Forecasters are advising revellers at Leeds Festival to secure their tents, and drivers to take care on the roads as Storm Lilian surges through northern parts of Wales and England
Storm Lilian: Strong winds hit Leeds festival
Revellers at Leeds Festival have been warned to stay in their tents as the site has been battered by gales amid Storm Lilian.
Two stages “have been lost” amid drastic changes organisers have had to make due to the weather. Leeds Festival wrote on X: “We can see an end in sight to the high winds. We definitely won’t be opening the arena at 11am, but we are targeting as soon as possible after that and we will update you further.
“However, we have definitely lost the BBC Radio 1 stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We have also lost the Aux stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend. Please await further information.”
It had previously tweeted: “Everybody can see and feel that we’re suffering from the winds currently. We’re urging you to stay in your tents if you are onsite and feel safe to do so. If you are in your car, please remain there. If you are not yet at the festival site, please delay your arrival. We’re expecting it to ease up at 10am and we will update you in 30 minutes. Your safety is our number one priority. Remember to look out for each other.”
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Revellers have shared their disappointment at the news. Josh Sandiford, who is at the festival with pal Joe Connolly, told The Mirror they’ve now been “left in the lurch”. Speaking from his tent, Josh, 25, said: “The wind is still quite strong.
“We were scared our £40 Decathlon was going to fly away. We woke up and our tent was rocking. We have seen other people’s tents flying in the air. We woke up and saw everyone’s tent on the floor, broken and smashed – the wind has just smashed the tents to smithereens… I think we have really been left in the lurch and we wait for further information. They have been quite good so far with the updates, but there were bands we really wanted to see on the Radio 1 stage. We were really looking forward to seeing Alfie Templeman and Artemas.
Joe, 26, said: “I’m in shock, I have known festivals to have this sort of situation happen in my lifetime but I have never been at them. So I feel like part of history. I just don’t know what they are going to do about the Radio 1 stage because there are all these artists, some of whom have probably flown in from America, and they are going to have pay them either way, and I don’t know where they are going to put them.
“They say they’ve ‘lost’ the stage or whatever. What has happened? What does that mean? They haven’t explained. Maybe the roof is flying across the arena like a crisp packet.” Another reveller, who uses the TikTok name eyeslikeaqua, posted a dramatic video online.
Another festival-goer told the Mirror: “Walking around on Thursday, me and my friends were saying we wished we were camping. But after the weather and cancellations today, we’re glad we’re staying in a nearby hotel and using the shuttle bus. This weather isn’t for me.”
In a statement, the festival told the Mirror: “We can see an end in sight to the high winds. We definitely won’t be opening the arena at 11am, but we are targeting as soon as possible after that and we will update you further. However, we have definitely lost the BBC Radio 1 stage today, and there will be no performances on it.
“We have also lost the Aux stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend. Please await further information.”
Alfie Templeman who was due to play the BBC Radio 1 stage said on X, formerly Twitter: “Oh sh*t.” Fans have also been left wondering how they will see their favourite artists performing, with one asking: “Will the acts be moved to any other available stages?? everyone i was wanting to see were across both of those.” A second typed: “Will you be processing refunds for those who now don’t want to come due to this? We are hardly getting what we paid for.”
Alfie Templeman went on to say: “I’m really gutted about this, I’m so so sorry to anyone that wanted to catch our set today in Leeds but multiple stages are no longer standing and we’ve been told our slot is cancelled. Leeds we’ll make it up to you as soon as possible, so so much love to you all.”
Arthur Hill who is scheduled to play the Festival Republic stage later this evening asked Leeds bosses: “How do you lose a stage? Hahahaha.”
The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for rain in south-west Scotland and the Aberdeenshire coast from 9pm on Thursday to 9am on Friday.
There is the possibility of thunder, while 20-30mm of rainfall is expected widely across both areas – with a chance of 40-50mm over higher ground.
A yellow wind warning has also come into force covering northern England and north Wales until 11am on Friday, with the storm widely expected to bring gusts of 50-60mph in the region.
The official X account of the Met Office posted at 5am on Friday: “Winds are now strengthening in many areas with the strongest winds occurring during the next few hours across northern England and north Wales. Damaging gusts are possible in places so ensure you stay #WeatherAware.”
The impact of the severe weather has already been felt outside the expected regions, with National Highways warning the M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire was closed in both directions between J1 (Aust) and J2 (Chepstow) due to the strong winds.
Road users were advised to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternate route. The bridge has since reopened. Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “The strongest winds are likely to start forming through the early hours initially across parts of north Wales into the Liverpool, Blackpool area, and then crossing over the Pennines and into the east and north-east England – Yorkshire, up to Northumberland before then clearing out into the North Sea. So it’s really quite quick.”