Neptune Festival

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The Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach, Virginia was created by Virginia Beach Chamber of Commerce President and RK Chevrolet (also known as RK Auto) founder Richard Kline (businessman) in 1973 to celebrate the unique heritage of Virginia Beach^[1]. Since that time, the festival has grown to be one of America’s top 100 festivals and one of the top ten on the East Coast^[1]. The Library of Congress lists the Neptune Festival in its America’s Story website^[2].

The Virginian-Pilot Beacon reported attendance of about 50,000 people at the first festival ^[1] with seafood selling out before the festival ended. Actor Lyle Waggoner from the Carol Burnett television show was the grand marshall of the parade^[3].

At the corner of 31st and Atlantic in Virginia Beach, there is a 26-foot tall, 12-ton statue of Neptune, King of the Seas. In 1974, this statue was dedicated to Richard Kline and Frederick Napolitano, two businessmen who made the Neptune Festival a reality. ^[4]

For the 25th anniversary of the Neptune Festival, more than one million people attended, bringing $15 million into the local economy^[1]. The 2007 Neptune Festival will be the festival’s 34th anniversary^[5].