Prince George: Harbor Blast celebrates 25 years with 22 festivals
PRINCE GEORGE — Harbor Blast Concert Series is celebrating its 25th anniversary with more than 20 food and music festivals at the Appomattox Boat Harbor. This spring, summer and fall, people will head to the river by boat, RV, motorcycle or automobile to enjoy the riverside festivals.
Harbor Blast features every genre of live music, a craft beer garden and tiki bar with frozen concoctions, signature cocktails, beer and wine. Local crafters, artisans and food trucks are also on site to sell their wares, food and beverages.
"Come enjoy the cool breeze and sunshine, watch passing boats and listen to wonderful music," Crista Cato Manieri, Appomattox Regional Boat Harbor owner, said. "See for yourself why the harbor blast slogan is… 'Your life deserves a place like this."
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Harbor Blast also features outdoor games and a cornhole tournament hosted by the local volunteer fire department. Every year, tens of thousands of people are drawn to the festivals which raise money for local charities.
"The Harbor Blast Concert Series is the longest running concert series in Virginia. It's been bringing live music to the Appomattox Boat Harbor every single year at the same venue since 1999," Manieri said. "The festival area is located on 15 acres directly on the Appomattox River. We have parking for 800 cars and motorcycles and 100 boats and RVs/campers."
This Saturday, the annual Appomattox River Wine Festival will take place, and family-friendly festivals this year include a river raft race and a rubber duck race on the river to benefit a local animal rescue.
Some of the food festivals include oysters, shrimp, Tacos and Tequila, and Blues, Brews and BBQ. The Country Blast Weekend features 12 live music acts, country line dancing, a food truck rodeo and a mechanical bull. BiketoberBLAST in October is the largest drive-in bike festival in Southern Virginia. Hundreds of motorcycles and spectators attend from all over Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.
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Prince George: Harbor Blast 2023 schedule
April 8 - Appomattox River Wine Festival
April 22 - Reggae at the River Festival
April 23 - Artisan Market
April 29 - Harbor Blast for Kody: Music by Caleb Dillard
May 6 - Tacos and Tequila Festival: Music by Bombshell
May 20-21 - Country Blast
May 27 - Seanopalooza
June 3 - Art and Music Festival
June 10 - Local Monsters of Rock: Elixer and Dedd Sirius
June 17 - The Great Appomattox Duck Race
June 24 - Blues, Brews & BBQ
July 8-9 - Punk Fest
July 15 - Old School R&B Festival
Aug 5 - Battle of the Bands
August 12 - The Great Appomattox River Raft Race
August 26 - Rock Out for Special Olympics
September 2-3 - Rockin’ Labor Day Weekend
September 16 - Shrimp Blast
September 30 - Women Who Rock
October 7 - Chili Cookoff
October 14 - BiketoberBLAST
November 11 - Oyster Festival
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According to Manieri, Appomattox Boat Harbor is the only family-owned-and-operated marina on the river, and the use of the festival area is donated to Harbor Blast charities. Over the years, the concert series has benefited civic organizations, charitable organizations and animal rescues, and the annual shrimp feast has raised money for an endowed scholarship at Richard Bland College in memory of Harbor Blast founder, William Walker “Bill” Cato.
Every Thursday, the @HarborBlast Facebook page features “Throwback Thursday” photos from the last 25 years while the @HarborBlast Instagram and TikTok pages feature the different experiences at the festivals.
Visit HarborBlast.com, Eventbrite.com and Facebook for tickets and information. The Appomattox Boat Harbor will accept boat and camping reservations for Harbor Blast weekends on their website or by calling 804-536-1200.
“We are blessed to have so many talented musicians in our local area," Manieri stated. "Each event has local benefactors, and it’s such a pleasure to be able to give back to our community."
Appomattox Boat Harbor is located two miles east of I-95 Colonial Heights/Temple Ave. exit or two miles from the Hopewell I-295 exit at 1604 Fine Street in Prince George.
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— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Prince George: Appomattox Boat Harbor 2023 Harbor Blast concert series
