VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Attendance at the three-day Jackalope Festival at the Oceanfront that concluded Sunday about doubled the projections of organizers.
Founder and executive producer of the Jackalope Fest, Micah Desforges, told 10 On Your Side 50,000 people attended. The number blew his expectations out of the water.
“It actually blew our expectations. We were expecting 20,000 to 30,000 people,” he said.
He said the event was terrific, despite some chilly weather here and there.
“It was a thrilling experience. Unreal, what I would say. This weekend was epic. There are no words, really,” he said.
The festival was the first of its kind in the U.S. Desforges has previously organized the extreme sports festival in Canada. It premiered in 2021 with an attendance of around 6,000 people.
“There is no event with such a diverse programming and inclusive approach in the community. I think that was unique,” Desforges said.
The Virginia Beach festival attendees got an exceptional performance from the headliner, skateboard legend Tony Hawk, who drew in a crowd of 20,000 Saturday.
“People were screaming Tony, Tony. You could get a sense of how excited people were,” Desforges said.
Crews are currently tearing everything down. Desforges said it would take about three days to disassemble fully.
Now, he’s switching gearing and looking towards next year’s fest.
“More skateboarding, more rock climbing, base jumping. Everything will stay free. It’s on the beach. It’s accessible,” Desforges said.
He’s working to get the perfect headliner for next year.
Desforges said he expects the Jackalope Festival to return around June next year.
