Edmonton Folk Evacuated After Storm

A storm packing high winds forced organizers to evacuate the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in Gallagher Park Aug. 10 after just two performers had taken the stage.   

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“On Thursday evening we had to make the difficult decision to end the show and evacuate our site,” organizers posted to the event’s Facebook page.

“After heavy winds went through, our on site meteorologist advised that there could be another period with winds of higher intensity and potentially longer duration, making for unsafe conditions. High winds damaged a video screen, blowing tarps and tents, according to CTV Edmonton.

“There will be refunds for patrons who purchased Thursday tickets,” the Facebook post continued. “We have yet to sort out the details but we will inform you of the procedures once we do so. We are very disappointed to have to cancel the two amazing artists who were yet to play. The Decemberists and Shakey Graves have been invited back for the 2018 festival. We expect the show to resume as normal on Friday with gates opening at 4:30 pm.”

Social media posts indicated most fans were satisfied with how things were handled, and that evacuation went smoothly.

The Canadian festival runs Aug. 10-13 and the lineup includes Brandi Carlile, Rhiannon Giddens, St. Paul And The Broken Bones, Leon Bridges and many others.