VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — After an ultimatum from Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer to Something in the Water festival organizers to have a contract signed by the end of the week or he would recommend the city to move on, the city said it has received a signed agreement.

A Virginia Beach city spokesperson said that, as it had outlined at the Nov. 12 city council meeting, it had extended the Something in the Water contract agreement to the close of business Friday. The city said it received a signed agreement Friday.

Dyer’s strong words had come after festival organizers missed a deadline to have a contract signed with the city for a new three or five-year agreement, and on the heels of the festival canceling their 2024 event just a month ahead of time.

“If they do not have this signed, sealed and delivered by close of business on Friday, on Tuesday I will be making a recommendation that we pull the plug and go in a different direction,” Dyer said Tuesday.

Dyer’s deadline, he clarified, was actually at 8 p.m. Friday, or the close of business West Coast time, as the festival’s LLC address is actually listed as being in Beverly Hills, California.

Something in the Water, the festival created by Virginia Beach native, music producer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams, got critical acclaim when it launched in 2019, but five years later, many of those attitudes turned into disappointment.

The multi-day music festival at the Oceanfront was postponed from October 2024 until April 2025 — just a few hours after tickets went on sale.

Back in October, councilmembers directed City Manager Patrick Duhaney to put several conditions in order for the city to offer its financial support for the festival. A resolution to that effect passed unanimously. The conditions included:

• Increased communication with liaisons and staff about key decision points
• Announcement of line up and ticket sales prior to Dec. 31, 2024
• Inclusion of progress payments and/or liquidated damages to provide the City with additional assurances of meeting expectations
• Termination rights for the City in case expectations or deadlines are not met

Dyer said Friday before the announcement that he wanted to set the record straight, and has nothing against Pharrell, but rather, wants to do right by the people.

“We drew a line in the sand, and I think we have to stay with it,” Dyer said, “because I think, once again, one of the considerations is that we wanted that was supposed to be done on Nov. 1, and here we are on Nov. 15, talking about it.”

He said earlier Friday before the city’s announcement that he was “optimistically cautious” that there would be a signed contract.

And now, festival organizers have signed the contract and returned it to the city.

“When we get these wrinkles ironed out going forward, in years going forward,” Dyer said, “it’ll be a lot better.”

Check WAVY.com for updates.