The third day of Firefly 2015 ended early with a forced evacuation due to severe weather in Dover, Delaware, just before 10 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 20.
As raindrops began to fall and lightning shot across the sky, festival-goers were ushered out of the forested grounds due to a massive storm that hung over the festival for the second half of the day.
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Those camping just outside festival grounds were urged to “seek shelter in their vehicles,” according to a Firefly rep. When reached for comment, Dover police told Billboard they were assisting attendees evacuate the premises and confirmed that campers had been advised to stay in their vehicles. Additionally, campers were told to remove flag poles or anything that might attract lightning during the storm.
Saturday night performer Kid Cudi’s set was cut off after five songs. Two minutes later, someone took the microphone and urged festival-goers to evacuate, stating, “It’s in your best interests to leave.” Kings of Leon’s headlining set was cut off before it even started.
Despite the premature close, the crowd was in high spirits as they left, cheering each lightning bolt, tweeting and singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the way out.
Additional reporting by Steven Horowitz.