Visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur, PHARRELL WILLIAMS announced that his SOMETHING IN THE WATER FESTIVAL will return this year!

Something In The Water Festival 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 the nation’s capital, directly on Independence Avenue and its adjacent streets.

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 the757 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.

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 INTHE 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

Pharrell Wiliams

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.

XQ Institute will also join this year’s festival to host interactive, community-centered events highlighting XQ’s emerging partnership with DC Public Schools and to commemorate the 2022 graduating class of high school students across the nation.

Sunday will feature the return of the Pop-Up Church Service from a stage in West Potomac Park, home of theMartin Luther King Jr. Memorial.  This event will be free for the community, the lineup will be announced soon.

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. 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.

Mayor Muriel Bowser