Virginia Beach has called off Something in the Water.
Festival organizers have missed deadlines and extensions, triggering the city last week to allow five days for organizers to meet their contractual obligations to provide an artist lineup and open ticket sales.
They missed the 5 p.m. Monday deadline.
The city issued a statement Monday night saying it would terminate the festival and pursue other plans for the last weekend in April.
The festival was originally planned for October 2024 and canceled weeks beforehand, blindsiding city officials. Festival founder Pharrell Williams said Something in the Water would return to Virginia Beach in April 2025.
The city demanded more transparency from organizers and that they stick to an agreed-upon timeline for the 2025 event.
A missed deadline for a sponsorship agreement nearly derailed plans last November — but organizers delivered the contract by an extended deadline established by the mayor.
The city agreed to provide a $500,000 advance payment if organizers met responsibilities outlined in the contract, including releasing a lineup and opening ticket sales by Dec. 31.
If one party didn’t meet contract terms, the other could send notice, triggering a five-day countdown.
Dec. 31 came and went with no artist lineup and no tickets.
Instead of starting the countdown, the city council voted at its first January meeting to indefinitely defer holding organizers to terms of the contract, giving them time to get back on track.
At the time, Mayor Bobby Dyer said Something in the Water was good for the city, its citizens and its businesses.
“The ultimate goal is to get to week 17 and make it a killer event that's safe with good things,” he said, referring to the final weekend in April.
Last week, Assistant City Manager Amanda Jarratt said the city needs 90 days to prepare for an event the magnitude of Something in the Water, the minimum amount of time for public safety plans and other staffing logistics.
With 95 days remaining, Dyer started the five-day grace period.
The city’s statement also included, “We remain optimistic about future opportunities to work with the SITW team.”
