The City of Virginia Beach has voted to change the curfew for residents under the age of 18. The curfew, formerly 11PM, has been adjusted to 10PM. The curfew will be enforced from 10PM to 5AM citywide, and the Oceanfront curfew will be from 7PM to 5AM.
“I think changing the curfew to an earlier time makes sense, considering the unfortunate incidents that have happened at night recently in Virginia Beach,” said junior Massimiliano Viscardi.
This change is dedicated to “maintaining a safe, welcoming environment for residents and visitors throughout the year,” according to Virginia Beach City Communications. “The goal is to reduce late‑night incidents involving minors and promote a safer, family‑friendly environment. This proactive measure supports public safety and helps maintain Virginia Beach’s standing as one of the safest large cities in the country.”
Many Virginia Beach natives avoid certain areas when the sun sets, as it’s known to be potentially “unsafe” during nighttime hours. The most widely known area to avoid at night is the Oceanfront. Many bars and restaurants attract large crowds, which has unfortunately led to unsafe situations at closing times. Most notable have been the recent gun-related incidents, including one that resulted in six injuries. All victims were legal adults; however, the threat of late-night violence has been deemed enough to extend the curfew to an earlier hour. The surge in gun violence within Virginia Beach has worried many citizens, students, and parents included.
“It’s really scary, it seems like it’s become concerningly common with people our age to possess guns because they think it’s ‘cool.’ They think they’re something because they have a gun. If you say the wrong thing, these same people feel the need to respond aggressively,” said junior Ari Roberts.
Within the first weeks the current curfew went into effect, there were 37 arrests of juveniles violating said curfew, striking down any insinuations that the police do not or will not regularly enforce this city-wide rule.
“I think it’s a good idea for the curfew to be super early on the Oceanfront, but I’m unsure how many arrests it will take for teenagers to fully get the memo,” said junior Helsa Sokpoh.
Virginia Beach City Police began enforcing the new curfew March 19th, 2026. According to an interview conducted by WTKR, Police Chief Paul Neudigate stated, “We know a lot of [violence] occurs at the Oceanfront and what we would like to do is use that as a deterrent to break up those large crowds because we have a host of other issues.”
Despite the loss of “late-night fun,” students we talked to hope for a safer Virginia Beach, not only for those under the age of 18, but for its adult citizens as well.
