HAMPTON — Buckroe Beach’s annual summer concert series, Groovin’ By the Bay, has been a community staple since 2004.
Kicking off on Memorial Day weekend and ending Labor Day weekend, this weekly summer concert series features local and cover bands from a wide variety of genres, said Kay Trotter, Hampton’s deputy director of Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services.
The free Sunday evening concerts are family-friendly.
“We want to create fun for all ages,” Trotter said.
The only caveat is there are no furry friends allowed at the event, Trotter said.
The bands are able to start setting up at 3 p.m. and the concerts start at 6 p.m. but the beach is open from sunrise to sunset, she said.
The concerts take place at the pavilion on the Boardwalk.
People can bring their own chairs, food and drinks but if they don’t want to plan a picnic for the whole family they can purchase food from one of the many vendors who are at Buckroe Beach seven days a week, Trotter said.
She said on average, the concerts draw 1,500 to 2,000 people but she has seen crowds as large as 3,000 to 4,000 people for popular bands.
Participation in the event has steadily increased since Trotter began her job in 2015. She attributes this steady increase to the addition of food vendors.
All of the bands are chosen by Christmas so the Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services department works on this event all year-round.
Trotter said the concert series is on the list of things people look to do when they visit Hampton Roads.
There is a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in addition to the Sunday evening performances
To see what bands they have lined up for the summer, click here.
