“Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made In America festival will no longer be taking place,” read an official statement shared by the festival on Tuesday. “This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation.”
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The statement went on to note, that since its launch in 2012, the two-day festival curated by JAY-Z, has had “a legacy of delivering exceptional experiences for music fans and concert goers, and it is our commitment to always deliver a top-tier festival experience.”
“We look forward to returning to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the great city of Philadelphia in 2024,” the statement also read before concluding that “all ticket holders will be refunded at original point of purchase.”
This year’s festival was slated for September 2 and 3 with the scheduled headlines set to be SZA and Lizzo. The latter of which has found herself in a bit of legal trouble and public scrutiny as of late. Ahead of its cancellation, the festival's 2023 show would have made Made In America history as it would have been the first time two women were the top acts.
As far as timing is concerned, the cancellation comes just a week after Lizzo was hit with a lawsuit by three of her former dancers, who accuse the artist of sexual harassment. They also claim Lizzo and her production company created a hostile work environment.
Lizzo has since refuted those claims, saying "I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days."
"I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight."
While no further details as to why the festival decided to cancel this year's show have been shared, as you might imagine the internet didn’t hold back on guessing. Pinpointing multiple different reasons and explanations, from low ticket sales, and something about how “SZA hates Philly,” to Lizzo’s current legal dramz, all as possibilities.
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