Newport News aims for summer music festival

Newport News is preparing to launch a major music festival this year to boost tourism and support area businesses.

Mayor Phillip Jones says the city is currently trying to attract national talent and is reviewing applications from people and organizations wanting to help organize, partner with and promote the festival.

Although Newport News has “a very different setup” from Virginia Beach, which has hosted Something in the Water and other music events, his city’s festival would be “the largest possible event” that Newport News could safely host on its waterfront.

“The goal is to promote the brand of Newport News on the national scale, as well as leverage and access our waterfront in our downtown area,” Jones says.

The exact location — and date — of the festival has yet to be determined, but Jones says the city is eyeing a few spots in the downtown area. He hopes to launch a smaller-scale version of the festival this summer, with an expansion in subsequent years, likely held in the summer or fall, and potentially over several days.

“I know that there’s been a tremendous amount of buzz and energy around this,” Jones says. “Everyone is excited to showcase all that Newport News and the entire peninsula has to offer.”

Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany and Councilman John Eley will be liaisons involved in the planning process for the event.

“What we see is more than just a festival,” Jones notes. “We see a conference supporting small businesses, amplifying the voices of arts, culture, and everyone doing the work here on the peninsula.”

Right now, there aren’t any cost estimates for what it would take to put the festival together. Jones hopes the festival will eventually be eligible to receive tourism dollars and sponsorships from the state government.

In December 2024, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced $812,139 in matching grant funds for 81 special events and festivals as part of the Virginia Tourism Corp.’s special events and festivals sponsorship program. Newport News wasn’t ready to apply for a grant last year, but Jones says the city “would like to be on that list.”

“I would encourage everyone to come on down to Hampton Roads, come down to Newport News and check out our festival,” Jones said. “It’s going to be an amazing time.”