VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —The Something in the Water (SITW) music festival, created by Virginia Beach native and music superstar Pharrell Williams, will not take place in April in Virginia Beach.
The city is moving on from hosting the festival after organizers failed to announce a lineup and commence ticket sales by the Monday deadline set by city leaders.
A city spokesperson confirmed with WTKR minutes before 5 p.m. Monday that they hadn't received any updates from organizers regarding the lineup and tickets.
The city also released the following statement:
"While the City values the positive impact and visibility the Something in the Water festival has had on Virginia Beach in years past, regretfully, organizers did not meet the cure notice requirements in terms of next steps. The SITW team will receive an official termination notice from the city. As a result, city staff will begin alternative plans for the weekend of April 26-27. We remain optimistic about future opportunities to work with the SITW team."
Last Tuesday, frustrated leaders gave SITW organizers a final ultimatum, insisting that the lineup and tickets be made available by the close of business Monday.
City leaders had previously backed off missed deadlines but decided to send organizers a notice of breach following a lack of substantial updates from organizers.
The initial deadline to drop the festival's lineup and start ticket sales was Dec. 31, as outlined in a sponsorship agreement between organizers and the city.
SITW organizers have not yet issued a statement about the city's most recent actions.
Something in the Water History
Something in the Water was started in 2019 to take place at the end of April, which was known as College Beach Weekend in Virginia Beach.
The first year of the festival was considered a great success.
The pandemic led to the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021.
Pharrell then decided to move the festival to Washington, D.C., in 2022, following concerns over city leadership at the time.
In 2023, it returned to Virginia Beach but got off to a delayed start on the first day and was canceled on the third day due to weather.
In late 2023, festival organizers said they planned to move SITW from April 2024 to October 2024 in an effort to avoid bad weather.
In September 2024, Pharrell announced the festival was postponed and moved to April 2025.
In a November 2024 meeting, Virginia Beach Mayor Robert Dyer expressed his frustration with SITW organizers.
"I am not a happy camper," Mayor Dyer said. "Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. This is what I consider a culture of arrogance and disrespect for this council and the people of Virginia."
Dyer said he was "very angry" and gave the organizers until the end of business on Friday, Nov. 1, to sign a contract with the city.
Robby Wells, the executive producer for the event, assured Mayor Dyer that organizers of the event, including Virginia Beach's own Pharrell Williams, are not trying to mislead the city, but there are a lot of moving parts.
“Heartbreaking is the word that’s coming to mind. I’m sure there’s a more eloquent way to say it—when the vibe is arrogance because that’s definitely not the intent,” said Wells.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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