Record Store Day 2026 @ AFK Books & Records

Name: Record Store Day 2026 @ AFK Books & Records
Start: 2026-04-18T08:00:00-04:00
Location: 4801 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA, United States, Virginia 23455

Schedule

Sat, 18 Apr, 2026 at 08:00 am

UTC-04:00

Location

4801 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA, United States, Virginia 23455 | Virginia Beach, VA

Happy RSD 2026! All the first-come, first-served vinyl goodness you can eat! The artists and labels have again offered a truly amazing cornucopia of music this year and we're super-stoked to get them into your hands safely and expediently. Visit afkbooksandrecords.com for estimated pricing and to see what we have on order.
As always, everything is first-come, first-served on Saturday, April 18, and nothing can be held, preordered or otherwise reserved. We will be adding limited stock for purchase on this site starting on 4-19, but only after local customers have had first crack at ALL of that stock, in-store on the 18th.
We'll have an 8:00 AM kick-off which allows the early risers (and overnight campers) to get home a bit earlier to spin some hot wax and also gives us a chance to open up the bins to browsing earlier in the day.
We're gonna keep the flow similar to the events of the last few years as the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. If you've been to one of our events in the last few years, you already know the drill.
But... if you need a refresher, here ya go:

Step 1: If you're staking a claim before 6:00 AM, hop in line whenever the spirit moves you. Hang out. Chat up the other cool people in line with you. Bring an instrument. Bring a chair. Be joyful. Be kind.

Step 2: Around 6am, a bleary-eyed AFK lackey will arrive to hand out official “Quick Path” line placeholders, which will include your place in line, a group number and an estimated time of entry. There will be 20 folks assigned to each group. At that time you can head out to visit your favorite local breakfast joint. Note: If you show up between 6am-8am, just check in with the AFK door lackey who will give you your placeholder directly.
Step 3: At 7:45am a large window sign will be displayed stating that Group One should line up. Those folks will be escorted into the store, while maintaining the line. We will then rotate the line (think musical chairs without the angst) offering the first person in line their first pick and repeating throughout the line. We’ll do that UP to 20 times for each group, so everyone will have a chance to score up to 20 unique RSD items, while supplies last. There will be no browsing in the music sections until later in the morning. As soon as you’ve gotten what you came for you can check out. Sales begin at 8:00am.
Step 4: As Group One is being served we will display a sign for Group Two to begin lining up outside. After Group One has left the store we will repeat Step 3 for Group Two and repeat again until all groups have been served.
RSD 2026 FAQ
If I’m not there within 10 minutes of when my Quick Path Group number sign is posted, what happens?
You will need to take a new “Quick Path” placeholder at the end of the line.
How long after 6:00 AM will you be passing out official "Quick Path" entry passes?
Until we are done with that process and no longer have capacity issues. We anticipate that being between Noon & 1:00 PM.
I know I want XYZ record? Can you hold it for me for later pick-up?
Per the RSD pledge all participating stores have agreed that everything will remain first-come first-served until the dedicated RSD fans who came out early have been taken care of. Only AFTER ALL groups have been served, and not before, will AFK begin accepting holds via phone for in-store pickup later that day. To take advantage of that, a credit card payment will be required at time of hold.
I won’t be able to come in. Can you ship RSD goodness to me?
Per the RSD pledge, all participating stores have agreed we will not hold products for shipment until 8AM Sunday morning. If you’d like something shipped call after 10AM Sunday and we’ll do our best to take care of you.
But Mommy, I want more than 20 unique RSD records!
No problem, Violet. 🙂 If you’d like more RSD goodness, on your way out just ask for another “Quick Path” placeholder for a later group. This is the fairest approach to ensure everyone has a chance to get something they want. As always we’ll attempt to limit the purchase of individual RSD records to one per customer.
When can we browse?
We expect to be finished with the "Quick Path" process between Noon and 1:00 PM.
Can I pick up other non-RSD stuff that I already have on hold?
Sure. Just let us know as soon as you enter the store so we can start tracking that down for you.
I'd like to gander at the packaging before I buy. Can I do that?
Sure. We'll be conducting small "guided" tours between 6am and 7:30am where you can ask questions, inquire about quantities & prices and hold the records in your hot little hands.
How do we I know what you'll have?
We ordered 95% this year but most titles are limited so we won't know exactly what we'll get until a few days before the event. We always solicit customer input as soon as the list is announced and if you're the only one that requests a particular record, you can bet that we'll order at least two of that item, to increase your odds. (We're cool like that) That said there are 1,500 participating stores so if less than 1,500 are pressed there's always a possibility we'll only receive one. Check afkbooksandrecords.com for estimated pricing and quantities received, after the title (X). You'll see those start to populate in the week before RSD.
Will there be raffles?
Yes. We’ll raffle off a few cool items to each group, using the ever-reliable, D20. Monster Energy will be providing a guitar(!) for a group one raffle and prize packs for groups two and three, plus more swag and beverages. The Norva has also set-up up with fab ticket gives and several of our vendors also set us up with free vinyl to raffle off.
Will Jazz be there?
She wouldn't miss it for all the world (well maybe for a small piece of cheese).
Oi! I have a question that isn’t listed here.
Just give us a ring at 757-962-1996 or DM us on Facebook or IG.
Thanks for supporting record stores! You rock!