NORFOLK, Va. — Between the bustling streets of St. Paul's Boulevard and Monticello Avenue in downtown Norfolk, a new sound is soon arriving to an otherwise quiet patch of grass.
Steps away from Granby Street and the MacArthur Center is a new COVID-safe event space coming to the corner of East Charlotte and Bank streets. Right beside the brick-and-mortar Scope Arena, it's changing the traditional idea of what it means to have a "packed house."
“Building a brand new venue, in the middle of COVID, is not an easy feat," Dianna Starkey, with the Virginia Arts Festival told 13News Now on Monday.
Virginia Arts Festival partnered with the City of Norfolk, SevenVenues, Visit Norfolk, and Downtown Norfolk to bring this live entertainment opportunity in a post-pandemic world.
The plot of land will soon hold an enclosed tent and stage for live music, entertainment, and more with a live audience capacity of up to 250 people to meet social distancing requirements. Portions of Bank Street will be closed off during concert times to help accommodate the appropriate space needed for COVID guidelines.
“It’s a similar feeling for everybody. We’re trying to stay optimistic, I feel like it gives the community a little beacon of hope," Alli Pereira, Director of Public Relations at VAF said.
The Virginia Arts Festival has previously used the space before but without a capacity limitation or tent. The venue will operate through the months of April, May, and June with other precautions like hand sanitizing stations and paper-less ticket sales being taken, too.
Event-goers will also be required to wear masks. Seating charts sent to 13News Now show seating options of clusters of two and four people spaced out throughout the space.
“Who knew that 250 would be considered a large number, but we’re happy about it!" Starkey said.
Performances, the first of which start on April 12, will have to end by 9:30 p.m. according to the VAF.
Participating organizations also include:
- Virginia Symphony Orchestra
- Virginia Stage Company
- The Governor's School for the Arts
- Virginia Opera
- CIVIC Leadership Institute
- Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia
- Norfolk State University
- Old Dominion University
- The Feldman Chamber Music Society