Made in America, which has been held in Philadelphia for the past two years, may be expanding to Los Angeles during Labor Day weekend this year. Founded by Jay-Z, the festival has represented the EDM scene with artists such as Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Skrillex, Wolfgang Gartner, Porter Robinson, Feed Me, Nero and Michael Woods next to some of the biggest names in pop, hip-hop/rap and rock including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails, Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons.
The official announcement regarding Made in America’s West Coast location has been hindered, however, due to some communication mishaps. After talks between festival producer Live Nation and the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti gave the green light for the festival — but failed to communicate the news with Councilman Jose Huizar, who is in charge of permits and public safety. With the festival estimated to gather 50,000 people to Grand Park, the city would require street closures for up to 10 days. Until a report on “any permits, actions, public safety concerns, and any necessary cost implications” of the event is written up, Huizar will withhold issuing any permits. The councilman gave the following statement to LA Weekly: 
This is not about opposing special events or any particular concert, it’s about making sure the affected community, in this case downtown stakeholders, is part of the planning process sooner rather than later. When you’re talking about a proposed event of this magnitude, with 50,000 expected, multiple-day street closures, beer and for-profit ticket sales at a public park, it is imperative that we have an open, inclusive dialogue in ensuring it’s a good fit for the neighborhood and, if it is, that concerns are mitigated well in advance.
With the festival only a few months away, we hope the city will work together to establish the proper protocols and bring Made in America to the West Coast.
Photo Credit: Dan Sozanski via Made In America
