The three-day music festival in Vineyard Haven known as Beach Road Weekend is moving to July.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, selectmen unanimously approved moving the festival to July 24, 25, and 26. The board took no action on a request to reserve Veterans Memorial Park for July 22 for an outdoor showing of “Jaws,” the menacing shark movie that features Martha’s Vineyard prominently as the fictional Amity Island.
Adam Epstein, the festival promoter and a seasonal Vineyard resident, was not at the meeting.
“We will be going live with early-bird special packages early tomorrow morning,” Epstein told The Times by phone Wednesday night. “We have a whole range of hotels that have come on board, and we’re very excited to be doing this in July.”
On Friday, Island hotels started reaching out to customers with those packages. A dozen hotels are listed, including Mansion House and Nobnocket Inn, Harbor View Hotel, and Summercamp, among others. The deals include room and three-day packages for the festival.
The Beach Road weekend website lists three-day packages for tickets only from $295 for general admission to $1,000 for a VIP package. There is an early-bird special for general admission of $225, according to the site.
Customers and Island businesses asked to have the festival in July, Epstein said. “After factoring in all other festivals and traffic in the Northeast, this one was the best for us to be successful,” he said. The date keeps it away from high-profile festivals in Newport, the Falmouth Road Race, and the Island’s Ag Fair.
“This is about being part of the community,” he said. “We’re relishing the opportunity of doing it at a time to drive traffic to the Island to help businesses and rental units.”
Epstein understands the sports programs that use the park will be disappointed.
“The park is meant for public use, and we brought a lot of public to the park, and they enjoyed it,” he said. “We reinvested back into the park, and delivered a field that looks as good or better than it did before the festival.”
