Lollapalooza Evacuated Due to Severe Storms

2012-08-04

Story by Cat Badra

Festival-goers at this weekend’s Lollapalooza had to leave the grounds to avoid an impending storm

Lollapalooza 2012 hit a little snafu on Saturday (Aug. 4), as police had to evacuate tens of thousands of attendees from the annual music festival in advance of a severe thunderstorm that thrust into downtown Chicago and served up a downpour of rain showers.

Festival organizers indefinitely suspended the show at 3:30 p.m. CT, after the grounds were served with a severe thunderstorm warning, according to the Chicago Tribune. That meant the police had to escort the roughly 100,000 fans at the sold-out event out of Grant Park and to shelter areas located in underground parking garages bordering Michigan Avenue.

Crowds started walking back toward the main gates after the roughest part of the storm passed just after 5 p.m. CT. Fans, no doubt, have Red Hot Chili Peppers on the mind, as the funk-rock group is slated to headline the festival tonight. Due to the evacuation, the festival will be allowed to close at 10:30 p.m. CT instead of 10 p.m. CT, to allow organizers some extra time to rearrange the schedule and squeeze in more artists’ performances, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communication.

Festival-goers no doubt hope the weather shapes up for Sunday’s (Aug. 5) show, which will feature performances by Jack White, Justice, Kaskade, the Big Pink, Florence + the Machine, At the Drive-in and more. For a full list of the performers at Lollapalooza 2012, visit the festival’s official website.

 




Cat Badra
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