VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach leaders say they’re frustrated and were “blindsided” with Something in the Water organizers’ abrupt decision to postpone the festival less than a month before it was supposed to take place.
They say they’re going to need more concrete assurances from the SITW team ahead of any future festivals, including when date announcements, a list of performers and more information will be released. They also want to be “at the table” in the internal decision making process, rather than having to wait for festival organizers to announce news and then reacting from there.
Virginia Beach City Council members shared those thoughts in Tuesday’s informal council session, four days after Pharrell Williams and the Something in the Water team made the surprise decision.
That announcement came down at 4:22 p.m. Friday, hours after presale tickets went on sale for Virginia residents. Hundreds waited in line for hours for the tickets, some driving as far away as Virginia Tech, only to find out it was all for nothing.
Councilwoman Jennifer Rouse, one of the two council liaisons for the festival along with Councilwoman Amelia Ross-Hammond, says the decision to postpone came as a surprise.
“It was all rolling until it wasn’t,” said Rouse, who got the call from festival organizers just before 3:30 p.m. Friday. During a meeting with the festival team over the weekend, she says she relayed all of the disappointment shared by constituents, including the many complaints on social media.
“So for the public who felt caught off-guard, we were caught off-guard as well,” Rouse said. “For the public who felt frustrated, we shared those frustrations with the [Something in the Water] team and with the city.”
Rouse added the SITW team wants “to make an intentional effort to rebuild credibility and trust and all these things.”
That includes having “a concrete plan set within this calendar year,” according to a new statement from SITW organizers to the city.
City Manager Patrick Duhaney relayed the letter to council Tuesday, adding that organizers said the festival planned for April, which still needs approval from council, “will be stronger than ever.”
In response, Councilwoman Barbara Henley said “this is more than just a disappointment, this is costly.” She said the city must take it as “a learning experience.”
“I think we wanted [Something in the Water] to happen so much that we’ve just been willing to go along,” Henley said.
Henley also echoed Mayor Bobby Dyer’s comments about needing to be proactive, and not being reactive, to the Something in the Water team’s decisions.
“We determine what our standards are going to be and what we’re going to expect,” Henley said. “And we can’t just do it on good faith. We’ve got to do it with certainty. It’s cost our citizens a lot of money.”
Councilman Chris Taylor added he got a slew of negative feedback from stakeholders, including that there was “very little communication” and “vagueness” from the Something in the Water team and a “lack of concern for citizens.”
“This is not a game, this is not about Legos, this is not about a movie, we have a brand as Virginia Beach,” Taylor said. “Hours volunteers, business[es] prepared, hotels, some non-refundable rates, … some people stood in line for hours upon hours, only to find out three hours later it was canceled … I know we want to be friendly and cordial and all of that, but this is impacting hundreds and thousands of people.”
Ross-Hammond said she agreed with Taylor’s criticisms, and added that she was told as late as 1:15 p.m. Friday that “everything’s still a go.”
“[Councilman Rouse and I] felt what you call blindsided at that point,” Ross-Hammond said. “And they’re trying all they can right now to try to correct this. They have to build trust back with this city, because we’re not a toy.”
Ross-Hammond also touched a bit on the why behind the decision from Williams and his team, who said the festival “just isn’t ready yet” and that “it has to be the best.”
“They’re bringing great acts, but sometime you have to cut off how many groups you have,” referring to the lineup that was never publicly released. “And just say ‘hey, we promised the city.'”
Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten said “it seems like we’re at the table, but we’re not really at the table. Because we’re not in a position to be in communication, and the important details about what’s happening. They tell us what happened.”
Dyer meanwhile shared that going forward, a deal with Something in the Water could include a stricter and long-term agreement (3-5 years).
“This one, let’s call it like it is — a major snafu right now … I applaud Pharrell for wanting to do the utmost quality, but once again, there’s also the reality of that when you have so many, literally thousands of people that are impacted [by] this.”
Dyer though said he’s hopeful the city and organizers can be “proactive partners” and bring the festival back.
“Through this adversity, we can find the opportunity to move forward and truly make this a legacy event we can all look forward to,” Dyer said.
Duhaney said that plans for the festival on the city’s end were on track and can be used for future festivals. Also, he said city funds set aside to sponsor Something in the Water ($2 million planned in the city’s budget) can be redirected, and none of that money has been spent.
An analysis of the 2023 Something in the Water found the festival has an economic impact of at least $26 million for the region, with Virginia Beach seeing between $1.04 and $1.18 spent for every dollar invested.
10 On Your Side will keep you updated on the latest Something in the Water developments. You can watch the full meeting here.