Why Dangerous Las Vegas Wind Destroys Music Festivals
Over the weekend, organizers of the Lovers & Friends festival, featuring headliners like Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and more, canceled the music event due to high Las Vegas winds.
Many people on social media expressed their dissatisfaction with the last-minute cancelation. The festival organizers released a statement a day prior to the festival saying, “Following advice from the National Weather Service and in consultation with local public officials, we must make the safest decision for our fans, artists, and staff, and cancel tomorrow’s Lovers & Friends Festival.”
The official statement from the festival also said that organizers monitored the weather for several days. But, the National Weather Service issued a “high wind warning” that also said wind gusts could reach more than 60 mph, making it dangerous for festival operations to proceed.
Why The Las Vegas Wind Causes Havok For Music Festivals
In 2022, the When We Were Young Festival was also canceled due to “high winds,” as well. This festival was centered around alternative rock, pop punk and emo rock music.
“On Saturday, merely hours before the first day of the festival, organizers sent an email informing attendees that because of ‘dangerous 30 to 40 m.p.h. sustained winds with potential 60 m.p.h. gusts,’ the first day of the festival had been canceled,” the New York Times reported.
So, the cancelation on Saturday mirrors the “When We Were Young” cancelation just a few years prior. They were both last-minute cancelations and caused a plethora of disappointment from fans.
But the question you may have is “Why is the Las Vegas wind so treacherous and dream crushing when it comes to music festivals?”
I mean, it may not feel like the Las Vegas wind is that powerful or let alone dangerous. However, things can be different once you get higher up in the air.
According to WindCrane, a company that sells advanced remote wind speed systems, “In outdoor events, temporary structures such as tents and stages are especially vulnerable to strong winds.”
Many tents and stage structures are also more susceptible to collapsing due to violent wind gusts or turbulent wind.
“Cyclical forces such as those caused by turbulence can also cause structural collapse due to fatigue failure,” WindCrane states.
Why Wind Is Especially Horrible On The Las Vegas Festival Grounds
Along with the reasoning above, wind on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds is especially horrible because of the hotels and tall buildings surrounding the property. It’s also essentially an open field, which can create wind tunnels.
WindCrane further reports that buildings cause a downdraught effect, which makes the “surrounding streets and sidewalks windier. In groups, buildings can form ‘street canyons’ which are roads that have many tall buildings on each side.”
So, an open field surrounded by buildings can potentially create the perfect conditions for stage collapses, flyaway tents and other dangerous disasters that are major public safety issues. Not to mention the amount of light fixtures that are strung on stages or propelled high in the sky that can also cause another safety issue.
So, although a last-minute cancelation is a total bummer, organizers often move forward with nixing an event for the greater good of public safety. And it’s safe to assume that the promoters rather not cancel and lost the time, effort, deposits and large amounts of money associated with the festival.
For refund inquiries, Lovers & Friends said in their cancelation statement that ticketholders — who purchased their tickets from Front Gat Tickets — will receive a refund within 30 days.
Our hearts go out to everyone who flew to Las Vegas — whether they were festival vendors, working the festival or simply attending — we hope you enjoyed the city nevertheless!
Weirdest Weather Events That've Happened In Las Vegas, Clark County
Thunderstorm Murdered 700 Cows
According to the Las Vegas Sun, a complex thunderstorm developed over northeast Clark County. This caused a massive flood that killed over 700 cattle at a dairy farm.
Operation Save The Animals
The snowiest winter in Nevada was in 1948-1949, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Due to an influx of snow, a large airlift operation was initiated to get stranded livestock from northern and eastern Nevada. However, it was too late for 25% of the animals.
