Firefly Fest Weather Delay

About 10 p.m., the official Firefly Twitter account, @LiveatFirefly, tweeted, “Severe weather is heading our way. If at The Woodlands, clear the festival grounds, head towards the exit & seek shelter in your vehicles,” according to the News Journal.

At the festival grounds, the evacuation began shortly before 10 p.m., 15 minutes after headliners Kings of Leon were supposed to start playing on the main stage.

An announcement told attendees to clear the festival grounds immediately due to impending bad weather with 60-mph winds. On the giant screens surrounding the stage, a similar message with a tornado warning was posted. Six acts including Kings of Leon and Steve Aoki, never made it to the stage that night. About 11 p.m., a steady rain started and Firefly campers were sent an alert through the official mobile application to take down all pop-up tents, poles, and canopies at their campsites.

Rain had been expected all day, but the storms worsened throughout the evening. Organizers said earlier in the day that they had contingency plans in case the forecast held true. When the storms looked inevitable, they sent out a revised schedule, moving some acts to earlier spots in the evening so they might mitigate the weather’s impact, the Journal said. The festival resumed the next day with a revised lineup.