VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach City Council could vote during its meeting Tuesday on whether to impose conditions on its future sponsorship agreements with the Something in the Water festival.
Continued city support of the festival has been a topic of discussion since Sept. 13, when tickets to the festival, planned for the weekend of Oct. 12-13, went on sale in the morning without an announced lineup – and the festival was abruptly canceled in the afternoon.
City Council members said during their Sept. 17 work session that they were “blindsided” and disappointed about the cancellation and vowed to work more closely with festival organizers, including Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams, in the future.
“Going forward, I think we have to be more proactive than reactive,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said in that meeting. “We have to be part of the decision loop.”
“So many people have been affected,” Council Member Rosemary Wilson said, referring to potential visitors to the festival as well as business owners such as restaurants and hoteliers.
In that Sept. 17 meeting, City Council members talked about how to have more of a seat at the table with the Something in the Water organizers in the future.
This Tuesday, members will consider an ordinance that directs City Manager Patrick Duhaney to include conditions in a sponsorship agreement for the festival, next tentatively planned for spring 2025. Proposed dates for that festival are due to the city by Oct. 19.
The conditions would include increased collaboration, announcement of the lineup and ticket sales prior to Dec. 31, progress payments or liquidated damages to provide the city with assurances that deadlines will be met, and termination rights for the city if certain expectations and deadlines are not met.
The resolution would also direct the city manager to explore a longer-term agreement with Something in the Water, such as three years or five years.
