Cover image: Eric Nelson

**2020 UPDATE** A concert featuring the beach music of Band Of Oz take the place of the 3rd Annual Northern Neck Beach Music Festival, which had to be canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more: https://visitcbva.com/event/band-of-oz-beach-music-concert/

Beach Music is a style of music that incorporates rhythm and blues (R&B), pop, soul, and maybe even a little bit of rock and disco. Originating in the Carolinas, it is also known as Carolina Beach Music, Shag Music, or Beach & Shag. It is mostly associated with the official dance of North Carolina and South Carolina, the Carolina Shag, a style of swing dance. This genre of music and dance originated around 1946, experienced a transition in the 60s and 70s, and experienced a resurgence in the 1980s. Today, new, original beach music is still produced and enjoyed, particularly in the coastal regions of Southeastern U.S.

Colonial Beach Community Foundation will host the annual Northern Neck Beach Music Festival, including shag dance lessons and a shag dance contest, in the Town of Colonial Beach, Virginia, on Town Hill.

“I am excited to share my love of beach music and shag dance with the region, and am thrilled that it is happening this fall,” says Festival Chair Joyce Gunderson, who has hosted the Rhondels at private parties and events.

Proceeds benefit the non-profit Colonial Beach Community Foundation, which raises funds for community projects and to enhance the quality of life for local residents.

Guests are encouraged to bring their dancing shoes and a chair. No outside food or beverages. Sponsorships, VIP tickets and lodging packages are available by contacting beachmusiccbva@gmail.com.