Philadelphia’s annual Made in America music festival has been canceled a month ahead of its previously scheduled start.
In a Tuesday statement, the festival’s organizers cited “severe circumstances outside of production control,” as the reason for nixing the event.
The festival planned on featuring Lizzo and SZA as headliners, along with supporting sets from Ice Spice, Lil Yachty, Miguel, Doechii and Metro Boomin.
“This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation,” the statement continued. “We look forward to returning to Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the great city of Philadelphia in 2024.”
Organizers also noted that ticketholders will receive full refunds at their original point of purchase.
The festival team did not attribute the cancellation to any artist.
The announcement comes a week after news broke that three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed a lawsuit against the body-positive singer alleging sexual harassment and hostile working conditions, among other accusations.
The “Juice” artist has since countered the “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories” levied against her by defending her work ethic, standards and sexuality.
“My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” Lizzo wrote in defense of herself. “With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”
The Grammy winner would not label herself as a “victim” in this situation but made clear she sees herself as “not the villain” that others have portrayed her to be in recent days.
“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,” Lizzo continued. “I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”
