Harlem Festival of Culture canceled due to excessive heat in NYC

With warnings of what could possibly be New York’s first heat wave of the summer, Harlem Festival of Culture has been canceled.

The festival was scheduled to take place July 28-30, bringing the likes of Ferg, Teyana Taylor, Wyclef Jean, Cam’ron, Coco Jones, Fat Joe, Remy Ma and more to Randall’s Island for the three-day event. After “strong consideration” of the heat advisory, however, festival organizers have decided to abort the mission.

“On Thursday, July 27th, President [Joe] Biden called on Americans to ‘listen to public officials and stay indoors’ due to the excessive heat advisory and poor air quality,” read a post on the festival’s Instagram page. “After strong consideration to this severe weather impacting New York City, it is with a heavy heart that we have made the tough decision to cancel this weekend’s Harlem Festival of Culture with public safety in mind.”

The post continued, “Our primary concern for the Festival was to put on an enjoyable and safe experience for all, and with the current forecast, it does not support a safe festival experience for attendees, workers or partners. While this untimely announcement changes our planned activities, this decision could potentially save lives.”

Those who purchased tickets to the event can visit the festival’s website to get refunds.