Celebrate Brooklyn Postpones Opening Date Due To Wildfire Smoke In NYC

Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 7: Smoky haze from wildfires in Canada diminishes the visibility of the Empire State Building on June 7, 2023 in New York City. New York topped the list of most polluted major cities in the world on Tuesday night, as smoke from the fires continues to blanket the East Coast. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Celebrate Brooklyn announced they are postponing their opening date due to the poor air quality in New York City following the Canadian wildfires. The city’s sepia-toned sky created an apocalyptic feeling for New Yorkers, with the Air Quality Index reporting a record low reaching 392, marking hazardous air conditions.

“Due to the unprecedented air quality in NY, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel opening night,” the outdoor performing arts festival said in a statement shared to their social media accounts. “The health of our staff & the communities we serve is our first priority.”

BRIC serves as New York City’s longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festival. They stated they plan to return on Saturday for Family Day and will continue to run throughout the summer.

Other outdoor activities have also been postponed due to the air quality, with the Yankees announcing they would not be playing today’s ball game against the Chicago White Sox, with the two teams now playing a double-header on June 8, air quality permitting.

Governor’s Ball, which is scheduled to take place this weekend (June 9-11) has stated they still plan on moving forward with their originally scheduled dates.

Update: June 8
Governor’s Ball has announced they officially plan to move ahead with their initial plans to start on June 9. The festival issued a statement saying that “After consulting with New York City officials and monitoring multiple weather forecasts, we are a go for Governors Ball 2023! All reports point to conditions improving throughout the day and into the weekend and we are excited for a great event. We’re continuing to monitor conditions with weather experts and city officials and will do so throughout the weekend.”