Made In America Festival Canceled For Second Consecutive Year
Local music lovers and festival goers who make an annual trip to Philadelphia just got some bad news about Made In America. The upcoming, fall festival has been canceled for the second year in a row.
The official Made In America Instagram page put out a statement about the cancellation on Wednesday (April 3). “Made In America will not take place in 2024,” it reads. “Since its inception, this groundbreaking festival has celebrated music and community—from creating a space for fans to connect, to uplifting local small businesses and shining a light on important causes. It has strived for accessibility, eliminating barriers through affordable tickets and location.”
The festival creators reassured fans that when they do return, it will be a different experience. “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,” they wrote. “We promise an exciting return to the festival.”
Last year’s Made In America festival, which was set to be headlined by SZA and Lizzo, was canceled due to “severe circumstances outside of production control.” The timing was intriguing as it was right around the time when the “Truth Hurts” singer was sued by her former dancers for sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. A former tour manager also sued the pop star for harsh working conditions. Lizzo denied all allegations and filed a formal dismissal of her allegations.
The Made In America festival was first founded in 2012 by Jay-Z and is held annually at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The inaugural event grossed $5 million in ticket sales and brought in nearly 80,000 people. Philadelphia city officials reported that it had a $10 million economic impact on the city. Jay-Z and Pearl Jam headlined the inaugural festival, but other artists such as Drake, Calvin Harris, Run-DMC, and Jill Scott helped set the standard for what would become an important tradition in music.
In 2014, they took the show on the road and host the festival in Los Angeles and Philadelphia simultaneously. Though the initial idea was exciting, it proved to be a bit lofty as ticket sales in L.A. were low and forced the show to return to its original one-city format; in 2015, they introduced a different idea in the form of the Monument Series. In the leadup to the main Made In America Festival, they hosted events at the Statue Of Liberty in New York and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Since then, artists like Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Kanye West, J. Cole, Imagine Dragons, John Mayer, Coldplay, and more have all been Made In America headliners. Like many festivals, they did not host a show in 2020 due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19.
In 2021, they made their grand return with headliners Justin Bieber and Lil Baby, plus undercard performers such as Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Griselda, and Bobby Shmurda. The 2022 headliners, the last ones given these past two years of cancellations, were Bad Bunny and Tyler, The Creator.
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