The 5th Anniversary Gala
Bag's Big Bash 2026
Friday · October 9, 2026 · Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club
SOLD OUT
Tickets are currently sold out. Join the Eventbrite waitlist to be notified if seats become available.
Celebrate five years of Bag's legacy with an evening of dinner, dancing, and giving back to the Virginia Beach community he loved.
Cocktails 5:00 PM · Dinner 6:30 PM · Dance floor 8:00 PM
Ticket Update
The Bash is currently sold out.
Tickets are currently sold out. Join the waitlist through Eventbrite and we'll reach out if seats become available.
Group seating is available if you purchase a table of 10 — please contact gala@bagsbuddies.org for more information.
Attire
This is your perfect excuse to dress to impress! While you're more than welcome to go full black-tie, sharp suits and elegant cocktail dresses are absolutely perfect, too.
Friday · October 9 · 2026
Why We Gather
One night. A year of impact.
Bag's Big Bash honors the life and legacy of Captain John "Bag" Hefti, USN — F-14 pilot, TOPGUN graduate, and lifelong competitor who believed sports build the discipline, grit, and teamwork that carry kids for life. Every dollar raised covers registration fees, equipment, and travel for young athletes in Virginia Beach rec center sports, J&A Starting Strides, and Navy MWR youth baseball — so no kid sits out for lack of money — and funds scholarships for graduating seniors at six Virginia Beach high schools and Woodbridge High School, Bag's alma mater — more than $36,000 awarded this year alone.
Five Years of Bag's Buddies
Giving in 2026 — Our Biggest Year Ever
Five years in, and we've never had more to celebrate. This year Bag's Buddies will give more than $50,000 — a single year equal to half of everything we gave in our first four years combined. That's more kids in the game, more scholars on their way, and more of Bag's legacy at work in Virginia Beach.
And we're just getting started.
Live On Stage
Snackbar Jones
Virginia Beach favorites Snackbar Jones take the stage when the dance floor opens at 8 — playing until close at 10 PM.
The Evening Flow
Your flight plan for the night
5:00 PM
Cocktails
Sunset over Linkhorn Bay, drinks on the waterfront
6:30 PM
Dinner
Dinner and the evening program at the Cavalier
8:00 PM
Dance Floor Opens
Live music by Snackbar Jones until 10 PM — Bag would insist
Bid Big for the Kids
An auction worth the trip
T-6 Warbird Flights
Two rides in a WWII-era T-6 trainer — fly like Bag did
Vacation Packages
Multiple getaway packages to bid on — details revealed soon
Custom Surfboard
Shaped by local surfer Robert Wheldon, whose Wave Hunters boards are featured at Pungo Board House
Original Art
By acclaimed Outer Banks artist Mike Rowe
The silent auction is open to everyone at the Bash — full catalog coming soon.
With Gratitude
Thank you to our 2026 sponsors
Title Sponsor
Every Seat Funds a Season
Can't make it? You can still put a kid in the game.
Give to the 2026 Bash from anywhere. Your gift covers registration fees, equipment, and travel for a young athlete — or helps fund the next Bag's Buddies scholar.
Coming From Out of Town?
Where to stay
Stay with The Delta Hotel
Our sponsor and recommended home base for the weekend, minutes from the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. Make a Virginia Beach weekend of it.
- Group rate
- $199 per night
- Stay dates
- October 8–10, 2026
- Book by
- September 8, 2026
The group rate is subject to availability within the hotel's reserved room-block inventory.
Four Bashes In
Scenes from past years
