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Something in the sky? UFO-tracking company will host happy hours during festival at the Oceanfront

The Virginian-Pilot
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A festival entrance to the Something in the Water music festival is seen at the Oceanfront boardwalk in Virginia Beach on April 26, 2023.

A festival entrance to the Something in the Water music festival is seen at the Oceanfront boardwalk in Virginia Beach on April 26, 2023. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)

Pharrell Williams’ extraterrestrial-themed Something in the Water festival has people talking about something in the sky.

Enigma Labs, the company behind a new UFO tracking app, will host two happy hours for concertgoers to learn about out-of-this-world sightings and how to report them.

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Discovery Channel star Ben Hansen and longtime UFO research expert Alejandro Rojas will speak at the events.

The first will be 3-6 p.m. Friday at Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant at 203 22nd Street. The second will be 3-6 p.m. Saturday at Harvest restaurant at 1718 Atlantic Ave STE 103.

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“We are trying to introduce younger audiences to the real-world implications of UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon),” Rojas said in an emailed statement.

[ Guide for Something in the Water: Here’s what you need to know ]

The three-day music festival’s extraterrestrial theme and younger audience made SITW and Enigma Labs a natural partnership.

“We are hosting these events to demo our app, share credible UAP information, and collect UAP reports,” Rojas said. “The more data we can collect, helps researchers understand what UAPs are ... Their (the SITW) interface to this topic is pop culture,” said Rojas, who has studied the phenomena for 30 years.

A still image from video released by the Department of Defense shows a 2004 encounter near San Diego between two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets and an unknown object. UFOs were once a taboo topic for the U.S. government, but not anymore: a long anticipated report on them is due this month.

A still image from video released by the Department of Defense shows a 2004 encounter near San Diego between two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets and an unknown object. UFOs were once a taboo topic for the U.S. government, but not anymore: a long anticipated report on them is due this month. (Department of Defense)

Enigma Labs is studying unidentified objects seen in the Norfolk area and working to collect new reports. According to Rojas, they have recorded more than 4,000 UFO sightings in Hampton Roads over the past 50 years.

People can report unexplained aerial sightings on Enigma’s web page. The company’s mobile app is live in the Apple store in invite-only beta.

“We are building our community carefully and currently prioritizing users who submit sightings via web. We will open the app gradually to a wider audience,” reads Enigma’s web page.

The data company will be in the Virginia Beach area over the coming weeks talking about their sightings, including at this weekend’s festival.

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com

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