(Clearwisdom.net) The annual Virginia Beach Neptune Festival is an important event in Virginia Beach. A series of activities including sand volleyball, sand sculpture, music, and an art exhibition attracted numerous tourists from various places. The last weekend of the festival was the peak of the event. Many tourists watched the parade on September 30. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the parade again this year.
Falun Gong practitioners participate in the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Parade
It was the fourth consecutive year that Falun Gong practitioners have participated in the Neptune Festival Parade. The practitioners' procession in the last three years left a deep impression on the event organizers, tourists and local residents. The practitioners' procession this year was composed of a float and a waist drum team. They wore yellow costumes, which were very eye-catching under the sunshine. The practitioners' procession was unique amongst the almost one hundred groups in the parade. The float was decorated with lotus flowers, simple but unique. Several practitioners demonstrated the five-sets of exercises on the float, which caught the attention of spectators. The selection committee for best float said after seeing it, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" Before the start of the parade, a young girl ran to front of the float, stood below the banner worded "Falun Dafa" and asked her mother to take a photo. The waist drum team consisted of practitioners from the Washington DC area and North Carolina. Their performance was magnificent. Though their ages differed a lot, they coordinated and played well. Wherever the practitioners' procession moved, the spectators applauded warmly, and the practitioners responded with gentle smiles. Many audience members danced along with the music of "Falun Dafa is Good" and "Jubilation."
The peaceful and graceful performance of the practitioners left a deep impression on the audience. Several practitioners distributed fliers along the parade path, and many audience members accepted and read attentively. The audience members who learned the facts supported Falun Gong practitioners and condemned the Chinese Communist Party's persecution.
