This evening, July 7, was intended to be the official kick-off of the 45th annual event at the Prospect Park Bandshell in New York City, Celebrate Brooklyn Festival As a result of ongoing wildfires in both British Columbia and Alberta, the first night of entertainment has been canceled due to poor air quality caused by the blazes.
In a post shared across BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn’s social media, they expressed: “Due to the unprecedented air quality situation in New York, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!’s opening night.”
They continued, “The health of our staff and the communities we serve is the number one priority for BRIC and we can’t, in good conscience, risk the wellbeing of our friends and neighbors who may have high-risk health issues.”
The statement ended with, “We’re excited to see you this Saturday for our Family Day and all summer long for the rest of the #CelebrateBrooklyn season.” Initially, tonight’s programming would have featured blues legend Taj Mahal and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, scheduled to take the stage at the Lena Horne Bandshell with assistance from The Harlem Gospel Travelers and DJ Tara. The aforementioned performances will not be rescheduled.
To learn more about future events put on by Celebrate Brooklyn!, follow this link.
Scroll down to read the complete statement regarding tonight’s cancelation.
View this post on Instagram
No Comments comments associated with this post