Festivals seem to be gone with the wind lately.
BeachLife music festival in Redondo Beach, California, had to prematurely shut down on the third and final day of their 3-day event due to high winds. The beachside festival had opened its gates at 11am on Sunday, May 5, and was slated to rock all day and night until 9:30pm. At about 5:30pm, the festival shared via their Instagram Stories a “1-Hour Evacuation,” stating, “Out of an abundance of caution, BeachLife is temporarily evacuating the festival for an hour due to high winds. Stand by.” An hour later, the festival decided to cancel the event.
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BeachLife festival organizers shared via their Instagram today the following statement:
“It is with great sadness that we must cancel our programming at BeachLife this Sunday evening, due to a serious wind event that put the general public at risk. While we take extraordinary measures to keep our fans and artists safe, and while absolutely none of our engineered structures or systems failed, winds quickly reached very dangerous speeds and we put safety first. Alongside the Redondo Beach Police and Fire Chiefs, our Ownership made a collective decision that to continue would be unsafe and put people’s life in peril.”
“No show is worth a life, and in our Community, BeachLife stays committed above all to put the safety of our kids, families and music lovers first. In the coming days, we will be unwinding the collateral consequences of this decision, and we ask for your support and patience while we do.”
“Please go to the main entrance if you have items left in the festival and we will escort you in. Thank you for your understanding and we’ll see you soon.”
The same process was experienced at Goldenvoice’s Cruel World music festival in 2023, where festival goers received a soft evacuation followed by the unfortunate official cancellation. And just this past Saturday, Lovers & Friends in Las Vegas was canceled due to a high winds advisory. Fans at the Vegas festival were outraged at the short notice and lack of communication.
Sunday at BeachLife had already begun, with performances by Atlas Genius, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Gaby Moreno, Margo Price, Courtney Barnett, some of ZZ Top, and more.
My Morning Jack, Trey Anastasio, Fleet Foxes, Asiatica and Sashamon did not get to perform.
While many fans were disappointed, it’s not uncommon for festivals to be shut down when Mother Nature strikes. High winds and lightning are always a sure way to shut down a music festival because they can be catastrophic and life-threatening, especially at such populated events. Rain is not too much of a detriment, and that is why, with outdoor event tickets, you will often see the disclaimer “rain or shine.” However, rain does not pose the same threat as high winds and/or lightning.
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One BeachLife attendee reported: “Speakers above ZZ Top were swaying! Good call.”
~ @kidsslavelady
Another shared, “Standing at the top of the pier parking, so windy it is a struggle to stand still! Good call, I just hope we can resume!” ~ @mamapepper1
It is safe to say that if you enjoy going to music festivals, you might want to start purchasing travel insurance or making your ticket purchases with a credit card that includes travel insurance or purchase protection.
On May 7, BeachLife festival shared an official statement:
BeachLife Festival joint statement issued from the City of Redondo Beach regarding our high wind cancellation last night. To be clear, the SAFETY of our fans, artists, and community comes first, and despite the financial consequences we’d make the same decision again. According to the National Weather Service, a “High Threat to Life and Property from High Wind” occurs when winds exceed 40mph, and our High Wind Evacuation Plan initiates at sustained gusts over 30mph. Last night, within the span of minutes, winds elevated on our anemometers and drone deployments to sustained gusts of 46mph, with a maximum peak of 51 mph reached. At this juncture, the Fire Marshall declared an immediate evacuation and the venue to be unsafe. We want our BeachLife community to know that this is equally devastating to us, but that we are working on an outcome to make lemonade out of lemons. We will be posting again regarding refunds, concerns, or questions – and we appreciate your patience and support. Because we made the prudent decision to prioritize safety first, nobody was hurt, and BeachLife will be back in 2025 stronger and safer than ever. We look forward to high fives and hugs (and sun without wind).
Read the full statement via their Instagram.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for further updates.
