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VIRGINIA BEACH — Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival will be bigger than the inaugural in 2019 with two “very large” stages, according to the organizers.
And even though the lineup of performers has not been announced, and tickets remain available, Virginia Beach is preparing for a huge, sold-out event April 28-30 at the Oceanfront.
“Something in the Water is hands down the largest special event that’ll come to Virginia Beach,” said Ken McDonald, president of the Virginia Beach-based event management company IMGoing.
McDonald is the liaison between the city and the festival organizers, and he and several city representatives shared details about the event at the Resort Advisory Commission meeting Thursday.
The artists will be announced in the next couple of weeks, McDonald said.
Williams, a music icon and fashion celebrity who grew up in Virginia Beach, used his star power in 2019 to recruit heavy-hitter performers for the first Something in the Water festival. He was joined on stage by Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Pusha T, among others.
The festival was canceled in 2020 during the pandemic, and it was held in Washington last year before Williams decided to bring it back to his hometown.
Diehard fans who have already bought tickets for this year’s festival are eagerly awaiting to hear who will perform.
“There’s going to be something for everyone at this show,” McDonald said. “It’s a very impressive lineup.”
The sold-out festival drew roughly 25,000 people each day in 2019. With a larger festival footprint featuring two stages instead of one this year, more will be able to attend. The capacity is still being worked out, McDonald said.
The stages will be on 3rd and 10th streets on the beach, he said. Free community events with local entertainment and vendors will be held in the parks at 17th, 24th and 31st streets. The pop-up church service will be held again.
Williams, who was recently named Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, is again targeting international corporations to sponsor the festival and host activities during the three-day event, McDonald said.
Virginia Beach has set aside $2 million to be provided to the festival organizers based on the taxes generated by event. It’s city’s largest incentive for a festival.
The city is also providing “in-kind” services, including parking lots for festival staff and rideshares, city public safety and public works employees and use of the park stages.
Festivalgoers will be able to park at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater and ride school buses to the Oceanfront as they did in 2019. A three-day shuttle pass costs $50 plus fees and is available at somethinginthewater.com.
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One of the main entries to the event will be on 13th Street, and traffic will be limited on Atlantic Avenue south of 15th Street, according to Sgt. Nicole Kasmas, who leads the police department’s special event unit.
Employees, hotel guests and residents will be allowed to enter the area, but should expect congestion and delays, Kasmas said at the meeting.
A plan to promote rideshare options also is underway.
Unlike 2019, the convention center will not be used for festival events, but it will be the city’s command center for public safety.
The city’s communications team will hold meetings with several local business and neighborhood associations soon to discuss logistics and answer questions. More information will be available through the city’s social media channels beginning in April.
A community celebration leading up to the festival will be held April 14 at Mount Trashmore Park.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com