Just a month before the festival was scheduled to occur, the Something in the Water music festival was postponed until April 2025.
Pharrell Williams broke the news on Instagram Friday afternoon, the day tickets for the Virginia Beach concert went on sale to Virginia residents and the lineup was to be announced.
“It just isn’t ready yet,” Williams shared on the official Something in the Water Instagram page.
Written in the form of a love letter to Virginia, he said the state deserved the best and that the festival “has to match that.”
“That’s why we as a team have decided to postpone this year’s festival.”
The post did not state exactly when in April the festival is expected to occur. It drew in more than 1,000 comments in the first hour lamenting the news.
Created by Williams in 2018, Something in the Water moved to Washington D.C. in 2022 after a Beach police officer shot and killed Williams’ cousin, Donovan Lynch. In 2020, it did not return to Virginia Beach due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, during its Virginia Beach return, rain and a tornado caused delays and cancellations.
Williams thanked fans that had purchased tickets to the festival, noting in his post that passes bought with debit or credit cards will be automatically refunded.
“For any cash purchases, fans can obtain their refund at the Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater box office,” Williams wrote. “Fans who bought passes for this year’s event will have first access to purchase once the new dates are announced.”
Something in the Water is a significant economic driver for the city. Virginia Beach city officials reported the 2023 festival generated a $27.7 million statewide economic impact and drew in $1.5 million in tax revenue for the city.
This year’s festival was expected to receive the same financial support from the city as 2023, with $2 million set aside in the 2024 budget to do so.
