BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival’s 2023 opening night cancelled due to air quality

Tonight’s (6/7) opening night of this year’s BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, which was to have featured Taj Mahal, Corinne Bailey Rae, and The Harlem Gospel Travelers, has been cancelled due to the poor air quality currently affecting NYC and the surrounding area. A message from BRIC reads, “Due to the unprecedented air quality in NY, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel opening night. The health of our staff & the communities we serve is our first priority. We’re excited to see you this Saturday for our Family Day and all summer long. #CelebrateBrooklyn”

UPDATE (6/9): Taj Mahall’s show has been rescheduled for Monday, June 12: “Surprise! Come join us Monday night for a re-imagined version of our opening night celebrations. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the vision of our 45th season kickoff back to life and welcome our friends and family down to the Bandshell.”

Air advisories are in effect for all five boroughs, with outdoor events cancelled for NYC schools. At a briefing today, Mayor Eric Adams said, “Yesterday, New Yorkers saw and smelled something that has never impacted us on this scale before. From the gloom over Yankee Stadium to the smoky haze obscuring our skyline, we could see it, we could smell it and we felt it. And it was alarming and concerning.”

“If you’re older or have heart or breathing problems, you should remain inside or wear a mask,” he continued.

NBC News reports that the worst of the smoke, which is from wildfires in Canada, is expected in NYC from 3PM to 9PM, and it will also persist into Thursday.

Find the full BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival lineup for 2023 here.