Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 05:03:00

The NorVa is a 1,500-capacity live music venue at 317 Monticello Avenue in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. The name is a syllabic abbreviation of Norfolk, Virginia. The building originally opened on November 27, 1922, as a 2,000-seat motion picture and vaudeville theatre, serving as Norfolk's first true movie palace. It continued as a cinema into the 1970s before being converted into the Downtown Athletic Club from 1980 to 1998. The theatre reopened as a concert venue on April 28, 2000, with James Brown performing the inaugural show, after a renovation by local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel. The NorVa features three levels and approximately 1,500 standing-room capacity with excellent acoustics, high-tech sound and lighting, and an industrial interior while the exterior, including its marquee, retains its 1920s appearance. Unique backstage amenities include a hot tub, sauna, game room, and basketball court. The venue was acquired by Anschutz Entertainment Group in 2014 and hosts approximately 130 events annually with an attendance of around 94,000. The NorVa has become the defining concert venue for the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.