Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Art & Craft Show 2025

Often recognized by Sunshine Artist Magazine as one of the top 200 Art Shows in the country, the Neptune Festival Art and Craft Show is one of the many events during the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival signature Boardwalk Weekend. Artists and craftsmen of original work are eligible for the show, with acceptance based on a jury process. No food products, body care, recorded music, commercially manufactured, production studio work, buy-sell, kits or imported items. Drawing more than 400,000 people, the three-day Boardwalk Weekend along the oceanfront is the culminating event of the Neptune Festival --the non-profit official celebration of the City of Virginia Beach. The festival has been named one of the top 100 festivals in the US and is annually voted one of the top 10 festivals by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The show runs Friday, September 26, 2025 noon - 7 p.m., Saturday, September 27, 2025 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Sunday, September 28, 2025 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Cash awards totalling $2,600 include First Place $750, Second Place $500, Third Place $350, and five $200 Awards of Merit. An area of the show is devoted to selected exhibitors who work with the highest degree of originality, handcrafting and excellence, and only these exhibitors are awards-eligible. Application fee is $40 (non-refundable) and booth fee is $435. Artists must provide proof of liability insurance naming Virginia Beach Neptune Festival and the City of Virginia Beach as additional insured by September 10, 2025.

Submit six images for each application - five images of individual works and one booth shot. You must use a properly weighted, properly installed tent wind-rated for at least 60 mph with at least 60 lb of weight on each leg. 24-hour security will be provided during the event, and secure storage trailers (PODS) will be available for overnight storage of artwork. Each exhibitor is responsible for collecting and paying the 6% sales tax.