Something in the Water D.C

2022 - 6 - 17

Post cover — Image courtesy of "NBC4 Washington"

'Something in the Water' Begins in DC; 6 Taken to Hospitals Due to ... (NBC4 Washington)

The three-day music festival, hosted by Pharrell, kicked off Friday in downtown D.C. News4's Walter Morris reports.

Definitely a different vibe, not on the beach like it was in Virginia." Six people were taken from the festival to hospitals Friday evening for heat-related illnesses, D.C Fire & EMS said. "Virginia [Beach], it's like a smaller city, of course," said another attendee. Despite the heat, spirits were high Friday as Independence Avenue was transformed into festival grounds. No one had a life-threatening condition. The lineup boasts artists including Ozuna, Anderson .Paak, and Usher, and crowds grew consistently throughout Friday afternoon.

“Something in the Water” helps turn up the heat in D.C. (WDVM 25)

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — It was the hottest day of the season so far, and bands heated up the stage as they prepared for the start of “Something in the ...

'Lifetime experience' | Thousands brave the heat for 'Something in ... (WUSA9.com)

Thousands of people are planning to attend the event over the course of the weekend to see musicians like Pharrell, Ashanti and Dave Matthews Band perform. “[It ...

Virginia loses $24 million in economic impact as Pharrell's ... (Richmond.com)

Something is the Water is back, but not at Virginia Beach. The festival's creator, Pharrell Williams, moved the event to Washington D.C. because he was ...

Citing a "toxic energy" in Virginia Beach, organizer Pharrell Williams has opted to not bring the festival back. Fans plan a "sit-down" next month to show support for the star musician and Virginia Beach native. Fans cheer as Pusha-T performs during the Something in the Water festival in April 2019. Citing a "toxic energy" in Virginia Beach, organizer Pharrell Williams has opted to not bring the festival back. The following year in 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. In 2021, Virginia Beach’s City Manager, Patrick A. Duhaney sent a letter to Williams imploring him to reconsider moving the festival. Fans plan a "sit-down" next month to show support for the star musician and Virginia Beach native. Fans cheer as Pusha-T performs during the Something in the Water festival in April 2019. The event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. Bearded guys, giant oil-drum smokers, refurbished garages, and lines that form early – the telltale signs of good barbecue. “This is a very special moment, very special,” Williams said. I wish the same energy I’ve felt from Virginia Beach leadership upon losing the festival would have been similarly channeled following the loss of my relative’s life.”

Something in the Water festival makes a splash in downtown D.C. (The Washington Post)

A festival? In D.C.? Pharrell Williams moved his three-day Something in the Water concert from Virginia this year.

Following the shooting, Williams proposed that the city hold a forum to “talk about your issues, talk about your struggles.” But, according to Williams, they never did. Even though festival organizers say it will have 800 to 850 guards on the festival grounds during the day, and another 100 patrolling at night, some are making backup plans. Six months later, Williams said the city’s “toxic energy” couldn’t be home to the festival. They asked if we had wristbands, and that was it.” Something in the Water was previously staged in Virginia Beach, Pharrell’s hometown. In D.C.? It was hard to remember the last time something of this scale made its way to the District. The cluster of people dancing in front of him weren’t fazed. Something in the Water, a three-day music festival created by Pharrell Williams, will run through the weekend. During the set by Yvngxchris, a native of Chesapeake, Va., a fan threw futuristic sunglasses onstage for the artist to wear. Until now, Shine Ivuy, 26, had never attended a festival in D.C. despite living in the city for several years. At most music festivals, there’s a mad rush for the front row, but on the first day of Something in the Water, concertgoers craved the shade. It was hot — scorching — and no amount of free water faucets or cheery sunscreen reminders could take that away.

Justin Timberlake, T.I. join Pharrell's Something in the Water festival ... (USA TODAY)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Shortly after Pharrell Williams introduced a highlight of his hyped set, the reunion of fellow Virginia Beach hip-hop outfit the Clipse, ...

And while the messy set delays that marred Friday’s gathering were mostly remedied, the festival still dealt with a roulette wheel of changes. Williams moved his high-profile event, which he started in 2019, to D.C. this year after clashing with city management in his Virginia Beach hometown following the shooting death of his cousin in 2021. In his cool creamsicle-colored sweatshirt and shades, Williams frequently ceded the stage to his impressive dance crew, but returned to the spotlight for the show-closing “Get Lucky.” He liked the symbolism of the nation’s capital and Juneteenth weekend – he was instrumental in helping to make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021 – but as the first two days of the festival demonstrated, a narrow D.C. street isn’t the appropriate place to corral 25-30,000 people. As for the man of the night – and the festival – Williams, his vocals were often difficult to discern in the muddy mix (though Timberlake sounded in vintage form on “Senorita” and “My Love”), but the crowd mostly seemed to care about basking in his aura. By the time another of Williams’ “Phrends” – Justin Timberlake – joined him onstage in his best suburban dad-wear of khakis and a short-sleeved button-down shirt to ask, “What’s up, D.C.?,” the pack of attendees closest to the stage surged even tighter.

Festivalgoers share their experience at DC's Something in the Water (WTOP)

Rapper and festival organizer Pharrell Williams decided to move the concert out of Virginia Beach — his hometown — after his cousin was shot and killed by city ...

That was welcome news for Dinero, who missed the original festival in 2019. The sound was great. Williams announced that Something in the Water would be relocated to D.C.’s National Mall. The energy was great. “There was no space to actually get out, because it was just so overcrowded… However, authorities told NBC Washington that no one had a life-threatening condition.