Pharrell Announces Return of Something in the Water Festival for Juneteenth Weekend in Washington D.C.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER FESTIVAL, founded by Pharrell Williams, will return this year. The festival, which is co-produced by Redrock Entertainment and Live Nation, will take place on Juneteenth weekend in Washington, DC.

 SITW will celebrate art, culture, and music with performances by 6LACK, Adekunle Gold, Ashanti & Ja Rule, Ashe, Baby Tate, Baird, BIA, Blxst, Calvin Harris, Chloe x Halle, Dave Matthews Band, Davido, Denzel Curry, DJ Domo, Dominic Fike, Dreamer Isioma, Duckwrth, EARTHGANG, Emotional Oranges, ericdoa, Gracie Abrams, Hope Tala, Jean Dawson, Jeremy Zucker, JID, Jon Batiste, Lakeyah, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lucky Daye, María Isabel, Mariah the Scientist, Moneybagg Yo, Montell Fish, Ogi, Omar Apollo, Ozuna, Paris Texas, Pharrell & Phriends, Pusha T, Q, Quinn XCII, Rae Sremmurd, Raveena, Rei Ami, Roddy Ricch, ROLE MODEL, Run The Jewels, Saba, Sabrina Claudio, Skepta, Skiifall, Skillibeng, slowthai, Snoh Aalegra, Syd, Teyana Taylor, Thundercat, T.I., Tierra Whack, Tobe Nwigwe, Tokischa, Tyler, The Creator, Usher, YVNGXCHRIS. Additional names are expected to be added to the stacked and impressive lineup.

Backyard Band, Rare Essence, and Sound of the City are among the Go-Go bands performing at the festival. This year’s celebrations will take place on three stages in the center of our nation’s capital, on Independence Avenue and its surrounding streets.

“SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a Black solution (LOVE) for a systemic issue, and this year we are taking our celebration to a higher platform – the nation’s Capital during Juneteenth Weekend.  We want to show the world that there is SOMETHING IN THE WATER across the whole DMV and I want to continue to bring awareness to the greatness within these communities and invite large corporations to show up for the people. DC has always been a deep inspiration to me as a person and a musician.  It is the land where Go- Go Music was birthed which has provided so much for our people.  Our sponsors continue to go the extra mile to show that SOMETHING IN THE WATER is so much more than a festival.  The goodwill we generate is a defining trait of who we are.  We will always have the hottest artists, but to pair that energy with these brands showing up for the community is what makes this festival a vehicle for change,” said Pharrell.

“If you’re celebrating music, if you’re celebrating Black excellence, if you’re drawing attention to the people who have dedicated their lives to knocking down barriers and uplifting our communities — then there is no better place to do that than in Washington, DC,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We are proud to be working with Pharrell to bring SOMETHING IN THE WATER to DC for Juneteenth weekend. DC is open and we are ready to celebrate.”

SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM will begin selling three-day passes to the general public on Saturday, April 30th at 10 a.m. local time.

On Wednesday, April 27 from 10 a.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET, fans who purchased SOMETHING IN THE WATER passes in past years will have access to an exclusive presale for the 2022 festival at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.

Additionally, Virginia locals will get exclusive access to a “Virginia Locals Only” presale on Friday, April 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Festival passes can be purchased in person at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater box office in Virginia Beach (restricted to VA zip codes). In-person purchases are free of charge.

Pharrell embarked on a campaign in 2020 to persuade his native state of Virginia to declare Juneteenth a paid holiday. With his accomplishment, he teamed together with other thought leaders, governors, and major corporations to make Juneteenth an official holiday as well. President Biden declared Juneteenth a national holiday after the movement gained traction and took on a life of its own.

This year, Pharrell will bring SOMETHING IN THE WATER to the nation’s capital on a historic weekend, honoring something that has been running through the country’s soil for almost 400 years. Pharrell will bring together the country’s biggest performers on the nation’s doorstep to demonstrate what this day means and to illustrate what the future holds.

With the festival’s focus on community, Pharrell will bring the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) together this year to promote and boost the region’s neighborhoods. The festival has always worked to address systemic concerns affecting historically underrepresented communities’ access to education, business, and employment opportunities, and this year is no exception. While the festival has moved to Washington, DC, SITW’s impact on behalf of the 757 remains strong, with sponsors showing up to support Hampton Roads with subsequent community engagements beyond the festival, many of which will be activated through Pharrell’s 501(c)(3) non-profit, YELLOW, whose mission is to EVEN THE ODDS through education. Sponsorship information and local activations will be released soon.

You can see the full lineup for the festival below.