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The 2019 Something in the Water festival was “by far” the biggest event ever staged at Virginia Beach, says John Zirkle, president of the city’s hotel association. Photo courtesy city of Virginia Beach
Jan 22, 2025

Va. Beach gives Something in the Water 5-day deadline over contract breach

After receiving a brief reprieve, the clock is ticking for organizers for Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water music festival. Organizers were given five days to make significant progress in meeting Virginia Beach‘s requirements for a lineup of performers and a start to ticket sales, city officials decided Tuesday. If organizers do not meet the […]

Pharrell Williams performs on the second night of the 2023 Something in the Water festival. Photo by Heather Cromartie, courtesy Something in the Water
Jan 7, 2025

Something in the Water gets extension from Va. Beach

Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival got a bit of a break Tuesday from Virginia Beach City Council members, who agreed to give the Virginia Beach-born music and fashion maven more time to fulfill an overdue part of the festival’s contract with the city. City Council voted 8-2 Tuesday to indefinitely defer an earlier […]

Mar 14, 2024

Artists pull out of SXSW over Army, RTX involvement

Dozens of bands and solo musicians boycotted Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest (SXSW) festival this week in protest against the Department of Defense’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza. Among SXSW’s sponsors this year are the U.S. Army and Arlington County-based aerospace and defense contractor RTX, which makes weapons and other equipment used by Israel’s […]

The Blue Ridge Rock Festival generated $480,000 in local taxes for Halifax County in 2022. Photo courtesy Green Light Communications
Aug 30, 2023

Blue Ridge festival rocks on — for now

UPDATED SEPT. 11: The Blue Ridge Rock Festival was canceled on Sept. 9 due to severe weather, including storms and hail. The festival’s organizers said they would provide refund details early during the week of Sept. 11. The Blue Ridge Rock Festival is on track to sell out this year, with organizers expecting more than […]

Jun 29, 2023

FloydFest cancelation causes economic ripples

FloydFest, a five-day celebration showcasing more than 100 performers, has had an annual regional economic impact of about $4 million since its 2002 founding, according to festival organizers. Even so, county officials and local business owners seem to be taking a “c’est la vie” attitude to the cancelation in April of this year’s FloydFest, which […]

Pharrell Williams performs on the second night of the 2023 Something in the Water festival. Photo by Heather Cromartie, courtesy Something in the Water
May 30, 2023

Something in the Water brings crowds back to beach

Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Water made a splashy comeback to Virginia Beach from April 28-30, although wind and rain delayed the music festival‘s start, and lightning and a tornado watch canceled the entire last day. Organizers promised attendees a one-third refund for tickets, which sold for $125 to $600. Williams, a Virginia Beach native, […]

Apr 28, 2023

Va. Beach uses SITW festival to woo business

It’s not every week that international fashion brand Louis Vuitton creates a pyramid on the sand at Virginia Beach‘s Oceanfront.   And that kind of buzz that music superstar Pharrell Williams is bringing to his hometown with his Something in the Water this weekend is something the city’s economic development officials are hoping to capitalize on […]

The 2019 Something in the Water festival was “by far” the biggest event ever staged at Virginia Beach, says John Zirkle, president of the city’s hotel association. Photo courtesy city of Virginia Beach
Jan 30, 2023

It’s back!

Of all those whom Pharrell Williams has made happy, Virginia Beach government officials and business owners could be at the top of the list with the return of the music superstar’s Something in the Water this spring. Williams’ three-day music festival debuted in April 2019 at the Oceanfront and was a smash hit, with 25,000 […]

Pharrell Williams announced on Nov. 2, 2022, that his Something in the Water music festival will return to Virginia Beach in 2023. L to R: Williams; Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Taylor Adams; City Manager Patrick Duhaney; Councilman Aaron Rouse; and Mayor Bobby M. Dyer. Photo by Mark Rhodes
Nov 2, 2022

Something in the Water will return to Va. Beach in 2023

Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Wednesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will again be held in Virginia Beach on April 28-30, 2023, after the festival moved to Washington, D.C., this summer. The inaugural Something in the Water festival was held on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in […]

Oct 28, 2022

ABC license spikes biz in Norton

Participants in Southwest Virginia’s fourth High Knob Outdoor Fest rode mountain bikes, hiked nature trails and floated down the Clinch River, but many also sipped beer and wine in Norton’s new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). The DORA designation from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority lets adult customers buy drinks from ABC-licensed establishments within [&[...]

Graphic courtesy Something in the Water
Apr 26, 2022

Something in the Water officially heads to D.C.

Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will be held in June in Washington, D.C., making its departure from Virginia Beach official. Scheduled for June 17-19 on Independence Avenue, the three-day festival includes a long list of pop and hip-hop artists, including […]

Something in the Water festival logo
Mar 13, 2020

Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival canceled due to coronavirus

Virginia Beach‘s Something in the Water 2020 festival has been canceled due to the growing coronavirus crisis. It will return on April 23-25, 2021, according to organizers. The brainchild of Grammy-winning musician and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams, the festival premiered in spring 2019, selling 35,000 tickets and drawing crowds of 12,000 to 15,000 people […]

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