Sueños & Movement Detroit evacuated, Gazebo Festival cancels day 2 over severe weather

AmaaraeAmanda Hatfield
Sueños & Movement Detroit evacuated, Gazebo Festival cancels day 2 over severe weather

This Memorial Day Weekend was, as usual, a busy one for music festivals; Boston Calling, Punk Rock Bowling, Maryland Deathfest, and Movement were among the numerous events happening across the country over the long weekend. Some of those events were plagued with bad weather, though, forcing them to cancel days, end early, or evacuate. Movement was forced to evacuate its grounds for more than three hours on Sunday (5/26) starting at 6:45 PM due to storms and high winds; they were ultimately able to reopen after 10, and extend their schedule to 12:30 AM (their curfew is usually at midnight). They also allowed those with Sunday wristbands to attend on Monday for free.

Chicago festival Sueños also had a rocky Sunday, starting with a delayed opening (from 12 PM to 4 PM) because of severe weather. They shared updated set times for the afternoon, but headliner Peso Pluma‘s set wound up getting cancelled when the festival was evacuated shortly after Maluma had taken the stage. In an Instagram story viewed by Billboard, Peso Pluma wrote, “I have bad news. I just left the festival, they are evacuating everyone, they evacuated me too. My set was canceled because it’s supposed to rain heavily here in Chicago, with thunder. City officials won’t let the event go on today. I’ll keep you updated once I hear more. I hope you understand this is out of our hands, it’s because of the weather. I hope I can give you a good show here in Chicago when it’s possible.”

Sueños organizers also shared a statement following the evacuation, writing, “Familia, we truly appreciate everyone’s patience with today’s late start due to the early storms and your understanding of the early end to the festivities.” They continued:

We did everything we could to keep the fest going. The decisions to have a delayed start and evacuation were not taken lightly We will never put anything above the safety of our community. We want to thank your fans and all of the artists who rallied together to make this weekend as special as possible.

Due to severe weather conditions, in coordination with the National Weather Service and City of Chicago public safety officials, we made the difficult decision to evacuate Grant Park this evening and have been forced to cancel the remainder of Day 2 of the festival. We must always put the wellbeing of fans, artists, and staff first.

For ticket holders who purchased directly through Front Gate Tickets, more info to come tomorrow regarding partial refunds.

Jack Harlow‘s new Louisville, KY festival, Gazebo, also had its second day cancelled on Sunday. In an Instagram story, Harlow wrote, “Well. We have to cancel Day 2 of Gazebo. We are currently on a tornado watch. I know things cleared up a little bit but the bad weather has damaged the site and there are more storms on the way. This means everyone on Day 2 including myself won’t be performing anymore. I’m trying to focus on the positive because all I felt was happiness yesterday. I’m grateful for our flawless first day and for the way this city came together. Thank you so much. I’m sorry.”

At 11:30 AM, the festival announced that it wouldn’t be opening its gates at 1 PM as scheduled and would be “operating on an adjusted schedule.” That was followed with an announcement at 2 PM that the event was “on pause” with “updates coming soon,” and a 3 PM notice of cancellation. “The safety of our patrons, artists and staff is paramount,” it reads. “Due to continuing hazardous conditions throughout the early afternoon and a second wave of weather expected this evening, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the remainder of Gazebo Festival. All Sunday ticket holders will receive a refund in full. All Weekend ticket holders will receive a 50% refund. Refunds will be issued within 30 days. Ticket buyers will receive follow up communication from Tixr directly.”

The day two lineup included Omar Apollo, PinkPantheress, Veeze, Channel Tres, Slum Village, Amaarae, and more in addition to Harlow himself.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7dBgm_O_np/

Tags: Amaarae, Cancellations, Channel tres, Evacuation, Gazebo, Jack harlow, Maluma, Movement, Movement detroit, Omar apollo, Peso pluma, Pinkpantheress, Severe weather, Slum village, Suenos, Veeze