Waiting on Made in America 2024

👋 Hi, Mike here! I've been wondering for months about whether Made in America is happening this year after last year's cancellation. Spoiler: It's still unclear.

Why it matters: Jay-Z's annual Labor Day music festival is a fixture on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and injects a significant economic boost for bars, restaurants and hotels during a typically slow weekend in Philly.

State of play: The city currently has no permit application on file from organizers for the two-day festival, spokesperson for Philly's managing director's office Natalie Faragalli tells Axios.

• Several email requests from Axios to Roc Nation, which organizes the event, went unanswered.

The intrigue: Made in America's website continues to feature a statement following last year's cancellation, noting they "look forward to returning" to the parkway in 2024.

• Plus: The city's standard permit policy requires submissions at least 90 days in advance, meaning Roc Nation would have until early June to apply, Faragalli noted.

Between the lines: Organizers have released the festival's upcoming lineups in June in recent years.

By the numbers: The two-day festival draws about 50,000 fans each day.

• The event has generated more than $180 million in economic activity for Philly since it was launched in 2012, festival producers have estimated.

Flashback: Roc Nation unexpectedly scrapped the 2023 festival weeks before it was scheduled.

• The only other time the event was canceled was in 2020 because of the pandemic

Friction point: City officials and Roc Nation haven't always seen eye to eye.

• In 2018, then-Mayor Jim Kenney considered moving the festival from the parkway but then backtracked following public outcry and a pressure campaign from Jay-Z.

What they're saying: Faragalli declined to say whether Mayor Cherelle Parker supports the festival or if the administration is in communication with event organizers.