Visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams announced that his SOMETHING IN THE WATER FESTIVAL will return this year! Produced by Redrock Entertainment and Live Nation, the festival will take place in Washington, DC on Juneteenth weekend (June 17 – 19).
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 with more artists to be announced soon!
The festival will also feature Go-Go musicians including Backyard Band, Rare Essence and Sound of the City. This year the festivities will be expanded to three stages, situated in the heart of our nation’s capital, directly on Independence Avenue and its adjacent streets.
Three day passes went on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, April 30th at 10am local time at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.
SOMETHING IN THE WATER will continue its mission to unite communities, celebrate diversity and empower everyone from the youth to small business owners in Washington, DC.
In 2020, Pharrell went on a mission to convince his home state of Virginia to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday. With success, he joined forces with other thought leaders, governors and large corporations to pledge to make Juneteenth an officially recognized holiday as well. The movement was powerful and took on a life of its own, with President Biden declaring Juneteenth a national holiday.
So this year, Pharrell will bring SOMETHING IN THE WATER to the nation’s capital, on an important weekend in the country’s history, to recognize that something that has been flowing through the country’s soil for over 400 years. Pharrell will gather the biggest artists on the nation’s front doorstep to show what this day means and provide a glimpse of its potential.
With the festival’s emphasis on community, this year Pharrell will bring together the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) to highlight and uplift the communities across the region. The festival has strived to fight systemic issues for historically marginalized communities as it relates to opportunities in education, business and jobs, and this year is no different. While the festival itself has relocated to Washington, DC, the impact of SITW 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. Sponsor details and local activations to be announced soon.
Founded by Pharrell Williams in 2020, Black Ambition was launched as a non-profit initiative that provides a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs launching tech, Web 3.0, healthcare, and consumer products/service start-ups. Its long-term vision is for inclusive entrepreneurship to be the new normal. Black Ambition will be hosting a 25k pitch competition at SITW for local DC entrepreneurs and startup founders, hosting a series of panel discussions and fireside chats on funding, Web 3.0 and mentorship for Black and Latinx startup founders and a marketplace to showcase the products of the first year of Black Ambition founders. Black Ambition is committed to leveling the playing field and fostering the ingenuity, determination, and resilience of underrepresented entrepreneurs.
