VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Festival season continued at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront with the 62nd annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surf Championships and the 15th annual Funk Fest.
Tony Pellino, general manager of the ECSC, said they had everything from international professional surfers, skateboarders, live music and more.
Pellino told 10 On Your Side the cost of putting on the event was “pretty hefty.”
“Running a small competition is one thing, but to do something this big, we span 11 city blocks, so it’s a good amount of money,” he said.
The event kicked off last Sunday along with some new attractions.
“The monster BMX stunt team is a huge draw in attraction,” he said. “We got them this year which we’re very stoked about. We also, the Jaycees got a half pipe.”
The Funk Fest on the other side of the beach also had success, according to IMGoing Director of Beach Events William Younce.
“This might be one of the biggest ones we’ve ever had,” Younce said. “We’re expecting anywhere from around 8,000 people every single day, so it’s going to be a great show.”
And indeed, according to an IMGoing official, more than 8,000 people turned out to watch WAR, Doug E. Fresh and Crank Crusaders with Raheem Devaughn at Funk Fest Friday evening.
As far as the ECSC, Pellino told 10 On Your Side they expect tens of millions of dollars of revenue for Virginia Beach.
“The last impact study was about $26 million in economic impact for our city,” Pellino said.
Both events will continue Saturday.
For more information about the ECSC head to East Coast Surfing Championships (surfecsc.com). For information on the Funk Fest, go to Virginia Beach Funk Fest Beach Party – Beach Events Virginia Beach VA (beacheventsvb.com).
