Your Weekend Guide to Hampton

This weekend in Hampton, Virginia brings 9 live events across the city — from community to sports to festival. 8 events are free. Here's what's on.

Hampton holds a peculiar and glorious place in live music lore: the Hampton Coliseum, the flying-saucer-shaped arena fans call the Mothership, hosted legendary Grateful Dead runs and remains a beloved stop for Phish and major tours. The Hampton Jazz Festival, running since 1968, brings a stacked weekend of jazz, soul, and R&B to the Coliseum each June. The American Theatre in the old Phoebus neighborhood presents intimate performances in a restored 1908 vaudeville house, and the city's waterfront festivals — including a pirate-themed celebration honoring Blackbeard's local demise — keep the harbor lively through the warm months.