Hot stuff at LAVA Fest
Published 8:53 pm Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Nick Brinson of Newport News listens to a set by Major and the Monbacks during the Lava Music Festival.
They came with hula hoops and bubble guns, lawn chairs and blankets and the eager anticipation of enjoying more than 10 hours of music on two stages.
More than 3,000 people turned out for Suffolk’s inaugural indie-rock music festival, and the reports from all involved — fans, bands, vendors, event organizers and city officials, alike — suggest that the event was a hit.
Alyssa Calderone of Suffolk twirls a hoop during the set by Robert DeLong at the Lava Music Festival.
Event organizers and city leaders say they’re pleased with the first-ever LAVA Music Festival, which took place in Suffolk on Saturday.
The one-day indie rock event at the Suffolk Executive Airport featured 10 bands on two different stages throughout the day. Activities for all ages attracted plenty of families to the event, which had a little more than 3,000 people in attendance, said creative director Josh Coplon.
“Basically, it was a pretty perfect day,” Coplon said. “We were really fortunate with the weather. We got a lot of really positive feedback, and we heard some great constructive criticism.”
Coplon said folks loved the bands and the activities for kids, such as the rock wall and the free video arcade.
“All the bands were just incredible,” Coplon said. “The kids were stoked with the rock wall.”
There was also a human foosball arena and a life-size game of beer pong, renamed “water pong” for the family event.
The constructive criticism included suggestions like more shaded areas and water stations for next year’s event.
“It was a beautiful day,” Coplon said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything better. The crowd was amazing, and we couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
An artist performs at the LAVA Music Festival.
Melanie Maluto of Chesapeake said she won tickets to the festival and had enjoyed the day in Suffolk with her boyfriend.
“This was awesome,” she said. “I would really love for it to grow.”
Maluto echoed the suggestions of others in saying she’d especially like to see the next iteration of LAVA to include a camping option.
“I would love to se it as a two-day festival,” she told a vendor. “I would love to not have to drive back to Chesapeake tonight.”
Coplon said he’s working toward a two-day festival, with on-site camping, for next year.
“It’s not confirmed yet, but that’s the current goal,” he said. “There will be a LAVA 2016 for sure.”
Suffolk Economic Development Director Kevin Hughes, whose purview includes the airport where the event was held, said he was impressed with the event.
An artist performs at the LAVA Music Festival.
“I think it has a great opportunity for growth,” he said. “We’ve started conversations already with the two groups that produced it to see if it can come back next year.”
He said the admissions tax on ticket sales, hotel stays for a number of people — including the bands — and other incidentals like meals and gas sales in town affected the city’s economic outlook positively.
“It provided an opportunity that didn’t exist without the festival, so that’s really a positive thing,” he said.
Hughes also added the festival is one of the first big forays into an effort to make better use of the festival site, where the Suffolk Peanut Festival is held but which is unused for most of the year.
“It has some real positives for us,” Hughes said. “When I saw the LAVA Festival, I was thinking long-term: ‘How do we maximize this space and bring more groups like this?’”
