Every labor day weekend for the past four years, about 40,000 people have attended the Made in America music festival in Philadelphia With so many popular artists and bands performing, it attracts people from all over the United States. Almost everyone can be seen repping their red, white, and blue to show patriotism and celebrate freedom in America with music. Music festivals such as Made in America give people from all different walks of life a common ground in which to celebrate and express their freedom through shared music.

Made in America, or MIA for short, was founded in 2012 by rapper, producer, and business mogul Jay-Z. Jay-Z’s main goal for creating the festival was to bring together music and American culture in a giant celebation of freedom through music. In a 2012 advertisement for the festival, Jay-Z narrated saying, “Through all the lines and things that are put in place to divide each other, all like-minded people gather together. We’re more curious than ever. We create music to express ourselves. And when the world relates, ya know, that’s beautiful things. We’re all trading off each other’s culture.” Katie Zucca ’16 made the trip into Philly for the festival this year and especially loved group feeling: “The concerts were crowded, but it was fun meeting really different people from all over and the best part was being in the crowds and feeling like a part of the experience, feeling like the artists actually cared about the audience.”

In 2013, the festival was the main focus of a documentary called “Made in America”. Directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Glazer and Jay-Z, the documentary was, as Howard put it, “a reflection of the fabric of what it means to be ‘Made in America’- what the festival represents, why Jay-Z is doing it and how he relates to each artist.” The event represents freedom by allowing artists to express themselves, through their music, to a multicultural and diverse crowd. The documentary focuses on the creation of the festival and what went on behind the scenes, including interviews with the stage hands and artists themselves. The film discusses the ways in which the festival brings people together to celebrate one thing: music. Jack Prendergast’s ‘16 most memorable part of the entire weekend was just that, the music: “My favorite part was getting to see J Cole, one of my favorite rappers, in concert.”

The experience at the festival is like many other music festivals around the world with partying, music, and dancing. However, Made in America stands out as a celebration of America and our country’s freedom. Just as Jay-Z explained in the advertisement, Made in America an unique music festival where people come to enjoy their freedom to express themselves through their music and celebrate that freedom all weekend long.