Norfolk NATO Festival

The , formerly the International Azela Festival, has taken place in Virginia each spring since 1951 and is the longest continually running festival in the Hampton Roads Region. The Norfolk NATO Festival highlights Norfolk's role as the North American Headquarters of NATO and fosters cultural exchange and appreciation of NATO allies.[1] The is a celebration and reflection of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries and the bond they have. Member nations are on display through the kickoff parade, NATO village, kids zone, music, performances and food. Attendees learn about each culture and its history.

The Norfolk NATO Festival's highlight is the annual Parade of Nations, the longest continuous parade in Hampton Roads and the only Parade in the United States honoring NATO. Over 100 Parade Units with local and visiting high school bands, US and International Military bands, and colorful floats which represent each of the 29 NATO member nations and their respective armed forces, are featured. Local community organization and Festival partners are also featured. This event is located at Town Point Park, Norfolk, Virginia.[2] The civil-military parade and pageant involves a cast of over 800 artists from many different countries,[3] and has over 28,000 people attending every year, including over 12,000 area students at the annual student matinees.

The Flag Raising ceremony is a cultural sampling of music and a colorful display of NATO Member National flags and uniforms in this military presentation representing all 29 NATO member nations. Each Nation's representative will present the national flag, while a portion of their national anthem is performed by the United States Fleet Forces Band. This custom was not observed in the 2022 flag raising, where only the NATO hymn and US national anthem were played.

In 1971, Winston Churchill's granddaughter Arabella, then public relations trainee for the international leprosy charity Lepra, declined an invitation to be Britain's "Azalea Queen" at the NATO Festival in Norfolk, Virginia. In doing so, she made public her opposition to the Vietnam War.[4] To the organisers she wrote: "My grandfather used the phrase 'The Iron Curtain'. It seems to be that what is facing us all now is the final curtain. The defence systems of the great powers are mutually infectious".[5] Her family were not understanding: "My mother was saying: 'Darling, can't I just say you've had a nervous breakdown?'" "The whole thing", she recalled, "was a nightmare. I felt I had let the family down. I felt I wanted to be a hippy".[5]

References

  1. ^ "The Norfolk International Azalea Festival Honors NATO". Library of Congress. 2000.
  2. ^ "ABA RELEASES 2008 LIST OF TOP INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN EVENTS". 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  3. ^ "Hamptonroads.com".
  4. ^ "Arabella Churchill". The Times Online. London. 2007-12-22. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  5. ^ a b "Arabella Churchill". The Telegraph. London. 2007-12-22. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-22.

https://www.vafest.org/norfolk-nato-festival/

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