Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) awarded sponsorships to 32 Virginia music festivals for total funds of $245,448 as part of its 2017 Music Festival Sponsorship Program.
The 32 awarded music festivals bring in 482,943 in attendance and $11,044,418 in ticket sales with an estimated economic impact of $46,819,863 to communities across the Commonwealth.
The VTC Music Festival Sponsorship Program is a funding source for established music festivals in Virginia to help growth of the festival and increase visitation to local communities, while also building Virginia’s reputation as a music destination. VTC funds can be used for any production aspects needed for the festival. Examples include entertainment costs, production costs, staging, etc.
Details on the grant awards are below:
| Music Festival | Locality/Organization |
| Friday Cheers | Venture Richmond Events, LLC |
| Native American Heritage Festival | Radford Visitors Center |
| Fun House Fest | Virginia Arts Festival |
| Thursday Jams | Abingdon Music Experience |
| Chesapeake Bay Reggae Festival | Chesapeake Bay Reggae Festival |
| Blue Ridge Music Center Summer 2017 Music Programs | Blue Ridge Music Center |
| Hillsville Summer Nights Concert Series | Town of Hillsville |
| Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival | Rooster Walk, Inc. |
| The Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival | Wolf Hills Brewing Company |
| Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival | Patriotic Festival II, Inc. |
| Hot Fun in the Summertime Beach Music Festival | The Stuart Rotary Foundation |
| HoustonFest | HoustonFest |
| Celebrate Fairfax! Festival | Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. |
| Mountains of Music Homecoming | The Crooked Road |
| Chautauqua Festival | Wythe Arts Council, Inc. |
| Shore Made Music Festival | Friends of Onancock School |
| Columbia Pike Blues Festival | Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization |
| Mountains of Music on Main | Montgomery Museum & Lewis Miller Art Center |
| Heifetz International Music Festival of Concerts | Heifetz International Music Institute |
| Red Wing Roots Music Festival | Black Bear Productions, Inc. |
| Shenandoah Valley Music Festival | Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, Inc. |
| FloydFest | Across the Way Productions |
| Old Fiddlers Convention | Galax Moose Lodge #733 |
| Staunton Music Festival | Staunton Music Festival |
| Lockn’ Festival | Lockn’ LLC |
| Front Porch Fest | One Family Productions, Inc. |
| Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion | Birthplace of Country Music |
| Watermelon Park Fest | Shepherds Ford Productions, LLC |
| The Festy Experience | The Festy Experience, LLC |
| Joel Sweeney and the Banjo Festival | Joel Sweeney Festival Planning Committee |
| Richmond Folk Festival | Venture Richmond Events, LLC |
| Blue Ridge Folklife Festival | Ferrum College |
The next round of the VTC Music Festival Sponsorship Program grants will open early 2018. Music festivals interested in applying may visit vatc.org/grants for more information.
Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2015, tourism generated $23 billion in revenue, supported 223,100 jobs and provided $1.6 billion in state and local taxes for the Commonwealth. Dollars invested in tourism are proven to provide a seven to one return in tax revenue for Virginia, and grant awards provide a stimulus to localities seeking to increase tourism visitation and revenue.
For more information on the Virginia tourism industry, please visit virginia.org.