VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The City of Virginia Beach is prepping for the return of Pharrell Williams' Something in the Water music festival after the success of of the inaugural event.
The festival is scheduled to take place April 20-26, 2020, but the official event announcement will take place on Monday, Oct. 14, according to a briefing from the city manager ahead of the city council's Oct. 1 meeting, WTKR reported.
Additionally, a limited pre-sale of event tickets will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 12-5 p.m. only. The locals-only pre-sale for three-day general admission tickets will be available for purchase online and in person at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater. (Service fees will be waived if buying in person.)
Those buying tickets in person must present valid Virginia identification, and there is a four-ticket limit. Locals making a purchase online must have a Virginia zip code. There is also a four-ticket limit for online purchases.
There will also be a limited pre-sale of tickets for returning customers making an online purchase on October 19 from 12-5 p.m. only. Regular service fees will apply, and you must have a unique redemption code to redeem. There is also a four-ticket limit.
According to the briefing, the lineup for next year's festival will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Nov. 15.
Pharrell Williams: 'We got this in Virginia'
Williams, a Virginia Beach native and 12-time Grammy winner, told "CBS This Morning's" Gayle King in April that he hoped the festival would bring attention to his beloved hometown.
“This energy right here, this is all we’ve been getting,” Williams told King after the event as folks waved from hotel balconies as the two cruised along the boardwalk in a golf cart. “People are just excited, like we got this in Virginia, you know.”
Williams said his vision for the festival, which featured local businesses, corporate sponsors and even a pop-up church service , was not only to leave folks inspired, but also to draw in corporations.
“We have a lot of CEOs flying down here to look around to see what’s going on and see the incredible opportunity here," Williams said. "We just wanna raise the awareness that Virginia is here and open for business.
Williams likened Virginia Beach to a "cul-de-sac in the middle of the East Coast."
Gayle King and Pharrell Williams
“We’ve had our people, but we’ve never really congregated in a way where you just see us as a unit," Williams told King. "So we had the ambition to do things different.”
Williams pointed to the musical differences between his fellow artists and Virginia natives, Timberland (Norfolk) and Missy Elliott (Portsmouth).
“Look at, listen to Missy Elliott. She’s very different,” said Williams, who also noted that he and Timberland create music very differently. “We’re just very different people and we celebrate our differences."
Williams said music is "the skeleton key to open every door" for him.
Additionally, Williams called music a great unifier that brings people together despite their political or religious differences.
“I feel like there’s been so much divisiveness in the air,” Williams said. “We need to come together and not only celebrate our differences, but recognize that through celebrating each other, we can do great things.”
William said he pinches himself daily to remind him of his incredible journey.
“I was raised in Atlantis Apartments, not even a mile from here on Section 8, and now we’re on this section of the beach,” Williams told King. “I’m super grateful and still to this day my best verses come from my shower or when I’m swimming or when I’m next to water. Here we are looking at this beautiful ocean, which represents life. And I pinch myself all the time. I never forget where I come from -- and that’s part of the reason we’re here. This is where I’m from. This is a pinch being here.”
