Pharrell Williams officially postponed “Something in the Water” on Friday, September 13th
leaving fans outraged and disappointed. The SITW festival is an event sponsored by Williams to
bring recognition to the Virginia Beach area and pay homage to his home through live music, art,
social events, and more.
The first festival was in 2019 and proved to be a success, yet since then
the festival has struggled to remain a consistent staple in the Hampton Roads area.
In 2020, SITW was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, postponing the festival until 2021.
When the year arrived, WIlliam’s cousin, Donovon Lynch , was fatally shot by a Virgina
Beach police officer causing Willims to pull the festival out of the city due to “toxic energy”. It
wasn’t until 2022, when the festival was able to occur for the second time ever in Washington
D.C. After this, Williams reached an agreement with the City of Virginia Beach to announce the
festival’s return to the Oceanfront for April 2023.
Fortunately, the festival returned in spring 2023, yet faced many challenges altering the
audiences’ experiences. Unsafe weather conditions and rain delayed concert times for
consecutively three days causing fans to demand refunds. The third day of the festival’s concerts
were canceled due to severe weather. In July 2024, it was officially announced that SITW would
return for its fourth appearance, yet it would be in October to avoid another year ruined by severe
weather. The festival being held in October also was planned to commemorate the release of
William’s film “Piece by Piece,” an animated Lego film showcasing his life.
To show appreciation for Virginia natives, Williams launched a “locals only” sale where
Virgnina residents could purchase tickets in-person on September 13th. Hundreds of locals lined
up at the Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater to purchase VIP passes and tickets without
paying any extra fees. Even without an official line up for the festival, hundreds of passes were
sold. Yet that same day Williams released a statement officially announcing that SITW 2024
would be postponed until 2025.
In a statement on social media he wrote,
“Virginia deserves THE BEST. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that
we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER—This is not a Pharrell festival, this is the state of Virginia’s festival so it has to be the best. Virginia made me, and I want to
honor it with as much life as it’s shown me my entire life.”
Further in this statement Williams promises fans that refunds will be issued accordingly and
again sincerely apologizes ending with “Until April.” The aftermath of this decision has left
many fans in disarray due to the fact that there seems to be a lingering issue each year with the
success of this festival. For those who waited in lines for hours at a time, or booked hotel
reservations, now have to wait on reimbursements. The revenue of the City of Virginia Beach is
expected to take a financial loss due to the amount of revenue that will be lost that was initially
predicted due to hotel sales, food, tourism activities, and much more.
When asked about how they felt, a recent NSU graduate said,
“It sucks because I planned to come back for SITW and stay until NYTHC (Not Your Typical
Homecoming).” [Which is also in October].
It is likely that fans won’t know “until April” if the festival will actually be making a comeback
in the fall of 2025, along with who will be performing at next year’s event. “Until April,” fans
can anticipate the release of his film and stay updated through the SITW website.
Spartan Echo 