For the second year running, Jay-Z has decided not to hold his yearly Made in America festival in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend.
On Wednesday, the event took to social media and its website to announce the cancellation. A Made in America representative sent inquiries regarding the lack of an explanation back to the original statement.
The executive production team of Made in America is rethinking what it means to attend a live music performance in order to celebrate our shared passion for music and our profession. According to the statement, "We promise an exciting return to the festival." However, the statement did not specify when the festival would return.
This revolutionary event has been a celebration of music and community since its start, doing things like bringing together fans, supporting local businesses, and bringing attention to worthy causes. The statement released on Wednesday explained that the event has made efforts to be accessible by removing obstacles such as high ticket prices and inconvenient locations.
With Lizzo and SZA set to headline the event on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in August 2023, Made in America made the announcement that the festival will not be happening "due to severe circumstances outside of production control" in a statement released at the time.
"This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation," the organizers stated in 2023. They expressed excitement about coming back the next year when asked about it at the time.
Then-Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia voiced his sadness at the festival's sudden cancellation last year, but promised that the city will "look forward to bringing Made in America back and bigger than ever to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway next year." There was no quick response from a representative for Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker regarding the cancellation of this year's event.
Starting in 2012 and continuing until 2023, with the exception of 2020 due to the coronavirus epidemic, the event had been hosted annually.
View for more updates