Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Miranda Lambert to headline ‘BEACH IT’ country music festival in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Organizers announced the lineup for the upcoming BEACH IT! country music festival at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront this summer.

Festival organizers, along with Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager Taylor Adams, Live Nation President of Country Touring Brian O’Connell, and artist-songwriter and Virginia Beach native Alana Springsteen, announced the lineup Wednesday morning.

Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Miranda Lambert will be headlining the festival. The main stage will also feature Riley Green, Cole Swindell, Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore, Jo Dee Messina, Jameson Rodgers, Nate Smith, Hailey Whitters, and more, including Springsteen.

Springsteen grew up in the beach city and said it’s a special feeling to be able to bring her music back home.

“So my backroads were sandy and instead of boots I was bare feet all the time, so it was my own version of country and it’s really cool – very full circle to get to be here and know that I’m going to be performing right there so many years later and it’s really special,” Springsteen said.

She will debut her new album ’20 Something’, which she’s currently recording, at the festival.

With over 25 artists performing, O’Connell said the event will be the largest country music festival coming to the mid-Atlantic and told us what fans can expect.

“What’s it gonna look like? It’s gonna look like light and height and colors and cool vibes and it’s gonna look very professionally done,” O’Connell said.

Not only are fans looking forward to the many positive aspects of the event, but so are oceanfront businesses. BeachIt! is set to bring thousands of fans to businesses along the beach, a fact that excites General Manager of Waterman’s Surfside Grille, Eric Emerson.

“When there’s events on the beach, lots of people come to it and it helps greatly. People come out and they need to eat and something to drink,” Emerson said.

He said the restaurant’s scheduling will be refined with security at all doors and servers ready to greet customers well before they open.

While he thinks the parking might be a pain, he’s confident it won’t stop people from filing into Waterman’s.

“Whether it’s Uber, riding your bike, carpooling, getting dropped off by a friend, people will find their way down here and hopefully customers we typically don’t see.”

Local and military presales are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater.

In terms of passes, the three-day general admission pass will cost $249, the three-day VIP pass will cost $899, and the three-day VIP reserved pass will cost $1,149.

Virginia Beach City Council approved a $1.5 million sponsorship agreement for the festival earlier this month.

The new festival is a three-day, two-stage “celebration” between 1st and 8th Street beaches. It is set to “bring together emerging artists, as well as award-winning and ‘A-List’ country music recording artists,” according to an agenda item submitted by Convention and Visitors Bureau.