VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Something in the Water kicks off this Friday and construction is well underway at the Oceanfront.
The stages are being built and the excitement is growing.
"We’re just excited Pharrell brought this back for another year," Dominique Washington said.
Washington went to Something in the Water in 2019, but for Karon Holloman, it will be his first time.
"It’s dope he brought it back so people like me get to experience it, you know what I’m saying, like the home team gets to experience it," he said.
Some of what is in store remains a fun guessing game.
"We already know about Lil Wayne, and we don’t know who the rest of the friends are, I know it’s something big," Washington said.
However, there are other questions people are still waiting to have answered.
Less than a week out, we know who will be here, but we still don’t know what day or time anyone is performing.
Something else Washington and Holloman want to know is how many people festival organizers are expecting. It’s a question we were asked multiple times walking up and down the Boardwalk on Monday.
When we asked a spokesperson for the city, they referred us to festival organizers, who we have not heard back from.
Looking ahead at the forecast, some rain is expected over the weekend. How much of that will affect the festival is still to be determined, but we asked the city what the plan is in case of storms.
They referred us back to festival organizers who we, again, have not heard back from.
However, at the community meeting the city held three weeks ago, a representative from the city said they’ve asked businesses to let people inside in case of storms.
It’s unclear what the plan is in terms of refunds, if necessary.
Holloman and Washington say a little rain won’t stop them.
"She bought ponchos," Holloman said, pointing at Washington.
"Rainboots and ponchos, we’ll be here as long as they're gonna have us here," Washington said, laughing.
Some things we do know is that there is a months in the making traffic and security plan, as well as a list of what you can and can’t bring in.
We've also learned the Coast Guard has issued an exclusion zone from the Jetty to 42nd Street, 200 yards from the shore. The exclusion zone will be enforced Friday April 28th through Sunday April 30th.
Another thing to keep in mind is that parking at the Oceanfront will be extremely limited this weekend. A few public garages will be open-- one on 31st Street, another one on 25th Street and one on 9th Street. They'll cost $20 per day.
The city says spots fill up fast and you should consider taking a shuttle instead. The city is using school buses to take people to and from the Oceanfront. Those will take off from the Amphitheater and will cost $50 plus fees.
You should also avoid parking in the neighborhoods near the Oceanfront without a permit because you could be towed.
We also know people like Washington and Holloman are ready to have a good time.
"There’s something in the water!" Washington said.