Get Involved

Vendors


The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival celebrates 50 years on the oceanfront, and offers food and retail vendors, non-profits, and other businesses opportunities to participate in events throughout the year.

Kids getting shaved ice at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend

Our signature event, Boardwalk Weekend, attracts over 400,000 visitors to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront — people who are ready to eat, drink, and purchase merchandise.

While we offer many types of vending opportunities, product types/concepts that will not be permitted at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend include, but are not limited to: Politics, Religion, Gambling, Psychic Readings, Animals, Tobacco Products (including Vape), CBD, Hemp Products, and Alcohol

Beyond Boardwalk Weekend, we have many additional events between March and October with visitors ready to eat, drink and shop. We love bringing people together to truly see and appreciate all the beach life has to offer.

Food vendors at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend
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Become a Vendor

Join the fun in the sun!

Part of what makes our events so fun is the ability to offer our attendees the joy of exploring vendors and all they have to share.

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Food Vendor

Must make and sell product onsite, or make at a Virginia Health Inspected establishment and sell onsite. The more unique and specific your product/specialty is, the more likely it will be accepted into the Festival.*

Apply Now
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Non-Food Vendor

Food vendors don't have all the fun! Have something to sell? We'd love to have you join us. Must sell a tangible good onsite that a customer can take away with them.

Apply Now
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Exhibitor

Exhibitors promote, provide, or sell a good or service that a customer CANNOT take away with them (i.e. must be purchased and/or received at a later date - including but not limited to: vacations, spas, time shares, etc).

Apply Now
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Non-Profit

We are always looking for ways to support non-profits. If you are a certified 501-C3 organization, you can apply for space to share information with passersby and raise your brand awareness.

Apply Now

* For example – a vendor that sells a specialty brisket or lobster roll or gelato as their sole product, it is more likely to be accepted than a vendor that sells a wide range of fair foods. We will feature unique products in our Festival marketing leading up to Boardwalk Weekend.

Food vendors at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend
Apparel vendors at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend
Food vendors at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend

Important Information and FAQs

  • February 1, 2024: Online Applications Open Applicants will be notified of acceptance or declination via email.
  • July 15, 2024: All Fees and Documentation Deadline To include lease agreement, vendor sponsor form, proof of liability insurance, proof of or purchase temporary business license
  • August 26-31, 2024: Site Notifications and Drive-on Date & Time Notifications will be Emailed

Friday, September 27, 2024:  12:00PM – 11:00PM
Saturday, September 28, 2024:  10:00AM – 11:00PM
Sunday, September 29, 2024:  10:00AM – 6:00PM

Friday, September 27, 2024:  12:00PM – 7:00PM
Saturday, September 28, 2024:  10:00AM – 7:00PM
Sunday, September 29, 2024:  10:00AM – 6:00PM

1st-2nd Street Beach: Surfing Classic
2nd-5th Street Beach:
Beach Volleyball
5th-6th Street Beach:
Healthy Haven (Beach Yoga & Fitness Experience)
6th-7th Street Beach: Sandsculpting Clinics
7th-8th Street Beach:
 International Sandsculpting Championship
14th Street Beach: Dock Dogs
15th-16th Street Boardwalk: Touch a Truck
17th Street Park: Poseidon’s Playground: Family Fun Zone
19th-32nd Street Boardwalk: Art & Craft Show
24th Street Park: Music Stage
31st Street Park: Music Stage

There will be a mandatory pre-Festival Vendor Meeting held on Thursday, September 26, 2024. The meeting will begin at 7:00PM, and will take place at Festival Operations, located in 24th Street Park (2400 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451).
Parking Garage is located at 25th Street and Pacific Avenue (336 25th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451) at a $2/hour rate)

Locations are, for the most part, on the Boardwalk railing, between 9th and 32nd Streets. The sites are numbered from south to north, along the rail.

Find Your Space

You will be assigned a drive-on date and time.

Larger operations (20’x10′ or larger) are REQUIRED to arrive on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

The following are the ONLY drive-on times:

  • Wednesday, September 25, 1:00PM
  • Wednesday, September 25, 4:00PM
  • Thursday, September 26, 10:00AM
  • Thursday, September 26, 5:00PM

Missing your assigned drive-on time may result in not being able to set up your operation, not receiving important documents, passes, and city/fire/health department approval to operate. Missing your assigned drive-on time will also affect your acceptance into future events.

Additional Drive On/Off Information

Once a concession vehicle has been off-loaded, there is currently only one Neptune Festival free parking option: the Rudee Loop Gravel Lot. This is first-come, first-serve. We strongly suggest you park at the hotel or residence in which you are staying during the event weekend. There are short-term/hourly parking lots and garages located at 2nd Street, 4th Street, 9th Street, 19th Street, 25th Street, and 31st Street. More information and rates can be found HERE.

Explore Long-Term Parking

The Neptune Festival has secured 24-hour roving and stationary security along the boardwalk and in the parks to monitor the Festival and maintain safety. Security presence begins Wednesday, September 25 and ends on Sunday, September 29, 2024. Please ensure that you take your own proper precautions in securing your operation, as the Festival is not responsible for any lost, destroyed or stolen items.

Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend is generally a rain or shine event. Every reasonable effort will be made to conduct the Festival as scheduled. Festival Management, in coordination with municipal authorities, weather officials, and other resources, will closely monitor weather conditions before and during events. If weather or other circumstances exists or develop, that in the opinion of Festival Management, would present serious hazards to life or property, Festival events, included Boardwalk Weekend events, in whole or in part, may be adjusted or cancelled at the sole discretion of Festival Management. Only if the entire Festival is cancelled in full, will applicants receive a space fee refund. There will be no pro-rated or partial refunds.

If you are in need of a Tent, Tent Lighting, Chairs, Tables, Linens, etc. prior to the festival, please contact our operations partner — Perfect Event Rentals — for your vending needs. Tent Weights are ONLY available with Tent rentals and cannot be rented separately. Contact Perfect Event Rentals at (757) 428-5987 or view their website HERE.

In accordance with directives from the City of Virginia Beach, the Neptune Festival has implemented regulations regarding booth signage and flags.

All menus and pricing must be prominently displayed during the Festival. Menus and pricing are to be submitted for approval with the application. No changes to the menus or pricing are permitted after initial application submission.

Additional Booth and Signage Info

Our ability to provide you with all the resources you need to operate your concession means that we need to have the information before you arrive to set up. If the information we receive is not correct, it will delay getting you set up, it might mean that we can’t provide you with what you need, or might mean additional fees in order to get you started.

You can view the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Chart here for your reference. If you are still unable to determine your plug, we will try to assist.

You can view important electricity / water / trash / waste regulations here.

The Neptune Festival does not sell bagged ice. There are multiple stores throughout the Virginia Beach Oceanfront that sell ice.

If selected for the festival, ALL VENDORS, NON-PROFITS, AND EXHIBITORS are required to maintain a comprehensive public liability insurance policy for personal injury or death, and for property damage occasioned by reason of the operations conducted by Vendor on the leased premises, including products liability, with a minimum combined limit of $1,000,000; said policy to include Virginia Beach Events Unlimited, Inc. t/a Virginia Beach Neptune Festival and the City of Virginia Beach as additional insureds.

Vendor shall furnish evidence of said coverage by and with an insurance company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth of Virginia, evidencing effective dates as 9-27-2024 through 9-29-2024.

A Certificate of Insurance shall be registered in Vendor’s name as it appears on all documents submitted to the Festival Management. Without the Certificate of Insurance on file, you will not be able to be a part of the Festival.

  • Food vendors are required to register with the Virginia Department of Taxation for the remittance of the state sales tax. To obtain a Virginia Identification number and register for state tax, contact Virginia Department of Taxation at www.tax.virginia.gov.
  • Food vendors are required to register with the Virginia Beach Commissioner of the Revenue for the remittance of the local meals tax. To register, contact the Virginia Beach Commissioner of the Revenue office at (757) 385-6422 or via email at coradmin@vbgov.com
  • Please note that you are required to collect and remit food tax (currently 5.5%)
  • Non-Food vendors from Virginia Beach may be required to have an annual business license.
  • If you have questions about Business Licenses and/or Taxes, please contact the Commissioner of the Revenue office at coradmin@vbgov.com
  • All vendors are required to report and pay their own taxes. The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival is not responsible for reporting sales and/or paying sales tax on sales made at Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend for any vendor.

The Voucher Redemption Program is specific to Food Vendors. All Food Vendors are required to participate.

Neptune Festival Volunteers are provided with a voucher that may be redeemed for a menu item(s) of your choosing (ex. hot dog, funnel cake, hamburger, BBQ, smoothie, beverage, dessert, etc.). You are required to provide a minimum of 2 menu options for the program. The voucher may not be used as a discount for higher dollar menu items. You will retain the vouchers and return them to the Neptune Festival Office by October 16, 2024, and we will send you a reimbursement check for $5.00 for each voucher received.

Festival Management, in coordination with the state of Virginia and city of Virginia Beach are closely monitoring the ongoing concerns regarding the Coronavirus (COVID – 19). We are abiding the state of Virginia and city of Virginia Beach mandates on all health, safety, social and physical distancing protocols. All vendors will be required to adhere to applicable mandates within their booth space and provide their own protective products, etc. as necessary.

If the Festival is cancelled due to the Coronavirus (COVID – 19) restrictions implemented by the state of Virginia and/or the city of Virginia Beach, vendors/exhibitors will receive a full refund of lease fees, less application fees. There will be no pro-rated or partial refunds.

Festival t-shirts are available for purchase at the official merchandise tents located along the Boardwalk.