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May 22, 2012
OpSail 2012 | General Information
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 11, 2012
Welcome centers: The OpSail 2012 Virginia/ Harborfest welcome centers are in Town Point Park, historic Freemason District, NOAA, Front Street Park at Fort Norfolk and West Ghent Piers at MHI. Guest services include ATMs, lost and found, directions, information. Safety: Bikes, skateboards, roller skates, scooters, motorized vehicles of all types, glass bottles and pets (except designated for disability assistance) are not permitted within the festival boundaries. Bike racks are at the Main Street entrance to Town Point Park. First aid: First aid stations are available at each welcome center. Babies: Private areas for infant feeding and diaper changing are at the Town Point Park Welcome Center, Front Street Park at Fort Norfolk Welcome Center and West Ghent Piers at MHI Welcome Center. Guests with disabilities: Wheelchair-accessible portable bathrooms are on site. Special seating accommodations at all stages can be requested from event security or any uniformed staff member. Lost and found: Lost and found items can be reported at each of the welcome centers. Parents with lost children are also asked to check in with the welcome centers or the nearest uniformed police officer. No public address announcements regarding lost persons or items will be made during the event. Seating: Shaded seating is available at the Waterside Amphitheater, in the Boathouse within Town Point Park, Front Street Stage at Front Street Park and West Ghent Pier Pavilion at MHI. What you shouldn’t bring:
• No animals are allowed in the park, except for service animals.
• No video or photography during performances
• Use of umbrellas, chair umbrellas and chair canopies during performances is prohibited.
• Don’t bring portable tents or tables
• Don’t bring glass containers
• Don’t bring alcoholic beverages
• Skates, skateboards and bicycles are not permitted. What you should bring:
• Water in a nonglass container; beverages are also for sale
• Sunblock, hat, sunglasses
• Cooler, food; food is also for sale ATMs: ATMs will be within Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk, at Front Street Park at Fort Norfolk and at West Ghent Piers at MHI. Getting there:
By car: Town Point Park is on Waterside Drive in Norfolk, between the Waterside Festival Marketplace and Nauticus. From Interstate 64, take Interstate 264 west toward downtown Norfolk and exit left onto Waterside Drive. The park is about 1/2 mile ahead on the left. By boat: Town Point Park is at Mile Marker Zero on the Intracoastal Waterway on the Elizabeth River. Visit festeventsva.org or call 441-2345 for more information. By light rail: The Tide operates Monday through Thursday 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. More trains than usual will run during the following periods: • On Wednesday and Thursday, June 6 and 7, from 9:30 to 11 p.m.
• On Friday, June 8, from 9:30 p.m. until midnight.
• On Saturday, June 9, from 6 a.m. until midnight.
• On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are ticket vending machines at every station; cash-only hand ticket sales will be available at the Newtown Road, Military Highway, and EVMC/Fort Norfolk light rail stations and ferry passes will be available at the High Street ferry and North Landing docks, but you can buy electronic tickets for light rail in advance at gohrt.com. There is free parking at the Ballentine-Broad Creek, Military Highway and Newtown Road stations. Parking is free at the Harbor Park light rail lot Mon.-Fri.; on weekends it’s $5 for all day. Parking is free at the EVMC/Ft. Norfolk light rail station Monday-Thursday only from 6:00 p.m.–11:59 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. gohrt.com, 222-6100. By bike: Bike racks are at both entrance points to Town Point Park as well as at Front Street Park at Fort Norfolk and West Ghent Piers at MHI. Parking: There are more than 19,600 parking spaces in downtown Norfolk. A flat pre-pay rate of $5 will be in effect at all city parking garages and lots beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and continuing until 6 p.m. Sunday. On Saturday, parking at MacArthur Mall’s garages will be $2. Call 664-6222 or visit www.norfolk.gov/parking for more info. By bus: Several bus routes come within walking distance of the OpSail festivities, including routes 2, 6, 8, 16, 23, 44, 45, 960 and 961. 222-6100, gohrt.com for trip planning. The Free Way: Norfolk FREE WAY shuttle depot is at the Harbor Park station. Water transportation is available between Norfolk and Olde Town Portsmouth by ferry service or water taxi. There are also several different Harbor Cruise options available: • The HRT Elizabeth River Ferry travels from Norfolk to Portsmouth weekdays from 7:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. and weekends 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Ferries run every half hour, with 15-minute service during peak times. On Saturday night during OpSail, the large ferry • Carrie B will run until midnight. The fare is $1.50 each way per adult, 75 cents for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. 222-6100, www.gohrt.com • The Downtown Water Taxi operates between limited points on the Norfolk and Portsmouth waterfronts in the vicinity of Town Point Park. The fare is $6 for adults and $3 for children. 439-TAXI (8294) • The OpSail 2012 Virginia Water Shuttle will transport guests by boat to the primary Norfolk docking locations including Waterside Marina, Town Point Park, Freemason Harbor, Front Street Park at Fort Norfolk and West Ghent Piers at MHI. $6 for adults and $3 for children. opsail2012virginia.com • Harbor cruises: American Rover, 627-SAIL (7245), americanrover.com; Carrie B, 393-4735, carriebcruises.com; Spirit of Norfolk, 866-211-380, spiritcitycruises.com; Victory Rover, 627-7406, navalbasecruises.com Boater Information: VHF Marine Band Radio channel 72 will have current marine updates. The Captain of the Port can be contacted at 484-8192. Harborfest Safety Patrol Boats will monitor and assist boating activity. Docking: Docking along the downtown Norfolk waterfront without advance reservation is prohibited.
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