Festival-goers were evacuated briefly from Lollapalooza on Sunday afternoon due to severe thunderstorms passing over the Chicago region, the music festival’s organizers announced in a statement.
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The announcement was made at stages across the park, including the Samsung Galaxy stage at 2:35 p.m., about the time that George Ezra was set to start.
This evacuation was a big contrast to one in 2012, when festivalgoers were caught in a downpour on their way out, many hiding under trees or trying to find garbage bags to shield themselves from the rain.
There are three emergency evacuation shelters: Grant Park North, Grant Park South and Millennium Lakeside Garages. At the moment, it’s unclear how festival organizers plan to adjust the schedule.
Festival-goers were being ushered out of the Grant Park fest by staff and the Chicago Police Department to underground evacuation and shelter sites along Michigan Avenue, according to a statement from Lollapalooza media representatives.
Although skies remained blue and cloudless downtown at 2:30 p.m., Chicago is included in a list of specific areas that could be hit.
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“Our first priority is always the safety of our fans, staff and artists”, said Sandee Fenton, director of publicity for C3 Presents, the promoter behind Lollapalooza.
