Jay-Z Made In America Festival Canceled for Third Straight Year

The Jay-Z Made In America music festival will not be held for a third straight year on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia during Labor Day weekend.

Organizers of the two-day event, which attracted tens of thousands of people almost every year from 2012 to 2022, were required to submit a permit application at least 90 days in advance of the concert to meet the city's standard deadline for special events.

The deadline passed, and the city did not receive an application, confirmed Joe Grace, a spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, on Tuesday, July 29.

“Our planning is focused on 2026 and the 250th anniversary celebration of America,” Grace said in a statement to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We haven't received a permit application from Roc Nation.”

Jay-Z's Roc Nation, which manages the festival, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Inquirer on Tuesday.

The 2023 version of the concert was canceled just weeks before Labor Day after artists Lizzo and SZA were revealed as headliners. Fans had already purchased thousands of tickets before the cancellation news was delivered. At that time, Lizzo was taking heat after many of her dancers filed a lawsuit against the performer with accusations of harassment. No specific reason was provided for the concert cancellation, but Roc Nation said “severe circumstances outside of production control” necessitated the postponement.

Last year's festival was canceled in April. “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,” Roc Nation said at the time.

The festival paused during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 but resumed in 2021, featuring headliners Lil Baby and Justin Bieber, and in 2022 with Bad Bunny and Tyler, The Creator.