Pharrell Williams is in hot water with the City of Virginia Beach

Pharrell Williams poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Piece by Piece' during the London Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

By Ava Edwards

November 20, 2024

Following Williams’ unexpected cancelation of the Something in the Water festival this year, the City of Virginia Beach is taking new precautions to protect itself from another “blindside.”

On September 14, 2024, Pharrell Williams tweeted that Something in the Water 2024 “just isn’t ready yet.”

The cancelation came as a shock to city planners, locals waiting in line for tickets, and the city’s Mayor Bobby Dyer.

Dyer said about Williams’ cancelation: “I have a problem when a partner of ours fails to communicate and makes a unilateral decision that gives our city a black eye.”

It became clear that the festival gave no warning to the city or its local businesses before postponing the event.

Following the city’s blindside, Virginia Beach’s City Council drafted a contract with the event that would give the city more power in planning Something in the Water—while also safeguarding the city.

Dyer stated that he would recommend the festival be canceled by city planners if Williams and his team did not sign this contract.

Festival planners signed and agreed to the contract’s terms, and Something in the Water is set to return to the Oceanfront in April 2025.

Ava Edwards

Ava is an up-and-coming journalist who recently graduated from William & Mary with a degree in English. She's written for news publications such as her school's newspaper, The Flat Hat, and Hampton Roads' WAVY-TV 10. As a lifelong Virginia resident, she looks forward to informing her community on the latest information and events.

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CATEGORIES: LOCAL NEWS

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