Reminiscing About The Best Made In America Moment After Cancellation
Labor Day in Philadelphia will be a little different this year and not in a good way. Usually, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is taken over by music lovers of all ages as the Made In America festival takes place on the unofficial last Saturday and Sunday of summer. Unfortunately, that will not be the case this year.
Two weeks ago, on August 9th, the festival made an official announcement stating the festival would not take place this year due to circumstances out of their control. Here is the statement:
“Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made In America festival will no longer be taking place. This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation.
Made in America has a legacy of delivering exceptional experiences for music fans and concertgoers, and it is our commitment to always deliver a top-tier festival experience.
We look forward to returning to Benjamin
Franklin Parkway and the great city of
Philadelphia in 2024.
All ticket holders will be refunded at the original point of purchase.”
I am so bummed about this announcement because it means a ten-year Philadelphia tradition will come to a pause this summer. Hopefully, Made In America will be back and better than ever next year, and the parkway will once again be taken over by people of all ages who love live music.
I was actually there the very first year they had the Made In America Festival back in 2012, and funnily enough, it was also my favorite year of the festival. The lineup was star-studded with names like Pearl Jam, Jay Z, Run DMC, and Drake. It was incredible.

The lineup for the inaugural Made In America Festival in 2012. Photo by: Matt Cord for BBGI Philadelphia
My favorite moment of that year was when Jay Z joined Pearl Jam on the Rocky Stage and they performed 99 Problems together. It was a surreal crossover and one that could only happen at a festival like Made In America.
I even got to hang out with Jay Z for a bit backstage that year with my buddies Brian and Nasty with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. It was cool that Jay Z was invested in the festival from the very beginning.
Here’s to hoping that this year is a stand-alone and the festival will be back better than ever next year. Maybe Jay Z and Pearl Jam will be back for Made In America 2024.