Kehlani NYC concert canceled over safety concerns
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Kehlani's upcoming SummerStage concert in Central Park has been canceled due to safety and security issues raised by the city, the festival announced Monday.
The singer was set to perform at the annual concert series on June 26. The event was one of many Pride events happening around New York City.
'We have been notified by the Mayor's Office that they have concerns for security and safety issues regarding the June 26 Kehlani concert … (as well as) security demands in Central Park and throughout the city for other Pride events during that same time period,' SummerStage posted on Instagram.
Organizers claimed similar concerns prompted Cornell University to cancel Kehlani's show at the upstate New York campus after complaints that she expressed antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments. The artist was scheduled to perform at the school's annual spring celebration called Slope Day.
Kehlani has used their position to publicly support Palestinians and has embraced the word 'intifada,' an Arabic word for 'uprising' or 'resistance.'
The R&B star recently said in a video post they were not anti-Jew but anti-genocide, according to Billboard.
'We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expressions of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests is of the utmost importance … While artists may choose to express their opinions, their views may not necessarily be representative of the festival,' according to the festival's Instagram post.
The artist posted the cancelation on her Instagram stories and wrote, 'lol.'
The Pride with Kehlani benefit concert was still on the SummerStage schedule as of Monday night.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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