Max SteventonFestivals across Europe have been affected by a severe heatwave that swept the continent over the weekend, with some regions recording temperatures approaching 40°C.
France’s live events have been particularly affected by the extreme temperatures. Solidays, which was due to take place from 26-28 June at Hippodrome de Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, was forced to cancel due to the high heat level in the French capital.
In a statement, organisers Solidarité Sida said, “The curtain has come down, dampening the last hopes of Solidarité Sida and the many fans and beneficiaries of the public interest festival. This cancellation plunges Solidarité Sida into a brutal reality. The 3 million euros in expected results will disappear.”
Further French events affected included this year’s Paris Pride which has been postponed until September while Fete de la Musique, a Parisian street festival, banned the consumption of alcohol as a health measure.
Dutch festival Defqon.1, which was scheduled to run across the weekend, was brought to an early end after just one day as extreme temperatures swept through the Netherlands, with highs nearing 40°C.
Organisers Q-dance confirmed the cancellation of the remaining days of the Biddinghuizen event following the government’s first-ever red heat alert. It said the decision was made on safety grounds as conditions deteriorated rapidly. In the lead-up to the festival, its capacity had already been reduced by around 15,000 attendees as a precaution, leaving approximately 55,000 people on site for the day it went ahead.
Belgian festival Werchter Boutique was forced to reduce its weekend programme which included cancelling Katy Perry’s headline slot on Saturday night. Perry said on Instagram “the decision was entirely out of my hands” adding that the safety of the 55,000 festival-goers was the main priority.
The UK has also seen heightened safety measures at shows across a busy weekend of live music including the opening BST Hyde Park shows, and stadium concerts by acts such as Take That and Harry Styles. Among the sweeping measures taken were an increase in drinking water availability and a 50% cut in the price of bottled water.
Festival Republic said that at its new State Fayre Festival, which took place across the weekend in Chelmsford, a series of enhanced welfare measures were taken to support attendees during the event. They included free drinking water made available across the site via multiple refill points in the arena, pit areas and entrance.
Entry policies were changed with the aim of enabling improved hydration and sun protection, with the allowance for sealed water containers increased to 1 litre, sunscreen containers up to 250ml, and permission for small foldable umbrellas.