The second annual Hot In Toronto festival has reportedly been postponed, after headliner Lil Wayne cancelled his appearance.
The one-day event was set to take place at Toronto's Downsview Park on Saturday, June 22, promising "the best Hip Hop & R&B acts in the world for one epic day." However, organizers are said to have notified ticket holders by email last week that Weezy would no longer be performing.
A spokesperson for Festivals of Vaughan confirmed the postponement to CityNews, saying, “Fans purchased tickets based on the lineup we posted, which has changed dramatically. To be clear, all artists were fully contracted and deposits were paid. Unfortunately, Lil Wayne is no longer able to perform at our event."
Because of a non-disclosure agreement, organizers were not able to say why Lil Wayne cancelled, however, they assured fans that they are currently searching for another artist to take over the headliner spot.
Other artists that were scheduled to perform at Hot In Toronto included Akon, 2 Chainz, T-Pain, Lil Jon, Fabolous and Lil' Kim. Whether they will perform at the rescheduled date though remains uncertain.
“When a festival loses its main headliner it causes a lot of problems as fans have purchased tickets and expect to see the artists they paid for. We tried to find a replacement headliner but we were unable to find someone on short notice,” the spokesperson added.
Organizers promise that "a new date will be announced as we are working with some artists and partners to reschedule.” Refunds will also be outlined within two weeks.
General admission tickets for Hot in Toronto ranged from $240 general admission passes to $350 upwards of $13,500 for a VIP booth with bottle service.
The inaugural festival, originally called Hot In Herre, took place last year on June 24, 2023, featuring headliner Nelly, along with Ne-Yo, Akon, T.I., Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Ja Rule, Keri Hilson and Chingy.