Something in the Water won’t be held in traditional slot of late April in 2024

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Something in the Water festival is still expected to return to Virginia Beach in 2024, but it won’t be held in the last weekend of April like past years.

The news comes after festival founder Pharrell Williams said he was looking to move the festival’s dates after inclement weather led to delays and cancellations again in 2023. Back in 2019, severe weather caused the first day of the Virginia Beach festival to be canceled and concertgoers were refunded for that day.

A new time for the 2024 festival has yet to be announced, but a city spokesperson said they are still working with Something in the Water on the matter and SITW organizers will make that announcement.

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Meanwhile the City of Virginia Beach on Tuesday, December 12 will consider sponsoring a festival from radio station owner Audacy Virginia that would fill that time slot. Audacy had planned a festival with with pop and rock artists for the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for this October, but it was later canceled due to logistical issues.

The city says that festival and another festival proposed for June 2024 will both be presented to the public and voted in that Tuesday meeting, the last time city council will meet in 2023. The city says that festival providers want to get council approval as soon as possible so they can plan accordingly and book artists.

“We are excited about potential new opportunities coming,” said city spokeswoman Tiffany Russell. “The SITW date change is positive because can the City introduce even more programming. One of the City’s top priorities is to ensure scheduled events and programming are in place the last week in April. City leadership recognizes the importance the last week in April has had historically on our community and they are prioritizing an investment in entertainment to ensure another successful season, for visitors of all ages (particularly young adults).”

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The first Something in the Water and last year’s coincided with what was called “College Beach Weekend.” The unofficial gathering of students, mostly from historically Black colleges and universities, had drawn the city’s ire in the past due to crime concerns. So Williams, a Virginia Beach native, pitched Something in the Water to coincide with that weekend and give college students things to do.

Full Something in the Water 2023 coverage page

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