ViVa Vienna will celebrate four decades of food, carnival rides and charity when it returns this Memorial Day weekend.
Ahead of the festival’s annual take over of Church Street on May 25-27, the Vienna Town Council issued a proclamation on Monday (May 20) commemorating ViVa Vienna’s 40th anniversary and designating this coming Sunday (May 26) as ViVa Vienna Day.
“After 40 years, Viva Vienna remains a beloved annual tradition, a sustaining testimony to the unique and special community that is Vienna, Virginia,” Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said in the proclamation, which concluded by commending “all those who have served” the festival’s mission.
According to the proclamation, ViVa Vienna was conceived by the town and Vienna Chamber of Commerce as a Memorial Day-adjacent “hometown celebration” that would showcase local businesses and nonprofits and offer “an enjoyable day of food, rides, music and vendor booths.”
The inaugural event on Sunday, May 27, 1984 drew over 15,000 people and raised $2,500 to help children with disabilities attend Camp Virginia Jaycee, a long-running summer camp in Blue Ridge that permanently closed in 2017.
Since then, the festival has continued to donate all proceeds — totaling over $3 million, including about $230,000 from last year’s event — to both local and international charities selected by the Rotary Club of Vienna, which became the main sponsor and organizer in 1997.
“Every penny of it goes back to the community,” ViVa Vienna Festival General Chair Gunnar Spafford told the town council. “That’s 80% local — different charities around the town here — and then 20% international, so we have an impact truly around the world with the event we do here.”
Spafford added that, although the festival serves as a fundraiser with a goal of $250,000 for 2024, then-president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Bob Dix, envisioned it as something visitors could enjoy “without having to spend a dime.”
Admission remains free, as are the live performances on the Town Green stage. Entertainment is now also provided on a smaller stage near Lawyers Road, where musicians will jam out on Sunday and Monday this year.
The festival also expanded in 2022 to include a Brewfest showcasing local brewries and wineries, along with additional live music and food trucks. After previously being located in the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot, the 2024 Brewfest will be on Mill Street from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 2-6 p.m. on Monday.
Featuring Caboose Brewing Company and Settle Down Easy, the Brewfest area will be open to all, but an ID is required to purchase alcoholic drinks, which $7 each or $20 for three.
ViVa Vienna will kick off with the carnival rides, food court and entertainment at 10 a.m. on Saturday (May 25). Ride and drink tickets, including wristbands for one or three days of unlimited rides, can be purchased online.
Craft vendors will join the festivities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, with the rides operating until 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The festival closes at 6 p.m. Monday (May 27).
A full list of food and craft vendors, along with the entertainment schedule, can be found on the ViVa Vienna website.
The town will recognize Memorial Day with a ceremony on the Town Green (144 Maple Ave East) at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 27. Speakers will include U.S. Air Force General Kyle Robinson and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Reflecting on ViVa Vienna’s success, Spafford and Dix, who also attended the town council’s proclamation presentation, highlighted the contributions of past chamber of commerce and rotary club members, town leaders and staff, the festival’s sponsors and the general public.
When accepting the proclamation, Spafford recalled a moment he’ll “never forget” from his first year as chair of the festival.
“This 5-year-old little boy…looks up at his mom and goes, ‘This is the best day of my life,'” he said. “…Each and every one of us, by doing what we do with ViVa, are impacting kids, and I think it’s a great thing, so I’m looking forward to many more years, and I thank you for your support.”
