Farm Aid 2026

Farm Aid VB Logo

For the third concert season in a row, Tidewater Compost is proud to support sustainability efforts at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, and September gave us the opportunity to be part of something especially meaningful:
Farm Aid 2026!

Farm Aid brought roughly 20,000 people to Virginia Beach for a day of music, food, and celebration centered around the family farmers who feed our communities. The annual festival helps fund Farm Aid’s year-round work supporting family farmers and building a stronger, more resilient food and farming system.

Our work went far beyond festival day. Tidewater Compost provided week-long composting services for Farm Aid support staff at both the amphitheater and their home base at the Holiday Inn Virginia Beach–Norfolk Conference Center before taking on composting operations for the festival itself. With food served on certified compostable serviceware including plates, containers, cups, and cutlery, there was an incredible opportunity to keep valuable organic material out of the landfill.

And the final result was HUGE: more than 6 TONS of compostable material diverted in just one week!

Instead of being sent to the landfill, those food scraps and certified compostable products are now being processed into nutrient-rich local compost that will return to our community to nourish gardens, rebuild soils, and support future growing projects.

From the farmers who grow our food to the compost that helps grow the next crop, we couldn't think of a more fitting way to close the loop.

The entire Farm Aid experience was incredibly inspiring, and we’re forever grateful to have played a small part in such a meaningful event. Most of all, we’re honored to now consider ourselves part of the Farm Aid family and look forward to carrying the spirit of the festival—and its support for farmers, healthy soil, and strong local food systems—with us for years to come.