VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Something in the Water music festival is less than a week away and the community events are already in full swing.
Saturday, Pharrell Williams’ nonprofit YELLOW and Coastal Edge hosted an event at the Oceanfront.
Attendees were shocked when the festival's founder, Pharrell, made a surprise appearance.
“He’s from here. He lives here…Everybody was so excited to have him just show up to the community event. That’s what it’s all about, and he understands the importance of that,” said Stephanie Walters, the director of engagement and communications at YELLOW.
Walters said even event organizers were surprised to see Pharrell.
But the event was about more than Pharrell’s visit.
It featured local musicians, small businesses and 10 local artists who created skateboard decks to raffle off. The event, titled "Decks Of Tomorrow: Growing Tomorrow's Riders Today," aimed to spotlight board riding culture, art and music in Virginia Beach.
One of the artists, Khalil Riddick, said he’s thankful this year’s festival includes more events for the entire community.
“It’s really good because it just opens things up to a wider community and there’s a lot of very, very talented people out here who need those kind of outlets to showcase what they can do,” Riddick said.
Other people said they felt the same and that they're impressed with the amount of free events offered ahead of the big festival.
“I was here in 2019 and I don’t remember it being as activated in the community as it is now. I think it’s an amazing platform that Pharrell’s providing for my community,” attendee Marckel Bonds said.
President of Coastal Edge D. Nachnani said he expects Something in the Water to bring new life to the Resort City not just for the next week, but for the whole year.
“This is not something that will happen just once. We’ll be able to cascade the vibe, the energy of Something in the Water to Beach It! festival…,” he said.
There’s still a lot more in store ahead of the festival. You can learn more about the community events by clicking here.