The Made in America Festival has been canceled — for the second year in a row.
“As purveyors of change, the Made In America executive production team is reimagining a live music experience that affirms our love and dedication to music and the work we do,” a statement posted on the festival’s website and Instagram reads.
Founded by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, the festival typically takes place over Labor Day weekend along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The inaugural festival was in 2012 . Over the years, artists such as Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Beyoncé (Jay Z’s wife) have headlined the East Coast stage.
After postponing in 2020 because of COVID, the festival persevered until 2023, when it was canceled less than a month before the event. SZA and Lizzo were set to headline with Ice Spice, Metro Boomin and Miguel scheduled to perform. The sudden cancellation was “due to severe circumstances outside of production control,” according to a similar statement last year from the organizers.
At the time, both the festival and then-Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney ensured that the event would return in 2024.
“We look forward to bringing Made in America back and bigger than ever to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway next year,” Kenney wrote in a statement to the Associated Press.
This year’s cancellation of Jay-Z’s festival provides more advance notice for attendees than in 2023. Failing to give a specific reason for the cancellation, the statement instead promises “an exciting return.”
No lineup had been announced for this year’s Made in America Festival, and the statement did not include a return date.
