Weather Forecasting for Summer Music Festivals.

Inclement weather can be disastrous for any music festival with numerous examples of festivals being closed prematurely because of bad weather. What steps can organisers take to be the most prepared for potential problems that bad weather may cause by anticipating the weather forecast prior to the event dates.

There are plenty of resources available for obtaining weather forecasts across most news media but sometimes it can help by having accurate forecasts that relate to the specific festival site. Understanding the approaching conditions can enable organisers to implement their contingency plans for inclement weather that may include protection of sensitive equipment and warnings to festival-goers and vendors to prepare for the incoming poor weather. What resources are there available for organisers to utilise in obtaining accurate weather forecasts? 

The website theweatehroutlook.com does provide a dedicated event based forecast specifically for music festivals in the UK and Europe along with useful links to obtain more detailed data and information.

Another website, metcheck.com provides a very comprehensive list of music festivals along with forecasts for temperature, rain, wind and overall weather conditions. The data appears as much as 6 months in advance of event dates with live updates until the event occurs.

The metcheck.com site links to festiweather.com which is a website specifically dedicated to forecasting music festival weather around the world and in 2021 they provided weather forecasts for over 1,500 festivals along with some great links to each festival and other popular related information.

These online resources are useful for festival organisers, contractors, artists, vendors and festival-goers as it helps them prepare in advance. Organisers can consider linking these useful website links to their own festival website and their dedicated festival Apps to provide essential weather data to festival-goers. This information helps visitors plan their festival attendance particularly for waterproof clothing and other items they may need for added protection form hot sunny weather. 

Having access to accurate weather forecasts is only part of the planning process for festival organisers, it’s more important that they have contingency plans in place to act on that information. Making timely announcements and communicating with all visitors on site about the impact any wet or windy weather may have is essential. This could include the postponement of scheduled performances or the temporary closure of amusement rides or restrictions on movement of vehicles to prevent fields becoming rutted and impassable. Organisers also need to make assessments of any aspect of the festival that may present a danger to anyone on site due to stormy weather, this most difficult decision may be the premature closure of the event but with careful planning and real awareness of impending weather this eventuality could be avoided. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering. 

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