Virginia Arts Festival Review

I was so excited about taking my family to the Norfolk Chocolate Festival. even though the ticket price of $20 and adult and $10 per child was very pricey, i decide that my family would love it....I was wrong. This event SUCKED I want my money back. It cost me $70.00 to go and stand in line to pay yet more money to taste most of the products that they had. This event was so unorganized. If all the VA arts festival events are like this you can bet I will not waste my time or money again. The worst investment. Would have had just as much fun at McDonalds. Dont waste your money it REALLY REALLY SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!

The box office people are really nice and help you to find the best seats at the best price. They also point out possible discounts you can get.

Clay & Jay Barr Education Center is a wonderful outside stage theater for intimate theater. I saw The Soldier's Play put on by the outstanding Norfolk State University Theatre Ensemble.

Th VAF's Bruce Hornsby with Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert - Saturday, June 23, 2018. WHAT A TOTAL WASTE OF $160! He played only "4" of his songs during the 1.5 hours, at the end of the concert, and played at a pace that made you want to sleep. One audience member actually shouted "speed it up!".... A lot of people got up and left after the third song. This was a total collaborated "rip off" by the Virginia Arts Festival and Bruce Hornsby.

Great chamber music concert. The Miami String Quartet with Andre Michel Shube.

Funhouse Fest is out of sight. Great seating or enjoying things from the lawn. Excellent vendors. Reasonable pricing all around!

Enjoyed a breezy July evening under a white canopy listening to Nicole Adkins with a good friend.
Small venue, terrific seats and impressive accoustics.
Convenient parking, easy entry, welcoming staff attendees.

You get very little for your money. You pay $20 per person for tiny samples that in total would not fill one of your hands. There are quite a few vendors set up in booths in a large room. We waited in line 3 to 10 minutes at each booth to get to the front of the line to receive a tiny sample. Some vendors only let you sample one of their items. For example, the two popcorn vendors only let you sample one flavor of popcorn, no more - without standing in line again. What the vendors really want is for you to make purchases of the items they have for sale. So what was the $20 for? There was one wine vendor & one vodka vendor, two popcorn vendors, a few with fudge and some with cakes, nuts etc. That was about it for free samples. You had to pay if you wanted ice cream - no free samples. Barnes & Noble was there with books about chocolate & Easter for sale - nothing free. There was even a chiropractor booth. What's that got to do with chocolate? We were there an hour - mostly waiting in line. In truth, the event should be advertised as an opportunity to buy chocolate and sweets with some taste testing and a $20 cover charge.

International tattoo in honor of
Medal of Honor recipients was fabulous

Had a great time. It was super crowded and the wait to get to the front to try a wine was usually less than 10 minutes but one take tool a little longer. But that's okay because it was worth it.

Amazing festival run by an equally amazing staff!!!