Not the kind of vacation waves we wanted

Magdalena Milert

28 of June '24

On the impact of extreme weather events on summer events

w skrócie
In 2023, extreme weather events affected at least 29 concerts and festivals around the world, including two with fatalities. Extreme heat and violent storms are becoming more frequent, causing concert interruptions and cancellations, as well as the need to evacuate attendees. The music industry's impact on the climate is forcing festival organizers to implement environmentally friendly measures, such as reducing the use of single-use plastics and promoting public transportation. Climate change is also affecting tourism and religious events, leading to the closure of tourist attractions and tragic accidents during pilgrimages. For more interesting information, visit the home page of the AiB portal

w skrócie

In 2023, extreme weather events affected at least 29 concerts and festivals around the world, including two with fatalities.
Extreme heat and violent storms are becoming more frequent, causing concert interruptions and cancellations, as well as the need to evacuate attendees.
The music industry's impact on the climate is forcing festival organizers to implement environmentally friendly measures, such as reducing the use of single-use plastics and promoting public transportation.
Climate change is also affecting tourism and religious events, leading to the closure of tourist attractions and tragic accidents during pilgrimages.
For more interesting information, visit the home page of the AiB portal

What threatens concerts, outdoor events and tourism, posing new challenges to organizers and participants due to extreme weather conditions? Climate change. Like it or not, we need to reformat certain solutions.

Climate change is affecting reality in many ways, creating new risks and challenges. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, affecting what outdoor spaces and events are becoming unavailable[1]. In 2023, at least 29 concerts and music festivals around the world were affected by weather phenomena[2], and two of them resulted in audience deaths[3].

Wave at concert

Heat-related accidents are a serious problem. In November 2022, a 23-year-old fan died of heat exhaustion at a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro, where the perceived temperature reached 59°C and attendees were not provided with access to water[4]. Similar incidents have occurred at other events, such as Ed Sheeran's concert in Pittsburgh, where 17 fans were hospitalized due to heat-related problems.

Other extreme weather events, such as heavy rain, hail and thunderstorms, also disrupted outdoor events. The aforementioned Taylor Swift was forced to postpone her concert in Argentina due to heavy rains. Instead, organizers of the Tomorrowland festival in Brazil had to cancel performances on the second day due to thunderstorms. In March, crowds of fans filled Bayfront Park in Miami to attend the first day of the Ultra EDM music festival. Then the downpour began, which quickly turned into local flooding.

polacks are not geese, they have their concerts

On our domestic outdoor scene, we also have cases of violent weather phenomena. Last year's concert in Zywiec by Męskie Granie was interrupted due to an approaching storm. It was necessary to evacuate just before the final concert. The events at Open'er Festival 2022 were also widely reported, with a storm passing through the Pomeranian Voivodeship, dark clouds could be seen gathering in the open, violent winds ripped off parts, while organizers reminded people not to touch metal elements. The evacuation, which many people accused of average efficiency, was widely reported[5]. The fire department recorded 772 storm-related interventions that day[6].

The music industry itself contributes to climate change through emissions from transportation and energy-intensive sound and lighting systems. Some festivals are working to reduce their environmental impact by banning single-use plastics, promoting public transportation and offsetting emissions. As climate change intensifies, however, organizers of outdoor events will need to prioritize safety measures and adjust their practices to ensure the safety of attendees and performers in the face of increasingly extreme weather conditions[7].

Seeing these alarming figures, it's important to consider whether certain solutions should be reformulated, such as something as basic as access to potable water, hydration and cooling stations. While it's customary to think of summer festivals as open spaces, it's worth considering installing shaded areas or rescheduling performances to dates that are slightly less hot. And certainly communication about weather conditions and potential hazards or developing better evacuation plans in case of extreme weather must improve.

the price of sightseeing

Summer is also a time for holiday travel. Recently, several tourist attractions and monuments have been closed due to extreme heat waves. The Acropolis in Athens, Greece's most famous ancient monument, was closed from 12:00 pm to 5:00 am due to temperatures reaching 48°C on the rocky hillside[8]. The closure was implemented earlier than usual this year due to an unprecedented heat wave. After exceptionally hot days, the Acropolis is sometimes closed for the entire day due to excessive heat on the stone surfaces.

On June 18, a fifth tourist died this month due to high temperatures in Greece[9]. The sixth victim of the heat in Greece was unfortunately a German tourist, at least three other tourists on island parts of the country are reported missing[10]. And this is just the beginning of summer. The Greek Ministry of Culture has announced the closures as a precautionary measure to protect visitors from the extreme heat. Southern European cities are likely to face one climate disaster after another[11]. Fires are breaking out across Greece, and authorities are trying to contain them. The early arrival of the heat wave, combined with a dry winter, has led to a very difficult fire season.

Although Greece has taken measures to protect tourists, some experts say many European countries are not adequately prepared for the effects of climate change on tourism. The situation underscores the growing challenges popular tourist destinations face in adapting to increasingly extreme weather conditions. Scientists say it is possible to predict these events four to five weeks in advance, but most cities do not have strategies in place to prepare for them.

Deadly Mecca

The recent Haj pilgrimage to Mecca was severely impacted by an extreme heat wave that caused a huge number of deaths and highlighted the growing threat of climate change to large gatherings and religious events[12].

At least 1,300 pilgrims died during this year's pilgrimage, more than half of the victims were unregistered pilgrims[13]. Temperatures in Mecca soared to more than 51.8°C, creating unbearable conditions for some 1.8 million participants[14]. The extreme heat posed particular challenges for older pilgrims and those without proper documentation or access to official centers where they could cool off[15].

hottest area

Studies indicate that temperatures in Saudi Arabia are rising at a rate of 0.4°C per decade in the area where Haj rituals are performed. The trend is much higher than the global average. A 2019 study predicts that climate change will raise pilgrims' heat stress to dangerous levels in the coming decades[16]. A climate change index developed by Climate Central suggests that excess greenhouse gases have caused the occurrence of such extreme weather events in the region to be at least five times higher[17].

The Saudi Arabian government has implemented some measures to reduce heat-related risks, such as surface cooling coats and the provision of medical services. However, experts emphasize the need for more comprehensive strategies, including: improved cooling infrastructure along pilgrimage routes, improved crowd management techniques, better accommodation and support for elderly pilgrims, addressing unauthorized pilgrims who lack access to basic services.

plan for the future

The tragic events of this year's beginning of summer point to the urgent need for adaptive measures to ensure the safety of large gatherings, but also of tourism in a warming world. As climate change intensifies, religious events, political rallies, music festivals and sporting events will face increasing challenges from extreme heat.