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VIRGINIA BEACH — Star acts including Kid Cudi, Skrillex and Mumford & Sons are slated to take the stage late Friday on the opening night of Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water music festival.
But early in the day, it was the weather that had everyone talking.
Gates were set to open at noon Friday at the Oceanfront festival. But rain and high winds forced the festival to delay the opening.
Organizers have said they expect approximately 50,000 people to attend the three-day festival.
[ Guide for Something in the Water: Here’s what you need to know ]
Here are scenes from the day.
11:20 p.m.
After the first nine acts Friday night, there was a pause in the music. Both stages were silent.
Skrillex was scheduled to spin on the Solar stage at 10:20 p.m. and the bulk of the festival’s crowd packed one side of the beach waiting for the electronic dance music artist to start. Meanwhile, producer Kenny Beats started a mix of club bangers while a giant timer projected onto a massive screen started counting down to Skrillex: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Then the stage went dark.
A whining siren blasted over the beach while a dizzying display of white lights built anticipation. A looped robotic voice began, growing faster and faster, then — BAM! The beat dropped and dropped again, sped up and dropped again. Skrillex’s dubstep mastery got the crowd dancing.
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7 p.m.
Want to watch Something in the Water live? The festival can be viewed on YouTube here.
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6:20 p.m.
The dance competition finally got going at the 24th Street stage.
The first crews danced to songs by Portsmouth native Missy Elliott and Chris Brown, who was born in Tappahannock, while the panel of judges nodded along.
The dozen groups were vying for a $500 prize, but one judge announced he would add $500 of his money to the prize pool, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Another group performed a routine based on the 2004 teen comedy “Mean Girls,” complete with a Burn Book prop and Santa outfits.
After other routines set to songs such as Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and Ciara’s “Get Up,” and dancers performing on top of the sound monitors, judges awarded the top prize to Nurvouz Dance Team of Hampton.
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5:30 p.m.
The gates opened shortly after 5 p.m. with thousands of people streaming in from the shuttles and from lines on Atlantic Avenue.
Once past security, groups of friends high-fived each other and hugged. The crowd moved south several blocks on the Boardwalk to enter the beach area, where some people started running in the sand to get as close as they could to the Lunar Stage.
Tamara Williams of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 26, took the shuttle from Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater and said it was an easy process. She was happy to finally be inside the gates.
“Hopefully, the rain stays away. We’re ready for some fun,” Williams said.
Some people were still waiting to get inside the festival grounds at 5:30 p.m., forming a long line along Atlantic Avenue, but they were slowly inching forward.
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4:45 p.m.
With the free community stages back in action Friday afternoon, dancers from Synergy Dance Team in Virginia Beach practiced their routine outside the 24th Street stage shortly before the 5:30 p.m. start time for a dance competition.
Founder Tiffany Tyson said the group, which was founded in 2015, brings an energy and level of audience interaction that she thought was going to help them win.
”Our dance team doesn’t just do hip hop,” she said. “We do tap, jazz, ballet, a combination of different dances.”
Portsmouth native Tiffany Gregory, performing as Tiffa G, was preparing to perform original songs with her background dancers. She was excited to be performing with other Hampton Roads locals.
”It’s really great and important that we’re more involved this time,” Gregory said.
Winners of the competition could earn a cash prize.
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3:45 p.m.
Festival gates will open at 5 p.m. Friday, according to an update shared via the Something in the Water app. The festival was delayed several hours on its opening day due to wind and rain.
The first artists slated to play are Babyface Ray at 5 p.m. on the Lunar Stage, located at 12th Street, and Jazmine Sullivan at 6 p.m. at the Solar Stage, located at 3rd Street.
Parking shuttles will begin operating at 4 p.m.
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3:30 p.m.
Need some grub or a drink between sets? Be ready to pony up some cash.
Cocktails inside festival grounds cost at least $14 for a single serving of liquor and mixer. A vodka and Red Bull will run you $17 for a single and $29 for a double. A 24-ounce beer is $15. Same for a 24-ounce White Claw.
As for food, barbecue platters are $17 for one meat and one side and $25 for two meats and two sides.
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3 p.m.
On 14th Street at one of the general admission gates where the shuttles will unload, Davonne Douglas, 24, Fantaza Dudley, 27, and Devinn Todd, 27, were first in line.
Douglas, who is originally from Hampton but now lives in Texas, attended the festival last year in Washington D.C.
“I’m happy it’s back at the beach,” he said. “There’s more space.”
Something in the Water was first held in 2019. The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, it was held in the nation’s capital — making this year’s event the first back in Virginia Beach since it’s debut.
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3 p.m.
The festival’s three free community stages will open for programming at 4 p.m. Friday, according to organizer Gabe Niles, a local artist curating the stages’ entertainment.
The three stages are located outside the ticketed festival’s grounds at 17th Street, 24th Street and 31st Street. Each will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. They feature local musicians and artists.
There was no word yet on opening the main festival gates. But by mid-afternoon the rain stopped and festival staff started to return to the tents on the beach.
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2:45 p.m.
Dyani Bandy, 19, and Tereana Battle, 20, both of Chesapeake, started dancing on Atlantic Avenue when the sun finally came out. Nearby, a DJ at a restaurant cranked out tunes.
“I love the sun,” Battle said. “We’re super excited.”
They arrived at 10 a.m. and were hoping the festival gates would open soon.
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1:30 p.m.
Gates for the festival were supposed to open at noon Friday. But as of 1:30 p.m., the weather delay continued.
Shuttles that were scheduled to bring festivalgoers to the Oceanfront from the amphitheater were also delayed.
Festival organizers posted on social media that they are continuing to evaluate the situation and would have updates soon.
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11 a.m.
“I wish the weather was better, but what are you going to do?” asked Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, who was attending a NAACP brunch at Oceanfront Premiere on Atlantic Avenue honoring community leaders ahead of the festival. “We’re constantly monitoring the situation.”
Several Virginia Beach City Council members also attended the NAACP event, which was a fundraiser for the organization and featured live entertainment.
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander was in the crowd of about 100 guests.
NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith was to be honored later at the event. In an interview before he took the stage, Smith said he planned to talk about diversity and inclusion.
“We’re at a point of time in history with the festival alone in the 757, and with the city of Virginia Beach, to do some really great things,” he said.
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10:30 a.m.
Few people, most wearing raincoats or ponchos, were walking around the resort area.
Weekend Scoop
Small clusters of friends ducked into restaurants to get out of the rain.
Taccara Cook of Norfolk drove to the beach in the morning with her daughters, Latiyah Cook, 20, and Lamarah Gonzales, 19, to find parking. They each had three-day passes and planned to check in to their hotel later. When they heard the festival was delayed, they took their time eating breakfast at Harvest on 18th Street and planned to walk on the Boardwalk when the weather broke.
”I want to see the waves,” said Taccara Cook.
Andrea Noble and Gavin Stone contributed to this report.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com