April 03, 2024
Daniel DeSlover/Sipa USA
The Made in America Festival has been canceled for the second straight year, organizers announced Tuesday, April 3. This file image shows Megan Thee Stallion performing at the concert 2019. It took place annually on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia during Labor Day Weekend.
The Made in America Festival will not take place again in 2024. The statement from organizers announcing the news Wednesday didn't give a specific reason for canceling this year's concert and insisted the event would return.
The annual two-day music festival on the Ben Franklin Parkway, organized by Jay-Z's Roc Nation and Live Nation, had taken place most years since 2012, attracting top acts to perform in Philadelphia during Labor Day weekend. Made in America also was abruptly canceled in 2023 after the concert's lineup of performers had been released and tickets were sold.
"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," the statement said. "We promise an exciting return to the festival."
— Made In America Festival (@MIAFestival) April 3, 2024
This cancellation gives more notice than 2023, when organizers called off Made in America a month before it was scheduled to take place and had to issue refunds to people who bought tickets. The 2023 lineup was set to include headliners SZA and Lizzo along with Latto, Miguel, Ice Spice, Tems, Coi Leray, Coco Jones and Lil Yachty.
Over the years, Philadelphia artists, like Tierra Whack, Lil Uzi Vert and Jazmine Sullivan, have performed at Made in America.
In their statement Wednesday, Organizers said the event "strived for accessibility, eliminating barriers through affordable tickets and location," though it didn't officially cite skyrocketing ticket prices and scalpers as a reason for its cancellation.
Made in America took place each year since 2012, except during the pandemic in 2020 and last year. It typically drew thousands of fans. Some people reacting to the news online said the event hadn't been the same in the past few years, and one attributed the change to Budweiser stopping its sponsorship of the concert in 2018.
