Nor’easter Forces Cancellations of Major East Coast Events

A powerful nor’easter approaching the U.S. East Coast has led to the cancellation of several major concerts, music festivals and sporting events scheduled for this weekend. The National Weather Service is forecasting rain and “widespread strong to gale-force winds” across much of the East Coast over the coming days.

Ed Sheeran’s scheduled performances at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium have been canceled because of the weather. The English singer was due to perform Friday and Saturday, but both shows were called off as the storm approached. Sheeran’s current tour had already faced controversy after opening act Macklemore was dropped following his onstage call for a “free Palestine.”

All Things Go NYC, a three-day music festival in Queens, was also canceled just hours before it was scheduled to begin. The event was expected to feature Zara Larsson, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Ethel Cain, Muna and Carly Rae Jepsen, among other performers. The Washington, D.C., edition of All Things Go, which is also scheduled for this weekend, remained scheduled as of Friday afternoon.

The Global Citizen Festival, which was set to take place Saturday in Central Park, was likewise called off Friday. Organizers cited the “extreme weather forecast.” The lineup included Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend and Shaboozey.

The CBGB Festival in Brooklyn was canceled Friday afternoon ahead of its planned Saturday event. Morrissey, Patti Smith and Interpol were among the artists scheduled to headline the festival.

Oceans Calling, described as Maryland’s biggest music festival, was also canceled because of the storm. The decision affected performances scheduled from Dave Matthews Band, Mumford and Sons, Gwen Stefani and Twenty One Pilots, among others.

The weather has also disrupted sporting events. Major League Baseball moved the Chicago Cubs-Boston Red Sox game that had been scheduled for Sunday to Friday afternoon. The NYCRUNS Big Apple Marathon and the Hamptons Marathon were both canceled as the storm threatened the region.

The National Weather Service has warned that the nor’easter could bring “widespread strong to gale-force winds to much of the East Coast of the U.S. through the next few days.” Wind gusts could reach 50 miles per hour, while rain is expected to begin late Friday and continue into Saturday.

Forecasters are also warning of “moderate to major coastal flooding,” along with the possibility of inland flooding, power outages and beach erosion. New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged residents to “take this storm seriously.”

The storm has also created disruptions at major East Coast airports. Flights arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport were experiencing average delays of about one hour, according to FlightAware. At LaGuardia Airport, average departure delays had reached one hour and 10 minutes, while arriving flights were delayed by an average of one hour and 39 minutes.

More than 500 flights in and out of LaGuardia had been delayed by Friday afternoon. American Airlines, JetBlue and United were among the major carriers offering passengers the option to rebook affected trips without additional fees.