Virginia Beach issues 5‑day cure notice to Something in the Water organizers after missed deliverables

With roughly 90 days to the planned festival date, city staff and council concluded Tuesday that Something in the Water organizers had not met key contractual milestones, and the council instructed staff to issue a five‑day notice to cure to the festival organizers.

City staff reported they had received no ticket sales data, no confirmed lineup and no firm contractor or public‑safety team confirmations from organizers, and that the festival organizers remained affected by disruptions related to the Los Angeles fires. "We have not received any information regarding ticket sales or the release of a lineup," a staff update said.

Amelia Grama, the city’s liaison to the event, told council she believed the organizers had been given sufficient opportunity and grace and that the city should now require decisive confirmation. "If we did not get anything definitive, it is time to move forward and turn it over," she said.

Council action and next steps

Mayor and council directed the manager to send a five‑day notice to cure under the event agreement; staff said the notice will require organizers to demonstrate, within the cure period, that they meet contractual milestones including ticket sales and a public‑safety and logistics plan acceptable to the city. If the organizers fail to cure, staff will pivot to contingency planning — staff said they would work with the city’s contracted Oceanfront event vendor, Beach Events, to produce an alternative plan for College Beach weekend and will present that plan to council.

Why it matters: Large festivals require months of coordination among public safety, transportation, parking and hospitality stakeholders. With no lineup or ticketing data at the timeline shown to council, staff said they could not finalize public‑safety planning, resource commitments or other major logistical arrangements on the city’s side.

Council comment

Council members praised staff for patience and outreach but emphasized that continued uncertainty posed public‑safety and reputational risks. The mayor said he would direct staff and the city attorney to proceed with the five‑day cure notice and to bring contingency plans back to council if the organizers could not demonstrate they met the contract terms.

Ending note: The manager said staff will notify council of any response within the five‑day period; if the organizers cannot cure, the city will move forward with contingency plans for the holiday weekend.