This year’s Afro-Punk Festival, which was scheduled to take place this weekend, had its permits rescinded by the City of New York earlier this week due to the incoming inclement weather of Hurricane Irene, prompting the cancellation of the event.

Photo by Girlie Action

Artists such as Cee Lo, Santigold, Cerebral Ballzy and Reggier Watts were scheduled to play the fest, but the safety risks posed by Irene were apparently too great for New York to allow it to go on.

“The expected inclimate weather poses a great safety risk for all participating/attending, and subsequently we have been instructed to cancel the outdoor festival,” wrote the Afro-Punk team in a post to their site. “Our ENTIRE team has been working tirelessly around the clock, meeting with authorities, partners and sponsors to avoid cancelation.”

Rescheduled dates for the festival are forthcoming.