Something in the Water plans, like parking and access, to be shared in public meeting Thursday

VIRGINIA BEACH — With only a few weeks to go before Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival returns to Virginia Beach, city departments are gearing up for a large crowd and want to share their plans with the public.

The three-day festival will be held April 28-30 in the Oceanfront resort area and will feature live music on two beach stages as well as free events in surrounding public parks.

An in-person informational meeting to discuss parking, traffic, access and safety will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in the Virginia Beach Convention Center ballroom.

One of the main entry points for the event will be on 13th Street, and the city police department has said traffic will be limited on Atlantic Avenue south of 15th Street.

Neighborhood associations and residents living in or near the Oceanfront are encouraged to attend, according to the city. Questions will be addressed at the meeting, but it will not be livestreamed.

Also, the City Council will vote on Tuesday on an agreement with the Virginia Beach School Board for the festival’s use of school buses and drivers. The buses shuttle ticketholders from an offsite parking area to the Oceanfront and back to their vehicles each day. Shuttle passes are $50 and are available on the festival’s website.

The estimated cost for the bus use is $265,000, but the City Council will vote to appropriate up to $350,000 for contingencies. The festival promoter will reimburse the city, according to the agreement.

Seventy school buses were used to shuttle people to and from the festival in 2019. About 150 drivers worked the weekend event in five- to six-hour shifts, and drivers made $30 to $40 an hour, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com