VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia Beach City Council met Tuesday night to figure out the financial support for the Something in the Water Festival. This comes just a few days after the festival was originally slated to take place on Oct. 12-13.
During the meeting, councilmembers directed the City Manager, Patrick Duhaney, to impose several conditions in order for the city to financially support the festival. The conditions can be found below:
- 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
Assuming the festival promoter adheres to the conditions, councilmembers asked Duhaney to explore a three or five-year agreement with Something in the Water. The agreement is expected to be fully executed by Nov. 1.
The resolution was passed unanimously by City Council.
During last week’s city council meeting, members spoke at length about the festival. Something in the Water organizer Robby Wells said they expect to propose new dates for the festival by Oct. 19.
Councilmembers hope the festival returns to College Beach Weekend in April for 2025, saying this is the time of year most people want the event to take place. Councilmember Joash Schulman then reminded Wells of the impact the cancelation had on the economy, stating they all need to do better.
“Beyond the disappointment and the fanbase, there are some serious monetary revenue impacts for our local economy in terms of having this festival rescheduled,” Schulman said. “People who made reservations at hotels, who made travel arrangements, events and weddings that were turned away.”