Live Nation Urban and H.E.R.’s festival called off

Lights On Festival, an event curated by American R&B singer H.E.R. and promoted by Live Nation Urban, has been called off less than a month before it was supposed to take place.

The festival, scheduled for 16–17 September at the Shoreline Amphitheater in California, was to feature performances from H.E.R. and Friends, Jazmine Sullivan, PartyNextDoor, Don Toliver, Alina Baraz, Tooshi, Smino and more.

Lights On is the latest 2023 festival to be cancelled after 88rising’s 88 Degrees & Rising, Made in America (US), Fest Festival (Poland), Falls Festival (Australia), Rolling Loud (US), Summerburst (Sweden), Hills of Rock (Bulgaria), InMusic (Croatia), Wireless Germany, Hear Hear (Belgium) and Tempelhof Sounds and Tempelhof Sounds Presents (Germany).

“We look forward to returning with an incredible experience in 2024”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lights On Festival will not take place this year,” festival representatives said in a statement released to the San Francisco Chronicle on 22 August. “We sincerely appreciate and value the Lights On Festival community and look forward to returning with an incredible experience in 2024.”

Lights On Festival made its debut in 2019, with the second, and most recent, edition held in 2021. The initial idea for the festival came from Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee and Jeff Robinson, CEO and founder of MBK Entertainment, the company that manages H.E.R.

Lights On Festival is among a slate of artist-curated festivals including J.Cole’s Dreamville, Tyler the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, Smashing Pumpkins’ The World Is A Vampire, Travis Scott’s Astroworld, Pharrell Williams’ Something In The Water, Jawbreaker’s 1234Fest and Meltdown festival.

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