When it comes to music festivals in Virginia Beach this spring, there may be nothing in the water — see what we did there? — but there is a new event taking over the weekend slot formerly filled by Pharrell Williams’ sonic celebration, Something in the Water.
It’s the Vibe Check festival.
The two-day event, Friday and Saturday at 24th Street on the beach, features national acts as headliners, whose performances are preceded by a lineup of local and regional artists.
The posted artist roster is:
Friday, starting at 4:30 p.m.
- Sober the Dj
- Bailly Castillo
- FULMETALPARKA$
- Shaolinn
- CMRNPRKR
- Young Crazy
- Waka Flocka Flame
Saturday, starting at 4:30 p.m.
- 88WESS DJ
- Duct
- Ladies of Sparta
- Marv P
- Shann
- Pretty Savage
- Bryce Vine
Waka Flocka Flame first made a name for himself in 2009 by releasing a series of mixtapes, leading to his 2010 debut album, “Flockaveli,” on Asylum / Warner Bros. The LP spawned three Top-10 hits on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts: “O Let’s Do It,” featuring Lil’ Capp, “No Hands,” featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale, and “Grove St. Party,” featuring Kebo Gotti.
In addition to topping the Rap and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart, “No Hands” climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his biggest mainstream success.
Bryce Vine got his start in 2011 after auditioning for the Oxygen Network reality series “The Glee Project.” He began his record career in earnest in 2014, releasing his debut EP, “Lazy Fair,” featuring the cult single “Sour Patch Kids” on the Kiva House Lambroza label.
By 2018, he’d worked his way up to a major-label deal with Sire/Warner Records, resulting in the reissue of the debut EP as well as his debut full-length album, “Carnival,” in 2019. Vine has racked up four platinum-selling singles: “Sour Patch Kids,” “Drew Barrymore,” “La La Land,” featuring YG, and “I’m Not Alright,” with Loud Luxury. The latter three songs all made their way into the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Airplay chart, with “Drew Barrymore” hitting No. 16.
Vibe Check is a free general-admission concert, but, as of Wednesday, a limited number of “preferred viewing” tickets were available through Ticketmaster for $50.
Organized by Beach Events, the city's events contractor, Vibe Check was devised to draw the 20-something demographic, not only students on spring break but also slightly older individuals who are more prone to booking hotels and traveling to attend events of interest.
Vibe Check is also geared toward kickstarting the summer tourist season at the Oceanfront. William Younce, director of Beach Events, previously told WHRO that he's looking to drive business to restaurants and hotels before and after the summer crush.
The festival also ties into the 10-year anniversary of the ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach, with visual artists painting live during Vibe Check as an additional showcase of local talent and creativity.
Visit beacheventsvb.com for more information.
