Organizers pull the plug on massive outdoor music festival due to wind
Strong winds caused cancellations and damage across Southern California on Sunday.
The gusty winds caused a popular Redondo Beach music festival to cancel a portion of Sunday’s performances.
The BeachLife Festival organizers initially announced on social media that there would be a one-hour evacuation from the location due to the blowing winds. Officials later elected to cancel the rest of the event due to the storm.
“It is with great sadness that we must cancel our programming at BeachLife this Sunday evening due to a serious wind event that put the general public at risk. While we take extraordinary measures to keep our fans, staff, and artists safe, and while absolutely none of our engineered structures or systems failed, winds quickly reached very dangerous speeds and we put safety first.
Alongside the Redondo Beach Police and Fire Department Chiefs, our Ownership made a collective decision that to continue would be unsafe and put people’s lives at risk. Reopening was not possible,” Beach Life Festival said in a statement.
BeachLife issued a followup statement on Monday on Instagram saying the organizers followed its plan when it came to any issues with the weather.
“High Wind Evacuation Plan initiates at sustained gusts over 30mph. Last night, within the span of minutes, winds elevated on our anemometers and drone deployments to sustained gusts of 46mph, with a maximum peak of 51 mph reached.”
Organizers say the Fire Marshall also immediately ordered an evacuation of the area due to the strong wind.
BeachLife adds that no decision has been made on any refunds for ticket purchasers, and that organizers will provide an update at a later date.
Although BeachLife Festival stated the decision to cancel was for the safety of festival-goers, some people on social media voiced their displeasure with organizers.
“All of the winds completely calmed down by approximately 7:30. Beach Life canceled too soon! … Refunds must be made as the decision to cancel was very premature,” wrote Instagram user kingstonmusigk.
“Traveled over two hrs in traffic got there for an hour and then got evacuated,” wrote amor_es_vida
“We will see you in court,” wrote Instragram user catfishcarranza.
There are unconfirmed reports that the cancellation occurred during ZZ Top’s performance. Some social media users are upset they missed scheduled performers Trey Anastasio & Classic Tab, the Fleet Foxes, and Sashamon.
Sunday was the third and final day of the festival.
Meanwhile, a large tree came down in Culver City, causing severe damage to three vehicles. Authorities say the tree crashed onto a moving car and two parked vehicles near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The Culver City Police Department says no one was injured.
Video obtained by KTLA shows emergency workers attempting to clear the large tree, which caused a closure of the intersection.
Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Strong winds caused a large tree to come down in Culver City, near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wade Street. The tree caused severe damage to three vehicles, but no one was injured on May 5, 2024. (KTLA)
The gusty winds also impacted a construction site in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Fire Department says a roughly four or five-story scaffolding structure was swept outwards by the wind, causing nearby power lines to be impacted.
Video obtained by KTLA from the intersection of North St. Andrews Place and Santa Monica Boulevard showed emergency responders keeping the area clear to ensure no one was injured.
Scaffolding in Hollywood was impacted by gusty winds in Southern California. The Los Angeles Fire Department was on the scene after the scaffolding fell onto nearby power lines on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Scaffolding in Hollywood was impacted by gusty winds in Southern California. The Los Angeles Fire Department was on the scene after the scaffolding fell onto nearby power lines on May 5, 2024. (KTLA) Scaffolding in Hollywood was impacted by gusty winds in Southern California. The Los Angeles Fire Department was on the scene after the scaffolding fell onto nearby power lines on May 5, 2024. (KTLA)
A wind advisory was in effect for parts of Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties until Monday morning.
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