Saturday evening, the Apollo stage at the Roskilde Festival had to be temporarily closed due to bad weather. Shortly after, the stage was reopened, and the scheduled concert was able to proceed. Earlier in the evening, a severe storm forced the Roskilde Festival to close off the Apollo stage. This happened just as musician Eartheater was about to take the stage at 8 p.m. The rain was pouring down, and festival-goers sought shelter under the trees near the stage. A festival-goer reported to a news agency that the concert was postponed due to the risk of lightning strikes in the area.
However, the barricade was removed around 8:15 p.m., and the audience was allowed to return to the Apollo stage. According to the Roskilde Festival app, the concert with Eartheater could begin at 9:30 p.m. as planned. Meteorologists had previously warned of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong gusts of wind on Saturday evening. Security chief at the Roskilde Festival, Morten Therkildsen, stated earlier in the day to a news channel that the festival had taken precautions. “We are very aware that there may be lightning, so we have stages like Platform and Apollo that we cannot hold concerts on,” he explained.
The Danish Meteorological Institute (Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut – DMI) confirmed by 5 p.m. on Saturday that the festival could be hit by severe weather. DMI recorded four cloudbursts at different locations in the country, including Emmerlev in Southern Jutland, Himmerland, Kegnæs Lighthouse on Als, and Røsnæs Lighthouse. These places experienced rainfall between 15.7 and 20.8 millimeters. The Roskilde Festival has since stated that they have been particularly attentive to “heavy rain, strong gusts of wind, and of course lightning”. The festival’s structures, including tents and stages, are built to withstand harsh weather, and there are lightning conductors in places like the bridge over the railway and the stages.
The festival continues to closely monitor the weather situation to ensure the safety of guests and artists.