Call it a homecoming or a full-circle moment. Whatever you call it, country singer-songwriter Ashley Anne’s performance at the 2026 Patriotic Festival is something special for this Virginia Beach native.
“I’m totally excited about it,” Ashley Anne said in a phone interview ahead of the May 22 performance at Scope Arena. “It’s mostly because of growing up and going to these concerts…that’s where I was so inspired by all of these country music artists who were coming in. It’s where I had these epiphany moments like, “Oh, my gosh, I want to do that.”
The 757 native grew up attending the Patriotic Festival back when it was held at the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach. Now, she’ll take the stage herself at Norfolk Scope, opening for Zach Top on Friday night in what she calls the biggest performance of her career so far.
“Playing any venue is cool, but playing a venue that I grew up going to and telling myself I wanted to be on that stage is so special,” she said.
For Ashley Anne, it’s a surreal moment.
“I have been playing clubs and theaters for four years now,” she said. “I didn’t even (imagine) an arena anytime soon.”
The Scope performance will see on the biggest stage of her performing life, so far.
Opening for Zach Top
Country fans can expect a substantial 40-minute set, with Ashley Anne songs from her songs from her new project, “Generational Heartbreak,” and she plans to include a few surprises, including a select few covers.
Ashley’s sound draws from a wide mix of influences, from ABBA to Dolly Parton to the Beach Boys, and her music is shaped both by her coastal upbringing and her family life.
“My taste is so diverse,” she said. “My grandpa raised me on old Country and Western. Growing up in a beach town, everybody’s playing Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band on the boats. I always say divorced dad rock is what we grew up on in the house.”
The summer holds more festival performances for her, and, hopefully, a tour in fall. For now, Ashley Anne says songwriting remains at the center of everything she does.
“I feel like I was a songwriter first,” she said. “Songwriting has always been a coping mechanism for me and a way to kind of wrap my head around what I can’t understand.”
Ashley Anne says honesty has become a defining part of her music, even as she works in Nashville’s highly polished songwriting world.
“I definitely have stood really strong in the fact that there are certain things I will and won’t say,” she said. “I think that’s why the music is so cohesive, because it’s very autobiographical.”
For this Coastal Virginia native, returning to her home region carries a special weight.
When asked what her 16-year-old self would say to her 22-year-old self, she says, “I feel like she would probably say, like, ‘already? Like, you’re already doing this at 22 years old?
“I’ve been building this for longer than just the years that I’ve been in Nashville,” she said. “I feel like it’s been my whole life leading up to this moment.”
The Patriotic Festival runs May 22-24, 2026 at Scope Arena. Learn more and discover more things to do in Norfolk over Memorial Day weekend. Purchase tickets here.
