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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 […]
Mighty Dream Day 1 focuses on diversity, equity
Grammy winning music superstar Pharrell Williams put on his business hat Tuesday in Norfolk, welcoming attendees to his Mighty Dream forum, which he likened to an event like the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “but for marginalized communities.” The three-day forum kicked off with spoken-word poetry and a mighty boom of drums and crash […]
Pharrell urges Norfolk to speed up Military Circle development
During a news conference before his three-day Mighty Dream forum kicked off Tuesday, music superstar Pharrell Williams said he is waiting for Norfolk to officially approve his development team’s Wellness Circle project at Military Circle Mall, noting, “I’ve been told many times that we won it. … You have to ask the city. The ball’s […]
Pharrell’s Mighty Dream forum coming to Norfolk Nov. 1-3
Executives from Google, H&M, Universal Music Group, Yelp and McDonald’s will join Grammy winner Pharrell Williams Nov. 1-3 in Norfolk for his Mighty Dream forum, a sequel to last fall’s Elephant in the Room event. Along with panel discussions and networking events focused on making work and business opportunities more equitable and supporting and growing […]
Vantage point
Norfolk leaders have high hopes for redevelopment projects that will reposition older properties — from an aging mall to an underused marine terminal — to better match modern market demands. “We are always asking, ‘What can we do that allows for some sort of creative transformation to actually happen?’” says Sean Washington, the city’s acting […]
TOP FIVE STORIES AUGUST 2022
The top trending stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from July 15 to Aug. 14 were led by an exclusive update on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront surf park, which is being developed by music icon Pharrell Williams and Venture Realty Group. 1 | A new look at Va. Beach’s Atlantic Park Starting construction in October or November, […]
Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall headed for wrecking ball
Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall will close by the end of the year to make way for its demolition in the first quarter of 2023. The decision to close the mall came after Norfolk Economic Development Authority members toured the aging facility on Wednesday, Norfolk Economic Development Director Jared Chalk told Virginia Business. EDA members voted […]
Creating community vibes
In Virginia Beach, most tourists flock to the Oceanfront. But just a couple blocks west, you’ll find an area that feels a little more artsy and a lot more local. In the 15-block ViBe Creative District, situated between the Virginia Beach Convention Center and the Oceanfront, coffee shops and restaurants operate out of former industrial […]
A new look at Va. Beach’s Atlantic Park
The $350 million Atlantic Park surf park development planned for Virginia Beach‘s Oceanfront will start construction in October or early November, developers told Virginia Business this week. Virginia Beach-based Venture Realty Group also shared new renderings of the project, which Venture has been co-developing with music icon and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams. In planning stages[...]
FOR THE RECORD JUNE 2022
CENTRAL Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. asked the State Corporation Commission for permission in early May to increase Virginia residential customer bills by about $9 a month to account for rising fuel prices. According to federal data, Virginia already has high electric bills. Dominion cited dramatic increases in fuel prices stemming from the pandemic, inflation and […]
A diversified portfolio
In a city where tourism reigns, nothing could be more welcome than a post-pandemic world. And though we’re not quite there yet, Virginia Beach is licking its chops over the prospect of maskless visitors pouring into town. The city, with fingers crossed in hopes that new coronavirus variants don’t arrive before the tourists do, is […]
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 […]
