Pharrell fans and Virginia Beach residents got another glimpse into planning for the Something in the Water music festival with an update to City Council this week.
The artist lineup for the Oct. 12 and 13 concerts will be revealed in late August, said Amelia Ross-Hammond, a council liaison for the festival.
“They’re still working on a plan to announce the lineup,” she said.
Ross-Hammond was able to sketch an outline for non-music events leading up to the weekend.
On Oct. 10, there will be early screenings for Pharrell Williams’ LEGO biopic “Piece by Piece,” a day before the U.S. release. Locations for the screenings have not been confirmed.
On Oct. 11, an as-yet-unknown roster of celebrities will get together for a golf tournament at the Red Wing Golf Course.
Ross-Hammond touted a planned ribbon cutting for refurbished basketball courts in Lake Edward at the future site of the Virginia African American Cultural Center. She chairs the board of the center.
The project to paint the basketball courts near the corner of Hampshire Way and Newtown Road is a collaboration between Something in the Water and the NBA. Athletes will attend the ribbon cutting, including LaShawn Merritt, a four-time Olympic track and field medalist from Portsmouth.
City Council got some festival details.
The north stage is projected to be at 8th Street on the Oceanfront, and the south stage will be at 3rd Street. Rudee Loop will be closed, with lots from 1st through 4th streets occupied by artist and production trailers.
There’s no planned shuttle operation for the weekend, but the VA Wave Trolley will run and there will be rideshare drop-off points. Parking will be available at the Sports Center parking lots.
No information on ticket sales was presented at Tuesday’s meeting.
The city has not confirmed details about its role in sponsoring the festival. According to the current city budget, which went into effect July 1, sponsorship for this year’s festival will likely replicate sponsorship from 2023, and $2 million in city support was set aside.
Councilmember Joash Schulman pointed out the festival falls during the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur.
The dates of Something in the Water were not a city decision, Schulman said, and local Jewish leaders have communicated with festival organizers about the significance of the dates.
