The Virginia Arts Festival was established in 1997 as a cultural tourism initiative by the city of Norfolk to promote travel to Hampton Roads. Each spring, internationally acclaimed artists from around the globe team up with the best of the region's own professional arts organizations to present a dazzling lineup of music, theatre and dance. Truly a regional collaboration, Festival events now take place in ten cities across Hampton Roads in concert halls, performing arts centers, opera houses, theatres, museums, outdoor stages, and historic churches, all within a 60-minute drive. Now in its eleventh season, the Festival has established itself as one of the premier cultural events in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.