Thank you for joining The Virginia Beer Co. for our 2-year anniversary celebration! We can’t wait to host you for beers & cheers throughout Waypost Week, and we hope that Saturday’s all day brewery block party will be the second of many annual celebrations of local flavors – local sounds. Gates open at 12 pm and Music begins at 2 pm. Event is rain or shine! Below you will find all of the information regarding entry to 3/24’s Music Festival!
Entry – Pre-Purchased:
- If you’ve purchased your tickets online, you have purchased entry to Saturday’s festival! In an effort to save our trees, there is no need to print anything out.
- We have a live record of everyone who has pre-paid for tickets. All you need for entry on Saturday is an ID matching the name of the purchaser for each set of tickets.
- We will have an Advance Tickets Purchase check-in at the right of the gate when you arrive and we will be handing out wrist bands, glassware, maps, and beer tickets upon arrival.
- Event is rain or shine – the Beer Garden & Beer Garden Stage are already tented, and we will tent the Festival Stage in the brewery rear and a large portion of the parking lot if inclement weather is expected!
Entry – At The Door:
- We will be selling additional entry tickets at the door! If you have friends/family who do not have tickets, they may purchase entry upon arrival.
- $12: Standard (21-) ticket for entry, wristband, glass, and beer ticket.
- $5: DD / Under 21 ticket for entry.
- Please Note: For everyone who is receiving a Standard (21-) ticket that includes glassware and a beer ticket, we will need to see an ID for each ticket to verify everyone receiving a glass is at least 21 years of age.
- Please make sure everyone who plans to retrieve tickets purchased under their name brings a valid photo ID with the same name, and that everyone in your group who will be receiving a 21- ticket brings their own valid photo ID to verify an age of 21-.
- Event is rain or shine – the Beer Garden & Beer Garden Stage are already tented, and we will tent the Festival Stage in the brewery rear and a large portion of the parking lot if inclement weather is expected!
Parking:
- On 3/24 the entire brewery property (parking lot included) will be roped off for maximum beers & cheers! We have a number of nearby spillover parking options arranged for convenient access to the property.
- A shuttle (courtesy of Taste Virginia Tours) will be running from a pick-up point (denoted by signs and striped fire lanes) at the corner of the James-York Plaza off of Merrimac Trail / Rte. 143 at 603 Merrimac Trail from just before Noon until 9:30 pm.
- Just look for the Taste Virginia Tours bus at the pick-up location and hop on when it returns from dropping fellow Waypost guests at the brewery every few minutes!
- Parking is conveniently located around the pick-up location:
- All Day: Satellite parking is available at the James-York Plaza (603 Merrimac Trail) in the spaces adjacent to (but not in front of) Shorty’s Diner and throughout the Plaza.
- All Day Spillover Parking: Additional satellite parking is available in the adjacent shopping center by Sherwin-Williams (457 Merrimac Trail), Family Dollar (461 Merrimac Trail), and Aaron’s (471 Merrimac Trail).
- There is a sidewalk that can be followed via short walk from the Spillover Lot to the shuttle pick-up location at 603 Merrimac Trail (walking directions). Just follow the signs along the sidewalk to the pick-up area!
- Starting at 2 pm: When Shorty’s Diner (627 Merrimac Trail) closes for the day, they have agreed to let us use their lot and surrounding spaces for additional parking.
- See the below image for a bird’s eye view of our spillover parking lots and shuttle pick-up location.
- Please Note: Our neighbors are aware of our festivities but if you park in the lot of a neighboring business that is open for business or you block an entry at a business lot (such as the wooden gate next door at Ebby’s) you may be towed!
- DO NOT park in the Auto Zone (601 Merrimac Trail) lot or the George Washington Inn & Conference Center (500 Merrimac Trail). The owners of these businesses will tow non-customers/guests!
Walking:
- As there are no crosswalks near our facility, we highly recommend NOT WALKING if you are parking at the above locations.
- The shuttle service will be running the entire event every 5 minutes or less, so we ask that you let Taste Virginia Tours get you safely to/from the anniversary party!
- If you choose to ignore this recommendation and decide on your own to cross the street, please be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when crossing the road.
- Again, we strongly discourage walking if you park across the street. If you do decide to do so, this path and this path at stoplights provide your easiest method for crossing the street.
- Fingers crossed for a beautiful day on Saturday, and we are an easy walk from Colonial Williamsburg (directions here)!
Public Transportation:
- We have alerted Cardinal Cabs of Williamsburg to our festivities and they will have taxis at the ready! Phone: 757.345.5557
- The easiest drop-off point is the Speedway (395 Second Street) located next to the brewery.
- Uber & Lyft are now options in Williamsburg! If you are a first time rider, use the promo code at this link (for Uber) and this link (for Lyft) to get discounts on your rides!
- The easiest drop-off point is the Speedway (395 Second Street) located next to the brewery.
- WATA has two bus stops on the Orange Line near the shuttle pick-up and runs from 6 am – 9 pm on Saturday.
- Outbound Stop #10 stops right across from the Spillover Lot near Sherwin-Williams. Follow the signs along the sidewalk to the shuttle pick-up at James-York Plaza!
- Inbound Stop #14 stops in James-York Plaza. Simply walk to the corner of James-York Plaza off of Merrimac Trail / Rte. 143 and look for the Taste Virginia Tours bus (pick-up location denoted by signage and striped fire lanes).
Glassware & Beer Tickets:
- Every Standard (21-) ticket comes with a commemorative glass and one beer ticket.
- Beer tickets may be exchanged for one pour (8 oz. for high alcohol beers or 13 oz. for low alcohol beers).
- Additional beer tickets ($5/ticket) may be purchased after entry at stations located throughout the brewery property (see attached map, which will also be provided upon entry).
- We will have rinse stations around the property so please hold on to your glass!
- In order to make sure that only those who are 21- are able to purchase beers, we can only provide one glass per 21- ticket.
- If a glass is broken, we can provide a replacement glass for $5. Please note that 21- ticket holders will have wristbands designating their age.
- If anyone who is not wearing a 21- wristband is found with a beer we will have to ask them to leave, per VA ABC law.
Re-Entry:
- Once you have checked in at the gate, you will be given a wristband designating your ticket purchase (ie, Standard, Under 21, Designated Driver).
- Please do not remove your wristband!
- Staff will be monitoring the crowd to ensure that only those who with 21- wristbands are sampling beers.
- Again, 21- ticket holders will be given wristbands designating their age. If anyone who is not wearing a 21- wristband is found with a beer we will have to ask them to leave, per VA ABC law.
- Equally important: wristbands guarantee re-entry!
- If you need to leave for any reason (such as taking to-go beer to your car), showing your wristband at the gate will permit re-entry from open until close.
Chairs:
- We will be placing tables and chairs throughout the property. If you would like to bring folding chairs, please feel free to do so!
- We ask that you limit these items just to chairs – no tables or oversized umbrellas will be permitted that may obstruct the view of other guests or access to the various stations set up around the property.
Outside Food/Drink:
- We kindly ask that you do not bring any outside food or drink with you on Saturday.
- We will have FOUR food trucks serving from open to close (12-9 pm), and we’ll have a bevy of beer and non-alcoholic beverage options available for purchase!
- No coolers will be permitted into the festival. If you plan to purchase bottles or cans, please do so when departing or feel free to take to-go package back to your car. Your wristband guarantees you re-entry!
- Per VA ABC law we are not permitted to allow additional alcoholic beverages on the property, so with the large crowd expected we are not able to permit coolers as a precautionary measure.
Pets:
- This year we will be allowing pets to partake in Waypost festivities!
- If you decide to bring a furry friend, please plan to keep them leashed the entire time.
- Due to the increased crowd capacity, we ask that you please plan to keep pets outdoors as the taproom may get crowded as the primary location for ordering beer.
Smoking:
- We have a designated smoking area set up at the rear of the property (see attached map) and kindly ask that any smoking/vaping of any kind take place only in that area.
To-Go Beer:
- No container (eg, Growler, Crowler) fills will be offered on Saturday due to the high volume of people expected. Please plan your fills for Friday (discounted fills from 12-3 pm) & Sunday (specials on 3-packs of Crowlers from 12-7 pm)!
- We will have a station set up in the brewery for to-go purchases of packaged beer & merch.
- Unfortunately we can’t store purchases throughout the day, so please plan to purchase your beer as you plan your departure, or feel free to leave with your to-go purchases and re-enter with your wristband.
- We are not able to allow access to the property with to-go beers as any beer purchased to-go must be consumed off-site, per VA ABC law. Any beers purchased to-go must leave the property upon purchase.
We look forward to a fun and safe celebration of all the things we love here at 401 Second Street with all the people who’ve supported us through this milestone. Thank you again for your support and we look forward to raising a glass with you on Saturday, 3/24!
For information about beer tappings – musical lineups, please reference the lineup card you will receive upon entry to the festival and check the live event on our Facebook page!
Questions? Don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] or call us at 757.378.2903.