VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Something in the Water Festival (SITW) is set to return to Virginia Beach Oceanfront in April 2025, Virginia Beach city officials confirmed Tuesday.
Now city officials said that SITW organizers have requested April 26 and 27 for the music festival in 2025. Pharrell Williams announced the cancellation of this year's music festival, which was planned for October.
A statement signed by Pharrell Williams said that "Virginia doesn't deserve better, Virginia deserves THE BEST. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn't ready yet. That's why we as a team have decided we must postpone this year's SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October."
Now, city officials confirm the two-day concert is one step closer to returning to the Resort City.
“We can confirm Something in the Water organizers requested April 26 & 27 as the dates for the festival. We plan to move forward with planning to ensure a safe and successful event for the community while the contract is being finalized,” a city spokeswoman said via email.
For Oceanfront business owners, it's the news they have been waiting for. John Zirkle, President of Virginia Beach's Oceanfront Hotel Association said businesses lost thousands of dollars following the postponement.
"Hotels had rooms held - they had reservations held and I'm talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars - some hotels as much as a quarter of a million dollars for just one hotel," said Zirkle.
Virginia Beach City council members also said they felt 'blindsided' following the announcement, as some members said they found out about the delay just an hour before the rest of the world did.
Members discussed solidifying ways to collaborate with the festival differently in the future, possibly moving from the previous Memorandum of Understanding to a three-year contract, along with increased communication and progress payments.
“Going forward, I think we have to be more proactive than reactive,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said. “We have to be part of the decision loop … Through this adversity, we can find the opportunity to move forward.”