The wind was simply too strong

Heavy rain showers are expected again this evening

The area in front of the stage had to be temporarily cleared.(Bild: APA/FLORIAN WIESER)

Due to severe storms, Frequency—one of Austria’s largest festivals—was forced to cancel its Friday program; the danger to attendees was simply too great. There was no all-clear even for the night hours. The “Krone” Festival in Linz was also affected by the erratic weather—there, too, the program was interrupted.

The organizer itself warned visitors to the Frequency Festival in Lower Austria of wind gusts of up to 70 km/h. The area in front of the stages had to be cleared shortly before Tom Odell’s performance—there was a risk that parts of the structure could fall.

“We’re very sorry”
Initially, around 9 p.m., it was reported that the worst was over and that, after a brief interruption, the concerts by Sido, SSIO, and Paul Kalkbrenner were supposed to continue—but shortly before 10 p.m., the organizers pulled the plug. Organizer Harry Jenner explained that the stage equipment could not be set up due to the wind.

“Due to the weather conditions, the rest of the program has been canceled. The Night Stage and Silent Disco are also canceled for today. We’re very sorry. Tomorrow, everything will take place as planned,” the organizers announced on Facebook.

Visitors Sought Shelter in Halls
Festivalgoers were instructed to seek shelter as quickly as possible. To avoid getting wet, many guests also ran into the halls on the festival grounds. The canceled concerts will not be rescheduled. 

The area in front of the stage had to be temporarily evacuated.(Bild: APA/FLORIAN WIESER)

Visitors also sought shelter in the halls.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Shortly before Tom Odell’s performance, the program was interrupted.(Bild: zVg)

Free drinks; day-pass holders may return
However, all Friday day-pass holders are invited to return on Saturday for free with their day-pass wristband to attend the festival’s final day. Additionally, it was announced late in the evening that on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. at the main festival grounds, “the first 5,000 drinks will be on the house.” On Saturday, the festival reaches its finale. Acts performing on the Traisen stage include Ikkimel and Twenty One Pilots.

Videos show the sky opening up over the festival grounds:

Interruption in Linz as well
In the early evening, the weather had already taken a turn for the worse in Upper Austria. The “Krone” Festival in Linz had to be briefly interrupted for safety reasons.

Dark clouds were also gathering over the “Krone” Festival in Linz.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / WERNER KERSCHBAUMMAYR)

2,000 firefighters on duty in Upper Austria
In addition, a storm with winds of up to 100 km/h swept through several districts in Upper Austria. Later in the evening, 2,000 firefighters were on the scene, responding to 180 emergency calls. At Lake Wolfgang, a surfer had to be rescued after getting into distress in the storm.

Spectacular lightning strike in Carinthia
Violent thunderstorms also struck Carinthia late Friday evening. The same had happened the night before—when lightning struck the Wörthersee observation tower on the Pyramidenkogel.

A photographer was able to capture this rare moment with his camera:

The photographer pressed the shutter at exactly the right moment.(Bild: Daniele Iavarone)

In Salzburg, there had already been several storm-related emergency calls. Strong gusts of wind had toppled several trees. And in Styria, too, a brief but equally violent storm led to several emergency calls.

Cool Summer Night
The UWZ’s thunderstorm warnings also apply to Saturday night. Temperatures will drop to about 13 to 20 degrees overnight into Saturday.

Weekend to Be More Stable
The weather will not begin to calm down until the weekend: As drier and cooler air from Northern Europe moves in, the influence of a temporary high-pressure system will increasingly take hold.