Organizers of Washington’s World Pride celebration have announced that Shakira’s headlining concert, scheduled for Saturday night at Nationals Park, has been canceled – just one day after the pop star’s show in Boston was also abruptly called off. The double cancellation has left fans disappointed, but officials say the issues were beyond the singer’s control. According to a statement from the Capital Pride Alliance, “Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira’s full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park… Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.” In other words, technical and staging problems that arose in Boston created a domino effect, preventing the elaborate concert setup from arriving and being safely installed in D.C. on time.
Shakira had been slated to perform Thursday at Boston’s Fenway Park as part of a Pride Week kickoff event, but that concert was canceled just hours before showtime, reportedly due to stage equipment malfunctions. (Notably, a Jason Aldean country concert set for the next night at Fenway was also canceled, suggesting a broader structural issue at the venue). With key gear stuck or needing repairs after the Fenway incident, Pride organizers in Washington were left without the necessary stage production for Shakira’s show. They held out hope as long as possible, but ultimately had to pull the plug late Friday for the Saturday event.
Fans who traveled for Shakira’s D.C. Pride appearance are now being refunded, and the Pride Alliance quickly reorganized the weekend’s schedule. The planned World Pride opening ceremony will still go on, but in a scaled-back form and at an alternate location, without the Colombian superstar’s performance. Shakira’s team has not issued a separate statement, though the singer herself hinted at frustration on social media, liking a post from a fan account about “unforeseen production issues.” Despite the setback, Pride organizers emphasized that all other festival events citywide are continuing as planned. Attendees in Washington have responded with understanding and resilience – and a determination to celebrate Pride, even without the originally advertised headliner. Meanwhile, Shakira supporters are hopeful the Latin pop icon will make it up to both cities in the future with rescheduled shows once logistics are sorted out.
