bethany Evans said in a statement. “His vision and leadership is […]
Something in the Water officially heads to D.C.
Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will be held in June in Washington, D.C., making its departure from Virginia Beach official. Scheduled for June 17-19 on Independence Avenue, the three-day festival includes a long list of pop and hip-hop artists, including […]
RIR president to head Henrico sports/entertainment authority
Henrico County officials on Wednesday named longtime Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier to lead its new sports and entertainment authority. Bickmeier’s last day with the raceway, where he has led for more than a decade, is April 15. He will begin working in his new role on April 18. “With Dennis Bickmeier serving as our executive […]
Va. Beach’s Pembroke Mall to add apartments, senior living and hotel
Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach is getting a $200 million makeover. The aging mall’s developers, Pembroke Square Associates, announced plans Monday for a series of updates to the 54-acre mall near the city‘s Town Center area. “The mall industry is changing,” said Ramsay Smith, president of Pembroke Realty Group, asset manager for Pembroke Mall. “We […]




















