Katy Perry has announced that her set at the Werchter Boutique festival in Belgium has been cancelled — and she wasn’t the one to make the difficult decision.
“Sadly my set @WerchterBoutique tonight can’t happen due to a government mandated cancellation because of the incoming inclement weather and crowd safety concerns,” the singer, 41, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, June 27, announcing that the show, unfortunately, would not go on.
“I was backstage at the show in the middle of hair and makeup when this news was delivered, and they gave me no choice. I am just as unhappy as you are,” she continued. “Unfortunately this is beyond my control. But the safety of all 55,000 of you always comes first and foremost.”
Perry was set to perform in Werchter, Belgium, just hours before the show was cancelled. Other artists featured on the festival’s lineup include Pitbull, Mika, Pommelien Thijs, James Arthur, Roxy Dekker and Emmy d’Arc.
“I am sorry I can’t change the weather, and even sorrier that all of us can’t be together tonight,” Perry concluded on Saturday, alongside a photo of the singer smoking outside wearing a robe, headphones, comfy pajama pants and flip flops. “I was looking forward to benign back after 17 years, I was even gonna wear the same outfit from that 2009 show again. I love you all, and please get home safe.”
Perry also shared a statement from the festival itself, announcing that her set was cancelled and the festivities would end after Pitbull’s performance.
“Following consultation with the Rock Werchter Safety Committee, in which all authorities and the organization are represented, it has been decided that the Werchter Boutique will end at 9pm this evening,” the statement read in part. “This decision was taken in response to the weather forecast, which predicts severe thunderstorms from midnight onwards at the earliest. The governor of Flemish Brabant has also issued a be-alert in this regard.”
The statement continued, “The festival will end after Pitbull’s performance. Katy Perry’s concert will not go ahead. By bringing the festival to a close early, we can ensure that the exit of visitors will proceed in a safe and orderly manner, allowing everyone to return home calmly. The safety and health of everyone present is always our top priority.”
The cancellation comes days after Perry released her latest single “Watch It Burn” on Thursday, June 25, which serves as the sister song to her November 2025 track “Bandaids.”
The song explores the replacement of years of restraint, people-pleasing and silence with the truth, using anger as a vehicle for honesty.
“Said I was too hard to love … For years/ I tried to rise above/ Was only light and love/ But now I’m shut the f*** up,” Perry sings, later adding, “Don’t wanna cause a scene/ But give me the gasoline/ Tonight’s the night/ I light a match/ Throw it hard behind my back/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette/ And watch it burn.”
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