VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new Oceanfront music festival that was planned for the fall has been canceled, Virginia Beach officials said.
"After careful deliberation and discussions with Audacy, Virginia Beach City leadership and public safety departments, the decision has been made to not move forward with the October 2023 music festival," the city said in a news release on Wednesday morning.
Virginia Beach City Council previously approved an ordinance to set aside $750,000 and execute a sponsorship agreement with the media company Audacy to help fund the festival, which had been planned for the weekend of October 21-22. The money was coming from the Tourism Investment Program Fund.
"The City of Virginia Beach takes great pride in its ability to safely host world-class events that attract visitors to our shores from near and far," the city said in Wednesday's announcement. "The condensed timeline presented challenges to City departments to safely provide the festival experience that our residents and guests expect. Delivering safe and successful events continues to be a priority of the City."
The unnamed music festival was expected to feature rock and pop music acts. Some council members earlier expressed concern that it was scheduled on the same weekend as the 67th MOCA Boardwalk Art Show as well as possible issues with parking and safety.
Virginia Beach said it would invite Audacy to continue to be part of the planning process for reconsideration "in 2024 and beyond."