Katy Perry has apologised to fans after her headline set at Belgium’s Werchter Boutique was cancelled due to severe weather warnings.
The singer had been set to headline the one-day festival at Festivalpark Werchter last night (June 27), but organisers finished the event early due to the threat of severe thunderstorms.
“The festival will end after Pitbull’s performance. Katy Perry’s concert will not go ahead,” they said in a statement. “By bringing the festival to a close early, we can ensure that the exit of visitors proceeds in a safe and orderly manner, allowing everyone to return home calmly. The safety and health of everyone present is always our top priority.”
Perry later shared her own statement on Instagram, saying she had been backstage preparing for the show when she was told it could not go ahead.
“Sadly my set @WerchterBoutique tonight can’t happen due to a government mandated cancellation because of the incoming inclement weather and crowd safety concerns,” she wrote.
“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 added: “Unfortunately this is beyond my control, but the safety of all 55,000 of you always comes first and foremost.”
Perry also said she had been looking forward to returning to the Belgian festival after 17 years, and had planned to wear the same outfit she wore during her 2009 appearance.
“I love you all, and please get home safe,” she concluded.
Werchter Boutique later issued an update saying that “a severe storm passed over the country” after the festival was closed, and that everyone had been able to leave the site safely.
Perry’s next scheduled performance is at Cardiff Castle on Tuesday (June 30), one of only two exclusive UK dates she has announced for the summer.
It follows her recent appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 US opening ceremony in Los Angeles, where she performed ‘Wonder’ alongside young Norwegian singer Tius.
Perry also released her latest single ‘Watch It Burn’ last week. The track was previously previewed during her Rock In Rio Lisbon headline set, where she told the crowd she had “lost her roar” last year before playing an emotional acoustic version of ‘Roar’.
In NME’s review of Rock In Rio Lisbon, Perry was described as delivering a “pure pop spectacle”, with the review adding that the performance showed why pop’s newer stars cite her as an influence.
In April, Australian police began investigating Ruby Rose’s claims that Perry sexually assaulted her in a Melbourne nightclub over a decade ago. Perry’s representatives have denied the allegations, calling them “dangerous, reckless” and “categorically false”.
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