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Crowds flood the Oceanfront with ECSC underway

A large draw for the area, the yearly tradition is in full swing.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Thousands of people roamed the Virginia Beach Oceanfront strip and boardwalk Friday night to enjoy the great weather. 

This weekend, the 60th Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships (ECSC) is generating a lot of excitement.

"It's really fun this weekend because there's so much going on, surfing and volleyball and concerts," said Eric Emerson, director of operations for Chix on the Beach, The Shack and Waterman's Surfside Grille near Atlantic Avenue. 

Beach local Austin Martin said ECSC this year happened to fall on his daughter's birthday weekend.

"We're just observing the festival, all the music, enjoying the music. Now, we're out for dinner and got [my daughter] a t-shirt. We love it out here," he said.

Martin said it was busier than normal on Friday night. 

At Mahi's, a manager said Friday night has been the busiest so far since ECSC kicked off earlier in the week.

Back with Emerson, he explained that for them, the amount of business isn’t huge. 

"It’s not a monster day or weekend for us,” he said.

However, he mentioned why the event means so much to them. 

"The pandemic, other concerts moving and all sorts of stuff, it's been a long time and it's really cool to have something happening right here, behind Waterman's," said Emerson. 

He also said they're in for one more good weekend at the Oceanfront with Labor Day right around the corner.

Festivities for ECSC carry on until Sunday night. To see a full lineup and schedule, click here

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