UPDATED: Sept. 5, 9:25 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Bad Bunny headlined Sunday night at the Made in America Festival, to cap off the two-day musical event on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Thousands of fans traveled from all over, specially to see Puerto Rican artist represent the Latinx communities.
From the artists to the life-sized games, to just hanging out with friends, there was a lot for people to do at the festival, which has become a Labor Day weekend tradition in Philadelphia.
The roster of performers this year ran the gamut from Philly favorites like Lil Uzi Vert and Jazmine Sullivan to international stars including Pusha T and Tyler the Creator. And in-between acts, festivalgoers could enjoy activities ranging from giant-sized beer pong — minus the beer — to human billiards.
Amanda Vega and her six friends traveled from New York City to see Bad Bunny, because, they say, he is bringing the Latinx communities together, and he’s a true original.
"I don’t know," Vega said, "it’s his style. He’s free ... and truly himself."
Eric Gonzales, another fan, said he loves the music, but beyond that, Bad Bunny has been an ally to LGBTQ communities.
"I heard two songs, and I was automatically hooked, because I love when artists stand for themselves and for other people," Gonzales said.
Alondra, who is from Puerto Rico, admits her love for the superstar is about the culture as much as the music.
"He actually started up in the town I was born, so that adds to the infatuation and makes him a very relatable artist," Alondra said.
Keeping the party safe
Mayor Jim Kenney admitted Made in America is one of those big events in the city that keeps him up at night, worrying about what might go wrong.
After all, the last big event in the city ended with two police officers in the hospital for graze wounds from bullets on the Fourth of July.
However, he said officials believe the security plan is good, and he is encouraged because the actual party on the parkway was great.
"The problems that we had Fourth of July did not come from the event. It came from some knucklehead two miles away shooting a gun into the air that he probably shouldn't have had in the first place," said Kenney.
"So nothing happened on the footprint of the event. It was actually a pretty chill, fun day. Great entertainment, great weather. We expect the same thing this weekend."
Many people who spoke to KYW Newsradio didn't express any concerns about safety, though they did recognize the strong police presence.
Staying cool at the hottest event
One major concern for people, however, was the heat.
It was shortly after sunrise Sunday morning when Jose Vasquez and his buddies got to the entrance gates for day 2. "We tried to be at the front of the entrance, so we could get the best experience," he said.
Vasquez said Saturday was a great day at MIA for his crew, but not everyone enduring the long, hot day was so lucky. He saw a number of festival goers pass out.
"There's a lot of people who couldn’t even move," he said. "The security guards had to carry them out. It was a hot day, so staying hydrated definitely helps out."
Christopher Feliciano, who lined up at 7 a.m. to get in, echoed his sentiments. "I saw a couple people pass out," he said, "but I believe it's because the crowd was crazy and they weren't handing out water, which is a problem."
Vasquez took a number of precautions to avoid the same fate of those dehydrated festival goers. "I have my water bottle, my camel bag," he told KYW. "I'm prepared to be in front, be there until 11 at night."
Both Vasquez and Feliciano said they hoped festival officials would provide more water to people, to help them safely make it through Sunday's show. And Feliciano suggested making sure to find some shade to sit down and take a break when necessary, to keep from falling victim to heat exhaustion, or worse.
Taking the good with the bad
This is, of course, a big event for businesses in the city as well. Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, told NBC10 festivals don't pack hotels quite like conventions do, but they certainly help.
"Having a concert like Made in America makes a normally slow weekend a good weekend for business," he said. "It's also good because it brings people from the suburbs into the city, especially young people. And also while they’re here, people are staying for the concert, they’re going to eat at our restaurants, visit our bars."
But it's not all great for residents who live in Fairmount.
The music festival and big events in general are nothing new around here. Residents told KYW Newsradio dealing with the road closures, the traffic backups and the parking wars is a little annoying, but all part of the territory.
Jeffrey Richmond says he's gotten used to these sort of things over the years. "It's not too big of a burden, but you know, it makes things harder," he said.
He also said you can't drive anywhere, at least not without getting aggravated. But Richmond admits though that it is really nice when there are events he wants to attend, like when the NFL Draft was on the Parkway.
Shannon and Chris said it gets a little less intrusive every time.
"I think it has gotten better the last few years, a little bit more organized," said Shannon.
"To have police that allow us to get into our buildings and garages, and also by strategically closing the streets at certain places that at least there’s flow traffic through," added Chris.
Still, Shannon said if you don't like dealing with crowds, Fairmount isn't the best place to buy or rent a home.
"I think it kind of comes with the territory if you're going to be living in the city, that things are gonna happen, so I think we're kind of immune to it," she said.
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Chris echoed that sentiment, saying you have to take the good with the bad.
"When you want to go, it's right here. When you don't wanna go, get out of town," he said.
Made in America has generated over $150 million in economic growth for the City of Brotherly Love since 2012.
KYW Newsradio's Dave Uram and Holli Stephens contributed to this story.