VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Something in the Water was supposed to happen this weekend at the Oceanfront. When Pharrell Williams' event—one of Virginia Beach's biggest music festivals—was postponed to next April, it left many people wondering what to do.
Now the people, city, and hospitality industry are adjusting and planning ahead.
Local artists filled stages along the boardwalk Saturday for a new festival, Pulse Fest, in place of Pharrell's festival.
"The city asked us to do this, but I thought we should do something bigger. I said, 'I think we should come together like we've been talking about.' So what has been born is the Pulse Music and Arts Festival," local artist and Pulse Fest organizer B.J. Griffin told News 3 last week.
The new tunes at the Oceanfront help a little, hotel owners said, but the sudden move of Something in the Water, which happened roughly four weeks ago and on the same day that tickets for that event went on sale for locals, came at a cost for the hospitality industry.
"It was huge. Hundreds of thousands of dollars for some hotels," explained John Zirkle, president of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association. "While anything helps, unfortunately, the damage had been done. When something cancels that close in, it's just very very difficult to find another event or festival, anything that's going to fill up the way Something in the Water does."
Zirkle said that folks visiting the Oceanfront for other events had planned around Something in the Water too.
"They were worried about traffic and congestion and getting in and out of their hotels going to games so they moved to Chesapeake and Norfolk and outlying areas outside of the resort," said Zirkle. "So it was kind of a double whammy."
In light of that impact, those with the Virginia Beach Hotel Association shared a letter with the city and the Something in the Water team this week. They're hoping for the next festival to have dates formalized and know when tickets and lineups will be announced in advance. They said that's to help both the hospitality industry and attendees plan.
They want the festival to be an annual event with a multi-year contract.
"I do want to make sure people understand, there's a huge benefit to this festival beyond dollars and cents. It's about community, it's about involvement, and it's about being a welcoming city. That's the big thing," said Zirkle.
In the meantime, those at the Oceanfront won't let a date change stop them from having a good time this weekend.
