Norfolk NATO Festival (1953-) | Sargeant Memorial Collection

Name: Norfolk NATO Festival (1953-)

Historical Note: The Norfolk NATO Festival began in 1953 as the International Azalea Festival, with main events held at the city's expanded Azalea Garden (now Norfolk Botanical Garden). The Festival soon became associated with NATO, which had established an Atlantic headquarters in Norfolk in the early 1950s. Festival queens were selected from various NATO member countries, and annual Festival events had member-country themes. Notable American queens included Linda Baines Johnson, Tricia Nixon, and Susan Ford. The event was renamed the Norfolk NATO Festival in 2010. It remains the longest-running festival in Virginia.

Records or Manuscript Collections Created by Norfolk NATO Festival